Disclaimer: I do not own Flash or any of its characters.
Barry was happy. Or, at least, as happy as he could be given the absolute mess he had made out of Flashpoint, but he was feeling content. He and Iris were just beginning to see each other, and he hoped that it would go well with them. He was confident that it would, as it appeared that they were destined for each other, but regardless of whether it was destiny or whether they made their own destiny, he was excited to see if they would get to have a future together.
That is, until a new face came walking into the cortex that began to change everything.
"What the- who the hell are you?!" Cisco rolled his eyes as everyone turned to see a man with short brown hair and deep blue eyes come walking into the room without a care in the world. "How did you get in here?!" Turning to his friends as they all prepared themselves for a fight, he sarcastically asked. "Why do we even bother having security measures if it never stops anyone from coming here?"
The man chuckled a little as he looked at the metahuman before him, putting his hands up in a gesture of peace as he looked around at them all, his eyes landing on Caitlin for a few moments longer than the rest before returning his attention to Cisco. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ramon, but your security is perfectly fine. It's just unable to stop me due to my abilities."
"Cut the crap," Harry stepped forward with his gun aimed directly at the man's head. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Wait, wait, hold up," Cisco intervened curiously as he looked at the man and raised a brow. "What abilities specifically?"
Smirking, the man was about to answer him when Barry decided that he had enough. He'd already let both Thawne and Zolomon trick him. He wasn't about to let himself be tricked again. Flashing to the man, he threw him against the wall and stared him down.
"Barry!" Caitlin protested in surprise, not liking how he was acting. Sure, she didn't trust this man either, but he hadn't made any move whatsoever that made them think that he meant to hurt them. Barry was being irrational. For the moment being, at least.
"Allen, you need to calm down," Harry agreed as he kept his gun aimed at the intruder, but looked at the young man who had become like a son to him. "We don't attack someone without cause."
"I'm not letting someone trick us again!" Barry responded coldly, having been through this dance twice and not willing to let the ones he loved be hurt because of his own carelessness. He had let his guard down with Zolomon, and it had resulted in Caitlyn being emotionally scarred for life and left him with a dead father. There was no way that he was going to allow himself to let some stranger into his life claiming to want to help ever again. "Who are you?!" he questioned the man who still had his hands up in a sign of peace. "What do you want?!"
"Relax, Barry Allen," the man told him with his smirk still in place, apparently not being very threatened by the scarlet speedster, but Barry's widened as he realized that the man knew who he was. "I haven't come here to- pretend or not- help you. At least," he added before flashing a bright smile at Caitlin, who soon found herself blushing at the way he was looking at her. "No one but the lovely Doctor Snow, that is."
Caitlin, being utterly surprised at this, adorably put a hand to her heart and shyly asked. "Me?"
"Yes, of course you, Dr. Snow," the man looked at her and flashed her another brilliant smile, causing her heart to flutter as she did her best not to let this man who they knew nothing about get to her. She'd already fallen for that trap once, and she had no intention of falling for it ever again. "I've come from another earth to meet you."
Being surprised and confused at this as well, and feeling something else that he couldn't quite discern at the man's clear interest in Caitlin, Barry's grip on the man slackened a bit as he couldn't help but sputter out. "W-What?"
Smirking again as he saw that he had thrown the speedster off with his admission, he decided it was time to explain just why he had come there. "If you would be so kind as to allow me some room so I can properly explain myself, I will be glad to tell each and every one of you why I am here and why I have no intention whatsoever of hurting any of you."
"Why should we believe you?" Iris questioned as she moved forward and looked at the newcomer, noting that he was rather handsome and couldn't stop herself from saying. "Good looks and flattering words aren't going to save you here, mister."
Not believing his ears, Barry turned to Iris with a disbelieving look in his eyes. "Iris…"
Blushing as she seemed to realize what she did wrong, she mouthed an apology to Barry and stepped back, clearly embarrassed and decided that she would stay out of the conversation. Feeling himself annoyed at her comment, but knowing that he would just have to brush it off, he returned his attention to the man in front of him and said. "Look, man, I don't know who you are, but I've already been burned twice by people that pretended to be my friend, and I'm not going to allow it to happen a third time."
"I'm not pretending to be your friend, Mr. Allen," the man pointed out as he kept his calm demeanor, clearly not threatened by the formidable team before him. "But I can assure you that I am not your enemy, and I want nothing from you. And I understand completely why you don't trust me. After the way the Reverse-Flash and Zoom betrayed you, I don't blame you for being wary. Especially after what happened to Doctor Snow, and the loss of your father." The man took on a look of sympathy as he noticed that the scarlet speedster became surprised at this, with a hint of sadness at the mention of what they had suffered and lost due to Zoom. "My condolences for your loss, by the way. I know it's never easy losing a loved one."
Barry was still highly suspicious of the man's intentions, but he could see the sincerity in his eyes, that he truly was sorry for what he and Caitlin had suffered. Looking back at Caitlin, and watching her give him an encouraging nod to give the stranger a chance, he let out a sigh and reluctantly let the man go.
Smiling as he saw that he was being given a chance to explain himself, the man straightened out his clothes and turned his attention to the group. "Thank you for hearing me out."
"Don't thank us yet," Harry interrupted before he could say anything else with his gun still trained on him. "There's still a very good chance that we might lock you up, anyway."
They were surprised as the man laughed at this, clearly not worried about the threat at all, and looked around at them all before his eyes settled on Caitlin once again, making her heart inexplicably begin to race at the smile he gave her. "Rest assured, everyone. I'm only here to talk to Doctor Snow. Depending on how it goes, I will either leave of my own free will or stick around but stay out of your fight. I promise you," he began as he looked around at them all and began naming them one by one. "Joe, Iris, Harry, Jesse, Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin, that I mean no harm whatsoever and will gladly prove it to you."
"Hold up," Cisco interjected before the man could speak again as he stepped forward, all of them sharing looks as they saw that he knew about all of them, not just Barry's identity. "First you gotta tell us how you know all of us."
"Yeah, Cisco's right," Barry agreed as he stared down the newcomer. "How did you know I was the Flash?"
"Well, I can do that while I introduce myself," the man replied easily enough as he looked around at them all before his eyes settled on Caitlin. "My name is Jason Carter. As I said before, I'm from another earth. One in which we observe the people of other worlds. We watch how their stories unfold, how they grow from the struggles they face, and we witness events that no one else but the ones involved know about," he finished with a pointed look at Caitlin, making her breath hitch as she wondered if he knew about her powers. Seeing the twinkling in his eyes, however, she had reason to believe that it was something more than that.
"So, what, our lives are like a tv show to your people?" Cisco asked with a raised brow. "And you don't do anything to help?"
"We're not supposed to interfere," Jason told him simply, but not without sympathy. "I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like to help you all, but it's simply against our people's ways. The struggles that other worlds face are ones they have to face on their own due to our knowledge of your future, and we usually cannot intervene."
"What, like the Watcher?" Cisco snorted, but his eyes widened as he saw that Jason didn't appear to find this humorous. "Oh, so there's an earth with a bunch of Watchers out there. That's great," he sighed sarcastically, not noticing that all of them were in agreement. Suddenly, it didn't feel like they didn't have any privacy anymore.
"Oh, don't think too much of it," Jason tried to reassure them as he looked around at them all, noticing that Caitlin appeared to be the most concerned of all. "We don't judge, and we only observe to learn from you. And we rarely intervene."
"If that's true, then why are you here?" Joe asked as he lowered his gun down, still being wary of the newcomer, but his intuition telling him that this man was not going to hurt them.
"As I said," Jason told them as he looked at Caitlin with admiration, making her blush yet again as Barry felt a burning sensation in the pit of his stomach which he still couldn't figure out what it was. "I've come here to see Doctor Snow. We are not usually allowed to intervene, but certain exceptions can be made if one has the will to do so. And as I've watched your story, I've come to admire her deeply, and have wanted to meet her in person."
"Really?" Caitlin couldn't help but ask in a little disbelief, and Barry couldn't stop a frown from growing on his face as he saw that she appeared to be somewhat buying all of this. Granted, the man hadn't done anything to show any ill-intention towards them, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't like this guy for some reason.
Smiling as he returned his attention to Caitlin, Jason attempted to get closer to her, but was prevented from being able to do so as Barry sped in front of him with his arms crossed. "I don't think so. We still don't trust you, and we still don't know what you're capable of."
"Yeah, and we still don't know how the hell you got in here," Cisco agreed as he stood next to Barry and crossed his arms as well. "You aren't getting anywhere near her until we know what your deal is."
Not being phased by this, Jason laughed and bowed his head to them in respect. "Of course. Allow me to demonstrate. I would appreciate it if Mr. Wells would lower his weapon so no one gets hurt."
"No chance," Harry responded simply, his eyes deadly focused on the man before him.
"Harry, give him a chance," Caitlin spoke up, making Barry's frown deepen as he saw that she really was buying this and feeling the burning sensation in his gut growing stronger, but he ignored it and returned his attention to Harry who let out a resigned sigh.
"Fine."
Seeing that Harry had finally lowered his weapon, Jason smiled in thanks to her, causing another blush to her cheeks before he stepped away from the group and faced away from them. Taking a quick breath, he punched his hand out forward and opened a breach, making Cisco gasp as he saw that the man was a fellow Breacher.
"You can vibe?" he asked excitedly, his apprehension towards the man apparently gone with the wind as he looked at the newcomer. "I've never met another breacher before. Well, except an evil version of me, but that's a long story."
Chuckling at Cisco, Jason nodded and replied. "Yes, I can definitely vibe, but I also have one other power." The others all looked at each other in confusion at this, clearly having thought that he would only have the one ability.
"Um, I'm sorry," Iris broke out in confusion as she looked at him incredulously. "You have two powers?"
"Of course," Jason answered her as if it was obvious. "Every metahuman on my earth has dual powers."
"Really?" Caitlin couldn't help but ask with clear interest, her mind reeling at the possibility. After all, they still weren't fully sure how the dark matter had caused certain people to gain powers while others didn't, and now they were talking to a man from another earth where they were able to retain two different powers. "That is fascinating. Would you mind if we did some tests on you to see how this is possible?"
"Anytime you want, Doctor Snow," he agreed immediately, making her smile as she looked into his eyes and he looked back into hers. Barry, however, was none too pleased. He didn't know whether it was envy because this man had somehow managed to retain two powers or something to do with Caitlin, but… He did not like this guy.
"That is so cool," Cisco gushed as he looked at Jason in excitement, any trace of wariness now long gone as he continued. "What's your other one?"
Smirking, Jason displayed his empty hands before a strong burst of wind blew towards them, making them all blink in surprise as less than a second later Jason stood exactly where he had been, but now held a large bag of twizzlers which he then offered to Cisco.
"Dudeee," Cisco said in glee as he happily took the bag of twizzlers and began digging into them. "A breacher and a speedster? This dude is OP."
"Why, thank you, Mr. Ramon," Jason thanked him with a genuine smile, making Cisco laugh as he put a hand on his shoulder.
"Please, call me Cisco," he told him easily, making Barry's eyes widen as he saw how quickly one of his best friends had warmed up to the newcomer so quickly. "This might sound a little forward, but are you by any chance in need of a new best friend?"
Not believing his eyes, Barry chided. "Cisco!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Cisco laughed as he put a hand on the jealous speedster's shoulder, giving Jason a look with his eyes to indicate that he was only half-kidding.
"Don't worry, Barry, I'm not here to steal your best friend," Jason told him as he returned his attention to Caitlin, who appeared to be melting under his gaze. "I'm here to officially meet the lovely Doctor Snow."
"Lovely?" Caitlin couldn't help but laugh sheepishly as she found herself blushing yet again, hating the effect the man was having on her but knowing that there wasn't anything she could do about it.
"Of course," Jason agreed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world as he smiled at her, making her heart rate only grow as he did so. "The lovely Doctor Snow. Kind, intelligent, compassionate, caring, self-sacrificing, loyal and quite beautiful. I've been wanting to meet you for some time now."
Her blush soon began to flush over her face, feeling herself all too warm at his sincere compliments, and she couldn't help but smile back at him as he looked at her as if she was the only woman in the world. Barry, however, only appeared to be getting more angry, but he held his tongue. Why on earth was he getting so upset about this?
Jason, deciding that he had explained himself enough to be able to talk to her personally, once again attempted to move towards her but was once again stopped as Barry sped in front of him with his arms crossed. When the newcomer raised a brow at him in confusion, with a hint of something in his eyes that Barry couldn't quite make out, Barry shook it off and rolled his eyes as he kept his arms crossed over his chest. "We may know what you can do now, but we still can't trust you," he told him simply, but Cisco gave him a look that made Barry look at him in confusion. "What? Please don't tell me that you trust this guy already."
"Of course I don't trust him yet, but he's off to a good start," Cisco smirked as he happily ate some twizzlers, making Barry roll his eyes again as he waited for his friend to continue. "With his powers, he could easily take us all down, and he hasn't. And all he wants is to talk to Caitlin. I say we give him a chance."
"That's not true," Barry argued as he looked between him and Jesse. "You, me, and Jesse could take him down easily."
"I'm all for some healthy competition, Mr. Allen," Jason interjected as he saw where this could go. "But I really am not here for a fight. If it would make you feel better, you can all listen to my proposition for Doctor Snow and even keep your weapons trained on me if you so wish. I understand completely why you're all wary of me, after everything you all have gone through, but I am here only to speak to her."
"What proposition?" Cisco asked warily, to which Barry nodded his agreement as he narrowed his eyes at the man who appeared quite interested in his long-time friend.
"Well, that's for me to ask Doctor Snow, if she would allow me to," Jason answered him before looking at Caitlin hopefully. "However, if you would be more comfortable with me simply leaving, say the word and I'll return to my world."
Barry felt an odd sense of hope at this idea, not knowing what exactly it was about this guy that bothered him so much, but being unable to deny the prospect of him leaving being a happy thought. Turning to Caitlin and hoping that she would tell him to go immediately, he became disheartened as she saw that she actually appeared to be considering it.
After a few moments of weighing everything in her head, and having noticed that there was not one hostile bone in the man's demeanor in spite of being surrounded by people who would hurt him in a moment's notice, she decided that she would give him a chance. "Okay, I'll hear him out."
Barry, being clearly unhappy with her decision, tried to argue with her. "Cait-"
"It's okay, Barry," she assured him with a smile, making his heartbeat pick up as he found himself looking too long into her eyes before she returned her attention to Jason. "I want to believe in the best of people, Jason, I really do. But I've been hurt deeply by someone who I thought was a great guy who turned out to be a monster, and I don't want to go through anything like that ever again."
Finally being allowed to step closer to her, he squatted down to be at eye level with her so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "I understand, Caitlin, completely. I don't expect you to trust me, and to earn your trust, assuming that you will accept my invitation, I have a way that will ensure your own safety."
"Invitation?" Caitlin asked in confusion, clearly not understanding where he was going with this. "Invitation to what?"
"A date," Jason told her with a hopeful smile, watching her jaw drop open in surprise, clearly not having expected this despite his clear admiration for her. She was so surprised that she hardly noticed as he gently took her hand in his and squeezed it, making Barry begin to inwardly fume for a reason he still couldn't figure as he watched this unfold in front of him. "I've seen what you and your friends have been through, and I've never seen a girl who has gone through so much and yet still gets up and chooses to help people however she can. And a girl as amazing as that deserves to date someone who won't turn out to be a psychopath who will scar her for life." Caitlin was left speechless as she saw how sincere the man was as he told her this, feeling a rush of pain from the Zoom ordeal come back to her, but it was quickly stamped out by the bright smile he gave her. "So, if you would allow me the pleasure, I would love to take you out on a date and remind you of what it's like to be with someone who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated without having to be worried about me being a psychopath who will scar you."
"And how exactly do you plan on proving that you're not a psycho?" Joe asked suspiciously, still not sure about the newcomer but liking the idea of Caitlin being with someone who could help ease her pain from that whole incident. Caitlin wasn't his kid, but he had come to see Cisco and Caitlin as part of his family as well, and wanted the best for her.
Smiling in gratitude at the detective, Jason stood up and nodded to him. "Why, thank you for asking, Detective West." Turning to look at the rest of the group before his eyes landed on Caitlin, he continued as he pulled out what appeared to be a futuristic pair of handcuffs that made them all look at him in surprise. "These are meta cuffs. They're like your power dampener cells except that they can be attached to a person's wrists. If you agree to allow me to take you out to dinner, I will gladly put these on so that you don't have to worry about me attacking you throughout the duration of our time together."
Blushing a little at this, Caitlin laughed sheepishly and asked. "How long exactly do you plan on spending time with me?" Though Jason could see that her eyes had lit up especially at the mention of the power-dampening cuffs, as he knew exactly why she was interested in them.
"As long as you allow me the privilege," he told her with a wink, causing her blush to grow as Barry found himself grinding his teeth as he witnessed this. "These cuffs will prevent me from using my powers, and are controlled by… this!" he continued as he pulled out what appeared to be a beautiful diamond bracelet with a snowflake device in the center, making Caitlin gasp as she saw how beautiful it was. Giving it to her, he smiled as he watched her admire it and explained. "This beautiful bracelet was hand crafted and is fitted with controls for my meta cuffs. This button here-" he pointed to the button in the center. "Will electrocute me with just one push, making it impossible for me to do anything should you feel that I would hurt you, which I hope you won't. I believe that would be quite shocking," he joked, making Caitlin giggle as Barry found himself to be frowning even more as he felt the burning in his stomach only grow fiercer.
"I hope it won't come to that, either. Thank you for this bracelet. It's beautiful," she smiled at him, clearly becoming more and more at ease with him.
"Not half as beautiful as you are," Jason grinned at her, making her blush yet again as Barry found himself rolling his eyes as he did his best not to interrupt them. What was going on with him?
Cisco, being impressed that this guy had gone to such great lengths to ensure that Caitlin would feel safe on their potential date, found himself curious as he then asked. "Don't you think it'll be weird if you go to a restaurant with cuffs on?"
"Ah, thank you for bringing that up, Cisco," Jason smiled at the long-haired man and pointed to another button on the snowflake device. "This button here will activate camouflage so that no one can see it, and-" he added as he took the cuffs, put them on, and split them apart. "As you can see they are not bound together, so no one would be able to notice."
"Wow, that's pretty smart, Jason," Cisco clapped him on the back, clearly impressed by the man's forethought. "We could use someone like you on our team."
"Cisco, he just got here," Caitlin admonished him, even if a part of her certainly wouldn't mind it if he hung around more. "Besides, it doesn't sound like he'll be able to help us with our meta human problems."
"Unfortunately not," Jason agreed with an apologetic smile at the two of them. "I was lucky enough to be allowed to come meet you, Doctor Snow."
Knowing she shouldn't be falling so easy for this after what she had suffered with Jay, she couldn't help but feel her defenses begin to fall with this man. He had been so kind, so charming, and clearly cared about her to be willing to let her zap him any time she pleased. He was putting himself completely in her hands to make her feel safe, and she decided that she would give him the benefit of the doubt. "Please, call me Caitlin," she told him with a warm smile, making Barry roll his eyes again as the burning feeling rumbled louder and louder in his stomach.
"Thank you, Caitlin," Jason beamed at her, smirking a little as he saw Barry looking at him like he had stolen his lunch money. "And, just to ensure that you feel safe around me, I have another precautionary measure so that you know you are safe with me. May I?" he asked as he held out his hand for the bracelet.
Being confused, but finding herself curious as to what else he had thought up to ensure her safety, she reluctantly gave him back the beautiful bracelet and watched as he faced Cisco and pointed to the other side of the room. "Cisco, would you do me a favor and hold this bracelet while standing over there? I would like to show you all the last measures I've taken to ensure that Caitlin will be safe."
"Hell yeah, man," Cisco grinned as he squeezed Jason's shoulder and took the bracelet, walking to the other side of the room as Jason lined up opposite him.
Looking at Caitlin, he explained. "Your bracelet also has been fitted with a sort of… force field that can repel speedsters. Any speedster attempting to take you will be thrown back and will not be allowed near you. For example." Turning back to Cisco, he ran forward and was instantly thrown back, making himself crash back into the wall behind him as Caitlin gasped.
"Jason!" Running over to him, she didn't notice as Barry appeared to be digging his fingers into his hands while Caitlin ran to him with Cisco right behind her, not knowing what was going on with him, but having experienced enough of it to know that it was not good.
"I'm okay!" he groaned a little as he sat up and smiled weakly at her. "I've survived worse." She laughed and shook her head at him, and he smiled warmly at her. "So, if I wear these cuffs and you wear your bracelet, would you allow me the honor of taking you out to dinner?"
She knew that she probably shouldn't, as the last meta-human she had gone out with had scarred her for life, but she couldn't deny the sincerity of which Jason had done his best to ensure that she felt safe. And, although she knew that there was a fair chance it might not end well for her, she decided that he had earned himself a chance.
"Yes, I would love to," she told him with her warm smile intact, making him beam as he looked into her eyes. Barry, finally having had enough of the burning feeling in his stomach, decided that it was time for him to go.
"Alright, Jason. You got what you came for, so you should leave now," he told him as he walked over to him and helped him up.
"Barry!" Caitlin said in disbelief as she looked at him, wondering what in the world was going on with him. Barry had never acted quite like this before. At least, not since Iris had been with Eddie. Her eyes widened a little in realization of this. Did that mean…
No, it was impossible. Barry was in love with Iris and he would never see her that way. Even if she wished things could be different. Stamping this thought down, she refocused on the speedster and glared at him. However, before she could admonish him, Jason put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Caitlin. I understand that he's still wary of me, and he's right. I've accomplished what I came here to do. However, I need to know when you are available for us to have that dinner."
Smiling at him, she brushed some hair behind her ear and answered. "How about this Friday? Seven o'clock?"
"Sounds perfect," he grinned at her, making her grin back as they looked into each other's eyes, which caused Barry to roll his eyes as he did his best not to remove Jason himself. "I'll come pick you up here if you're okay with that?"
"Absolutely," she agreed quickly, making him smile as he nodded his agreement. Deciding that they should be able to keep in contact, she reached into her purse and produced a card with her info on it. "Here, in case something comes up or… if you just want to talk," she finished with a shy smile, making him laugh as he looked at her with admiration.
"I'd love to," he told her sincerely, flashing her a bright smile as he glanced at Barry before looking back at her, a tiny smirk flashing on his face as he saw the unhappiness on his face. "Well, until then, I look forward to our date."
"Me too," Caitlin smiled happily despite the fact that she was sad that he had to go. "Bye, Jason."
"Bye, Caitlin," he told her with a smile before turning to the rest of them. "It was nice to meet you all, even with guns being pointed at me," he joked, making them all laugh except for Barry who seemed to just dislike the man even more. Being surprised as the man turned to him, he watched as Jason raised a brow and questioned. "I'm guessing you'd like to escort me out?"
Barry knew that there was no reason to dislike this guy. He seemed to be great, but so had Hunter, and he wasn't about to trust this man so easily, in spite of the fact that he had gone out of his way to ensure that Caitlin would be safe. But, although he wished it was just because of that, he had a nagging feeling that there was something else that was causing him to not like the man before him.
Pushing this thought to the side for the moment being, Barry nodded, being grateful he was finally leaving and said. "Yes, I would. Shall we?" Jason nodded and began following him out of the cortex when they were surprised as Cisco shouted at them.
"Wait!" Both stopping as they turned to face him, Cisco hesitantly asked. "I know you came here for Caitlin, but any chance you can swing by sometime? Or maybe we can all hang out and get some drinks or something?"
"Well, I'd love to, but I don't want to impose on Barry," Jason answered him as his eyes flickered to the scarlet speedster, noticing that he was only getting unhappier at this new turn of events.
Just as Barry was about to agree that he did not want to be around Jason, Cisco scoffed off his concern. "Please, Barry's one of the most chill guys I know. And if you're going to be dating our Caitlin, it'd be a good thing for him to get used to you, too. You don't mind, do you, Barry?"
Barry minded very much, but upon looking at Cisco's face and seeing that he clearly believed that he wouldn't mind, and then looking at Caitlin and seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, he knew that he couldn't turn them down as he let out a sigh. "Yeah, fine. We can all hang out sometime."
"Awesome," Cisco grinned as he squeezed both of their shoulders. "I have a feeling we're all going to be great friends. And maybe a little something more for Caitlin," he teased with a smirk as he looked at her, making her blush as she rolled her eyes at his antics.
"I think so, too," Jason agreed as he flashed a bright smile at them all, especially for Caitlin who looked like she was melting in a puddle of contentment before turning back to Barry. "I look forward to it."
"Me too," Barry did his best to fake his enthusiasm for Caitlin's sake, even if he wanted nothing more right now than to send Jason back to his own earth. "Come on. It's time for you to go."
"Of course," he nodded in agreement before saying goodbye once more to everyone. Before they could leave, however, Iris decided that she needed to talk to Barry.
"Um, Barry, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked pointedly, watching him take on a look of confusion as he reluctantly nodded. Following her out of the cortex, he watched as she made sure that they were out of range for their friends to hear them and questioned. "What is going on with you?"
Being surprised at this, although he supposed he shouldn't have given that he'd been a rather unhappy camper from the second that Jason had shown up, he asked. "What do you mean? You expect me to be happy that some random stranger comes up and asks Caitlin out, knowing everything about us and I'm just supposed to trust him?"
"Of course not," Iris assured him as she saw how tense he looked, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to his dislike of Jason then even he knew. "I'm not expecting you to trust him, or even like him, Barry, but he's gone out of his way to ensure that Caitlin would feel safe on their date. He hasn't made any kind of inclination that he wants something from us and has been nothing but kind. For now, at least until we see anything that could make us think he might be up to something, we should give him the benefit of the doubt."
Knowing that she was right, but still not liking Jason much at all, he let out another sigh and reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, you're right."
"Of course I am," she joked, making him slightly chuckle as he found himself lightening up a bit. "Now, come on. I believe you promised to escort him out of the building." Leading the way back to the cortex, Iris smiled as she walked back in to see that Caitlin and Jason were talking again, with Caitlin being bold enough to lightly brush her hand against his as she laughed at one of his jokes. "Look at how he's making her laugh! They could be so cute-" her smile diminished as she saw that Barry's relaxed face had once again taken a look of dislike at what he saw. Was Barry… jealous?
Before she could ponder on this thought for long, Barry decided that he'd had enough and made his way over to the newcomer. "Alright, Jason. Time to go."
"Right," Jason nodded in agreement before flashing a goodbye smile to Caitlin, her eyes lighting up as she returned it. Cisco clapped him on the back and shouted 'see ya later!' before Jason and Barry finally made it out of the cortex. Iris, however, couldn't help but worry a little over what she had noticed. Did Barry dislike Jason out of jealousy? No, he couldn't be jealous. Barry had always been head over heels for her, not Caitlin. There was no way that he could be jealous over the pretty scientist… right?
Deciding not to dwell on these thoughts for too long, she forced herself to shut them out and watched as the two disappeared from view, the back of her mind wondering whether or not she was the only girl who held a place in Barry's heart or not.
As Barry and Jason made it to the elevator, Jason turned and flashed him a smile as he put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey man, I just wanted to say thank you."
Becoming confused at this, Barry couldn't help but ask. "For what?"
"For not seeing Caitlin for the beautiful, smart, amazing girl that she is," Jason grinned proudly as he grinned at the scarlet speedster. "Everyone but you can see it, apparently.
Frowning as he heard this, Barry glared at him and retorted. "I know she's all those things. She's one of my best friends."
"Oh, I don't mean as friends," Jason clarified as he pressed the button for the elevator. "From my time observing you and your friends, it's clear that there's always been something between you two."
Nearly choking on his own air as he heard this, Barry weakly asked. "What?"
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you haven't even considered her as anything more than a friend," Jason laughed like it was a hilarious joke, but Barry wasn't laughing. "Well, how could you not? A beautiful, kind, compassionate, girl who's always been there for you. She was always there to help you when you needed someone to talk to about Iris, always stitched you up every time you got hurt, has always been on your side even when you didn't agree. Heck, she chose you over Ronnie, whether she meant to or not."
At this, Barry had to stop himself from choking on air again as he flung his eyes toward the man who had just hit the button to bring the elevator to the ground floor. "What are you talking about?"
Raising his eyebrow at him, he smirked at his reaction and explained. "She told you once herself, even if she might not have realized just why she chose you. When you guys had first gotten Ronnie back, he had wanted to leave the city to get away from all the craziness, but she-"
"Couldn't leave me," Barry interrupted with realization as he saw that her inability to leave him could have been more than just unwillingness to abandon a friend.
"That's right," Jason smirked as he saw that Barry was beginning to piece the puzzle together. It might take him a while, but he had to start somewhere. "Ronnie, the man she had waited nearly a year for after thinking he had died, and she couldn't bring herself to leave you."
Barry's mind did a double take at this revelation. Was it possible that Caitlin had cared for him as something more than friends, even if she hadn't known it at the time? But what did this mean for him? Did he even feel that way about her? And if he did, what did that mean about his relationship with Iris?
Deciding that denial was easier, he shook his head and said. "No, we're just good friends. She's got… you, now," he forced out from his mouth, finding himself wondering why it was so hard for him to say it out loud. "And I'm with Iris."
"Iris, right," Jason nodded as he looked at the speedster with a smirk. "The girl that you've been in love with since you were a kid. The girl that's always been by your side. The girl that would have married another man if he hadn't sacrificed himself to save you."
Frowning as he heard this, remembering that Iris indeed would have married Eddie if it hadn't been for his intervention, he couldn't help but find himself doubting her love for him. Sure, it was clear that she loved him, but did she love him the way she had loved Eddie?
"It must have been hard for you," Jason continued unabated as he saw the storm in Barry's mind as he tried not to let his pain and confusion get to him. "The girl you dreamed of marrying for over half your life choosing to be with a man she knew for a little over a year. You're a strong man to look past that, Barry Allen. Stronger than me. I don't think I could do it. I'd always feel like a consolation prize."
Barry's frown deepened as he heard this, finding himself wondering how he hadn't thought like this before. He supposed he must have been so shocked at the revelation that Iris wanted to be with him after not realizing that he hadn't even stopped to remember the fact that she had originally chosen Eddie over him. Sure, it had always been his dream to marry Iris, but did he really want to just be her second choice?
With the elevator doors finally opening, Jason glanced at Barry and saw that the young speedster's mind was working overtime with his new thoughts, and smirked. "Well, it's been great meeting you, Barry. And really, thank you again for not seeing Caitlin the way that I see her. If things work out between us, I think I might just be the luckiest guy in the world. If you weren't so focused on Iris, I'm not sure I'd have that chance."
His words pierced Barry's heart, making him question whether he still actually wanted to be with Iris or not. Of course, he was still deeply in love with her, but he had never really stopped to think about the fact that Iris had chosen Eddie over him. He had been hurt, sure, but he had just been so happy that she was giving him a chance that he hadn't let himself think about it. And the question that lingered in his mind right now was… would Iris still be with him if Eddie miraculously came back?
Deciding to push off these thoughts, Barry gave him a weak smile. "You're welcome, I guess." There was a part of him that wanted to know for sure if Caitlin really did like him like Jason said she had, but he wasn't sure himself. Besides, things were complicated enough right now with deciding whether he still wanted to be with Iris or not, and he knew that it was time for Jason to go. "I guess I'll see you when I see you."
Smirking, he gave Barry a rough pat on the back and finally sped off out of sight, leaving Barry alone to his thoughts. How could he have never thought of this before? Maybe he had, but just hadn't wanted to think about it. Iris was all he had ever wanted, but did she want him as much as he wanted her? Or did she want to be with him because she believed that it was their destiny?
Not knowing the answers to these questions, and finding himself still wondering if Caitlin really did see him as more than a friend, he decided that these questions could wait until later. Right now, he needed to forget about all that had been brought to light, because if he didn't he wouldn't be able to focus on either of his jobs. Making his way back up, and remembering how seeing Caitlin with Jason had made him irrationally angry, he couldn't help but wonder… Did he like Caitlin?