Rebuilding a family (Snowbarry)

When the past comes Back

"How can you say that and stay so calm!?" said Caitlin in a panic
"Worrying won't change the outcome of the situation..."
"Your daughter has been kidnapped!"

"Caitlin, I know... and I remind you that my son was killed by this speedster... The only reason I'm not freaking out right now is that I have to stay clear-headed to find them... I just don't know where to start."

"I'm going to talk to Patty," Caitlin said after a few seconds of hesitation.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"The SpeedForce said the key to all of this is Lea's family, so I intend to find out what's going on."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Patty has..."

"You know how I feel about Nora, she's like a daughter to me... she's... she's as important to me as she is to you."

"What do you want to talk to Patty about? She has no idea why the SpeedForce sent us to her."

"I just want to find out why we were sent to her."
"But..."
"What are you trying to hide from me?" Caitlin asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Your look... it's a guilty look... it's the same one you had back then..."
"Back when?" Allegra asked, intrigued by her friends' conversation.

"I don't know what she's talking about."

"Did you two kiss?" she asked bluntly.
"She kissed me... Nora and I didn't talk about me being married... she just assumed I was still single..."
"So let me get this straight... Your ex who still loves you is in our master bathroom?"
"At least she's not in the closet!" said Allegra, unable to stop laughing.
"Honey, how did you figure it out?"
"Well... you have the same expression you had when you told me 13 years ago that you and she were dating."
"Oh..."
"Okay, who is she?" Allegra asked. "Because I'm too curious now! Was it Kara? Because it could
only be her! There's no other answer!"
"It wasn't Kara," Barry said. "She was..."
"We agreed not to talk about it! You can't say it!"
"Caitlin, it's been years..."
"Yes, but you promised not to reveal it..."
"Because I was getting divorced and we didn't want the situation to escalate even further! But it's been years, I moved on with you... and she had moved on with her life... thinking about the two of us together we would laugh..."
"It doesn't change the fact that it's not something that makes me happy!"
"Were you jealous?" Allegra asked, thinking she was finally understanding something from her friends' conversation.
"I wasn't jealous! I was with... him... and we were trying to have children... I wasn't jealous of Barry!" Caitlin said defensively.
"Really?" Allegra asked, giggling. "Because right now you're redder than Barry's suit!"

"Stop it... now I'm going to talk to Patty..." Caitlin said, heading towards the stairs.

"Who was that woman? And how did she die?"
"What?"
"You said you moved on and she moved on... you didn't say you moved on together... you talked about her only in the past... dead, isn't that true?"

"Yes, my ex, who I was dating when I was separated from Iris, died."

"Who was she?"

"Caitlin's right... we promised never to talk about it again... and after Cait and I got married we decided never to talk about it again... even if she died..."

"It was Frost... am I right?"

Master bathroom, in the meantime

Patty had spent the last few minutes crying, masking the sound with the running faucet. Caitlin's statement, innocent as it was, had left her devastated. If she had waited that day, letting Barry finish talking, she wouldn't be in this situation. Now her daughters and Barry's daughter had been kidnapped and Barry's son was dead...

"Patty, can I come in?" Caitlin's voice through the door was like a bolt from the blue; she had almost forgotten that she was at that woman's house.

"Come in... the door is open."

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel awful..."

"Nora is like a daughter to me... and I'm going crazy over what happened."

"You have no idea how it feels... no matter how much you love her, she's not your daughter... you have no idea how it feels."

"I've seen that little girl grow up... I was the doctor who delivered her and I was her godmother... I was with her when Barry and Iris were in crisis and taking care of her helped me not fall into depression after the last miscarriage I had when my partner and I were trying to have children... It destroyed me to see her go... I love her as much as I love my own children... and if only we had joint custody, it would have been... different..."

"It would have been different... that's what I've been telling myself since I got here... since you told me that Barry wanted to talk to me about his identity..."

"Trust me... I've been asking myself those questions for years..."

"You, with your perfect family? With a faithful husband by your side who, when I opened my heart to him and said I had never stopped loving him, simply told me he was happy with you?"

"Our family isn't perfect."

"Yes, it is! Compared to mine, it is! I'm sure your proposal was unforgettable... not like mine... He bought me a horrible ring that gave me an allergic reaction and asked me to marry him in the restaurant of a casino! It was a miracle that I managed to convince him not to get married in Las Vegas..."

"The proposal that was sung, a beautiful wedding with all our friends and family... that wasn't mine... that was Iris's."

"You don't want to tell me that your marriage wasn't perfect, do you?"

"My first marriage was everything I could have wanted in the world... when I married Barry, I didn't care about having the perfect wedding, I cared about living happily."

"But you won't tell me that the proposal wasn't the most incredible thing in your life."

"It was the most beautiful day of my life, but not for the reason you think..."