Chapter 4: Dropping Temperature

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Summary: Caitlin's morning coming with a horrifying discovery. and her change in behaviour is noticed by Barry, what would save her from having a hard talk with the speedster?

Caitlin woke up and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. The red digits glowed 6:00 AM.

She usually woke up around five, rarely allowing herself an extra hour of sleep as it took away time from her morning exercise routine, which she was very proud of. But needs must; she could allow herself to miss a day.

She stood up from her bed and began stretching her muscles. Just because she didn't have time for the entire routine didn't mean she couldn't find five minutes to do some stretches and keep her muscles from stiffening during her day at work.

Normally, Caitlin would mentally complain about the wasted time, even if she really needed that sleep, but as she put on her robe and exited the room into the living room, she couldn't help but smile to herself when she saw the lump on her couch.

Barry was sprawled across her couch, face down, his right leg touching the floor, his left arm resting on the back of the couch, and the blanket she had given him last night discarded on the floor a few steps away.

Even asleep, Barry was being goofy. Barry Allen. Her boyfriend.

She had wanted to hear those combined words for a long time. She had taken care of him for nine months. During the worst nine months of her life, Barry had been a calming constant, and it was hard not to get attached even then.

But when he woke up with that cute, confused look on his face only to turn to a goofy smile once he noticed the lightning, she knew she was attracted to him.

Barry had asked her during their first days working together why she was so cold and never smiling. She didn't answer then, apart from giving him some random facts. The truth was that she felt like she was betraying Ronnie by being attracted to Barry, so she preferred to push everything away and be cold instead.

But even she couldn't hold it for long. Slowly, even without meaning to, he warmed his way into her heart.

The bar during their stakeout was the first time she admitted to herself the depth of her feelings for Barry, but when he made no move, she assumed he was still stuck on Iris.

From there, the next two years were a blur of emotional roller coasters for her. Ronnie alive. Only to die again. Barry pushing them all away. Barry coming to her a few months later with Wells's final will. Getting the entire team back. And she didn't even want to think about the whole Jay/Zoom fiasco.

But last night, she was ready to get yelled at for her betrayal or another heartbreak hearing Barry whine over his failure to get Iris to date him.

Instead, she got a confession of his feelings for her! And her heart did break when she heard how much emotional pain he was in and what it caused him to think about doing.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to think about it; now she needed to focus on helping him heal.

Deciding to let him sleep a little longer while she took a shower, Caitlin quietly went toward her bathroom.

The water was warm and nice, very good for her skin and muscles. She turned her face toward the water stream, closing her eyes to avoid the dreadful fate of soap in the eyes.

All of a sudden, she felt the water get colder, extremely colder. She reached her hand to turn the water off so she could open her eyes.

When she did, she noticed a thin layer of frost coating all the walls. Caitlin tried to take a calming breath but noticed she could see her breath, which wasn't a good sign.

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