Frozen Flashpoint

Chapter 8: Warming to the Cold

Summary: Caitlin and Frost having a converstion before reaching an understanding.

In the middle of the room was a bed, and on it lay Caitlin Snow, also known as Barry's girlfriend. Barry stood right next to her, holding her hand, trying to project as much comfort as he could.

Behind him, Jessie stood on her tiptoes, leaning over Barry's shoulder to look at Caitlin with a reassuring smile. It was a little awkward, but she managed.

Cisco was in the corner of the room, tinkering with the goggles in his hands.

Barry looked down at his girlfriend's brown eyes, seeing the worry and fear within them. He couldn't keep silent any longer. He crouched to be at eye level with her and spoke in a reassuring voice, "Cait, everything will be okay. We're all here for you, no matter what."

Caitlin's fear seemed to ease slightly, but it was still very much present. She asked in a small voice, "I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

Barry gave her his cheekiest smile and said, "You're going to talk to her."

Caitlin rolled her eyes at his response and shot back, her voice finally returning to normal, "Smartass. What am I supposed to talk to her about?"

Barry thought about cracking another joke to keep the light atmosphere going, but the look Caitlin gave him made it clear she was looking for a serious answer. So Barry took a moment to think before saying, "I think you know what you want to ask her and what you want to make clear. But it's important to remember that, in most cases, the basis for harmony is compromise."

Caitlin looked away and nodded once, but when she looked back at Barry, the fear had returned. She asked in that small tone again, "What if she takes over?"

Barry squeezed her hand and smiled widely at her. "She's already proven she won't hurt anyone here, so we'll try to talk to her and find some common ground for all of us. But you don't have to worry about that."

Caitlin looked less scared and more worried now as she asked, "How can you know?"

Barry gave her his signature superhero smile and said firmly, "Because we'll be watching. If anything starts to go wrong, Cisco's equipment will let us know, and I'll rip those goggles off you myself."

Caitlin shot Barry another one of her radiant smiles, and just then, Cisco came closer to them with the goggles in hand, shouting in his usual energetic tone, "We're ready to go. Are you still up for this, Caitlin?"

After a short glance toward him, Caitlin gave Cisco a determined look and said firmly, "Let's do it."

Barry watched as Cisco placed the goggles over her eyes, then went back to his computer and shouted, "Just tell me when you're ready, and I'll get these babies running. Once I do, it'll take just a couple of seconds for you to fall asleep, and... well, I guess we'll see what happens afterward."

Caitlin shifted a little on the bed. Barry just now noticed she was still in one of her usual tight dresses, which didn't look comfortable to lie in. He was about to offer to wait until she changed, but his girlfriend took a deep breath and declared, "I'm ready, Cisco."

Cisco pushed a few buttons on his keyboard, shouting, "Here we go."

The lenses of the goggles began to glow blue. Barry felt Caitlin squeeze his hand just before her grip went completely slack.

Jessie spoke from beside Barry now. "Do you really think everything will be okay?"

Barry gave her a wide, genuine smile. "Of course. She's Caitlin Snow; I have no doubt she'll set things straight. And if things do go wrong, the three of us can handle it."