Frozen Flashpoint

Chapter 9: Controlling the Temperature

Summary: Caitlin catches up with the team, and training for Jessie and Frost begins.

Caitlin opened her eyes slowly and took her time to readjust to reality. The first thing she felt was her hand, which was being held tightly by someone else.

She could feel a smile spreading across her face, the warmth from their combined hands radiating through her entire body.

'You found a good one, Caity,' Frost spoke in the back of her head. Something that had caused her so much trepidation just an hour ago was now a source of comfort.

But Caitlin also felt a pang of something else coming from Frost... was it envy? But what could Frost be jealous of? Unless... 'Frost, do you have a crush on Barry?' Caitlin thought toward the presence she could now clearly feel in her mind.

'Caityyyy,' Frost whined, and Caitlin could sense her embarrassment. Deciding to drop the matter for now, but knowing they would have to talk about it later, Caitlin took a deep breath and focused her gaze on the man holding her hand next to her.

Before Caitlin could speak, Barry began frantically asking, "Cait, are you okay? Did the conversation go well? Is your other half going to cooperate with you?"

Jessie, annoyed with his endless questions, covered Barry's mouth and shouted at him, "Will you give the woman a chance to answer?!"

Barry's jaw locked, and he looked sheepish, which made Caitlin giggle. She looked at Barry with warm eyes and said gently, "I'm fine, Barr."

Deciding she had spent enough time lying down, Caitlin sat up in bed, facing both Barry's and Jessie's curious looks.

She gave them both a comforting smile, the kind she used to give her patients, and said, "First of all, her name is Frost."

Jessie and Barry gave a nod with wide eyes, clearly unsure of what to say. Well, they would have an even harder time understanding what came next. "And apparently, her and my powers are not a result of the particle accelerator."

Barry and Jessie blinked twice and then frowned, but before either of them could speak, the forgotten man in the room appeared behind the two speedsters and began speaking. "How the hell can that be possible?" Cisco paused, thinking about something for a moment, before adding, "Now that I think about it, we've never encountered a meta whose powers caused a split personality, so maybe you have a point. But then what gave you these powers—and the extra passenger?"

Caitlin shifted a little on the bed she was sitting on. Now that she was about to talk about it, she felt bile rising in her throat. Barry squeezed her hand again, giving her the courage to speak. "My dad is the reason I have powers."

Jessie looked even more interested. Cisco and Barry, who knew more about her history with her dad, reacted differently. Cisco immediately looked away to the glasses he had just taken off her, with a worried expression. Barry, however, looked straight into her eyes and said gently, "You want to tell us about it, Cait?"

Caitlin was touched by Barry's concern and his willingness to let her keep her privacy on the matter, especially after the way she had treated him over the past week because of her secret. If it was possible to love this man even more, she was falling hard.

Caitlin gave Barry a small smile before saying as quietly as she could, "My dad had ALS."

Barry and Cisco just nodded—they both knew that already. As far as anyone knew, that was the reason for his death. But if what Frost had said was true, then how exactly... No. She had more important things to focus on right now.

Caitlin frowned at the memory of Frost's story and began explaining. "After he found out, he started developing a gene treatment to cure ALS. He succeeded."