Episode 20 - Flash Fanfiction - A Snowy Flashmas

Chapter 3

Barry went over to Jitters, he sat at his table drinking his coffee. He needed to be alone and since Iris was now working over at Picture News and had been promoted as a reporter since her blog on STAR Labs, she barely hung out at the coffee shop. He figured that that was the reason she hadn't shown up to help hang up decorations.

But Barry needed to think about what had just happened between he and Caitlin. Once again he had just run in head-on, after Caitlin had told him how she felt. He had kissed her, and she had given the impression that it was all a mistake.

What was he to do? He wished that he had Astrid's power of telepathy. Then he would know how to act when he was around her. Maybe his best option was to get advice from their friends, but they were very preoccupied with the Christmas Ball that was coming that weekend.

Barry had an idea, he would ask Caitlin to go with him... when she calmed down and actually wanted to speak to him again. But then he wondered, what if she never calmed down? Caitlin could be like that. Once again, he figured that Cisco and Astrid would be the best people to ask.

He drank the last of his coffee, left the café, and as soon as he was out of sight, he used his speed to get to STAR Labs, and didn't even knock before he entered Astrid's office. "I need advice!" he said quickly. He was overcome with embarrassment at the sight that beheld him. He had just walked in on his friends making out on her patient lounge, fortunately they were fully clothed.

They got to their feet abruptly and looked at him, "Man, don't you ever knock? You're so lucky that..." Cisco snapped.
"I'm sorry, you guys!" Barry said preparing to turn away.

"No, Barry. You need advice. What's going on? Is this about what happened earlier?" Astrid asked him.
"What happened earlier?" Cisco asked, looking from her to Barry.

"He and Caitlin kissed!" Astrid said with a smile.

"Really?" Cisco asked, "Was it an unprovoked kiss or a..."

"That's what I asked," Astrid said, "Apparently it was a..."

"You guys!" Barry interrupted, "Guy with the crisis right here!"

His friends apologized and waited for him to continue. Barry went to sit on the lounge but as he remembered what he had just seen he walked towards the chair by the door, "Is this a safe place to sit?" he asked his friends.

"Er... Barry." Cisco began.

"Barry, what do you need our advice with?" Astrid asked getting straight to the point.

Barry remained standing and said, "I want to ask Caitlin to the Christmas ball, but after everything that's happened... I don't think she will even go with me."

"Are you asking us to ask her?" Cisco wondered out loud.
"No... that's not it. I just... I don't know. I just want her to say yes..." Barry began.

Astrid thought for a moment, "I'm not going to compel her to say yes, Barry."

"That's not it either..." Barry said.

"Barry, the reason she is so conflicted is because she feels guilty about how she feels about you. She just lost her husband a few months back. The only one who can change that is her." Astrid explained. "But I can continue to talk to her, provided you don't hurt her."

"What do you mean hurt her?" Barry asked.

Cisco stepped forward, "Let me take this one," he said to Astrid. She nodded and let him explain, "Barry, Iris has always been your... wow, I can't think of a movie reference right now... umm... well, you've always thought of her as..."

"Cisco, try explaining it without the movie reference... You'll get there..." Astrid grinned.

"Gotcha!" Cisco said, "Barry, you have always been in love with Iris... like I was with my Jedi girl... that sort of love is hard to beat. But then you get your... distractions..."

"Like Lisa Snart?" Barry asked him.

"Like Lisa Snart, exactly. Someone that just passes the time. But try as you might, you won't love that girl as much as... well..." Cisco looked over at Astrid, "As much as I love you." He said surprising himself at how much he meant it.

There was a silence amongst the three of them.

"Okay, you guys..." Barry broke the silence, "you're afraid that Caitlin is just going to be a distraction to pass the time... but I don't think that she will be. I think that..." Barry realized that his friends had tuned out from him, still caught up in the moment.

Barry wasn't expecting Caitlin and Harry to step into the office at that moment. But as they did, he blushed at seeing Caitlin standing there.

"I think that you guys should come and see what's been delivered to us as a gift." Caitlin said, ignoring Barry.

"I'm sorry, what?" Astrid asked, startled by their sudden presence.

"It seems the Children's hospital put together a gift for us." Harry said, "They made a large rag doll."

Harry and Caitlin led the three of them out into the cortex, where they saw the life sized doll sitting on the chair. It had red woolen hair and was wearing a green suit. The material to its face looked almost lifelike.

"Am I the only one who has seen Chuckie? And Anabelle?" Cisco asked, "Because that doll, right there, is what nightmares are made of."

"So, you guys said that this thing was made by the children from the hospital?" Astrid asked Harry and Caitlin.

"Well, that's what the guy who delivered it said." Caitlin replied.

"Okay, well... who are we to turn down a gift made by sick children? Even if it looks like that... I suppose we will have to formally receive the gift on the news later, so..." Astrid said.

"You mean that we're keeping it?" Cisco asked her.

Barry walked towards the doll, studying it. "It looks kind of cool. Look at his red bowtie!" He said. "Do you want to name him, Cisco?"

"The Rag Doll? The only name that comes to mind is Chuckie... and that one is kind of taken... so he can stick with the Rag Doll..." Cisco said, staring at the thing. He didn't want to go anywhere near it.