Only Because I Need You Too

Chapter 11: Froe

Caitlin's breath caught in her throat. They had gathered for their usual meeting in the cortex. Barry was main centre of focus this time. Rocking on his feet, the speedster scratched the back of his head. "I went to see Oliver about the bowman, but it raised more questions than answers."

"What did he say?" Cisco asked, sending Caitlin a weary glance. The doctor sat back into her seat and began fiddling with her fingers. Part of her didn't want to know. She was pregnant for goodness sakes! The last thing she needed to worry about was a killer with a taste for her blood.

"Well the tip of the arrow was poisoned and aiming for Caitlin's shoulder. Either that or they are a lousy shot," Barry huffed in a whoosh of breath. Caitlin paused for a moment. Poison. Her shoulder. They were not trying to kill her? That was certainly not the impression she got. "I left the arrow on your desk if you want to take a look at it," Barry nodded to her doctor.

"I'll see what I can find, but I can't imagine there will be much left on the arrow head." Caitlin hummed, leaning back into her seat.  Her mind went wild with suggestions and possibilities of what the poison was and what it was made to do. Perhaps it would take her power? Perhaps the archer was a bad shot and had the poison was a backup in case their aim failed them? Perhaps it was nothing more than water?

"Also, Oliver mentioned that the arrow contains technology that has only just begun development, technology that we simply can't understand right now." Barry pursed his lips and made eye contact with Nora.

"The Observer." Nora yelped in surprise, her eyes wide and mouth ajar.

"Pardon?" Barry asked, cocking a brow at his daughter.

Nora sent him a meek smile and wrung her hands together, "I thought I recognised the armour. That is the Observer, we know nothing about him. We only caught glimpses of his shadow every so often, all we really know is that he is an archer and he is from my time." Pulling up her wrist computer, she displayed a pixelated image of a shadowy archer with a long, curving bow bounding across a rooftop.

"Brilliant, now we have another lunatic murderer from the future to deal with," Cisco grumbled, running a hand down his face.

"We don't know that the Observer wants to harm Caitlin for definite. If he is from the future then perhaps he was trying to give Caitlin a cure for some crazy strain of the flu or something." Iris suggested with a shrug.

Cisco turned to her with an incredulous looks. "Yes, because flu jags are administrated with Arrows," Caitlin rolled her eyes at the pair of them. They both had valid points. They did not know if the observer was trying to harm Caitlin for certain.

"You'd be surprised. Some people have no social skills," She tutted, placing a hand on her hip and arching a pointed eyebrow. Nora glanced between the pair with wide eyes. She met Caitlin's stare with a shocked gaze. The doctor sent her wide smile back.

"We also have to consider that the Observer did drop a chandelier of Caitlin," Ethan's voice drifted across the room from behind Caitlin, ending their pointless bickering.

"However," Caitlin interjected. "The Observer knew you were there and knew you would help me. It looked less like an assassination attempt and more like a dirty trick to escape." She huffed, replaying the memory in her mind. The doctor could still feel the cold chill that ran down her spine. She could feel the heated lightning that had come to her rescue crackling through her body. That memory was seared into her mind.

"I think all avenues need to be explored." Barry told them. "Caitlin, could you look at the arrow head?" He asked, receiving a curt nod. "Nora, can you try and pull up any information you can on the Observer?" The young speedster happily nodded. "After we pool our resources, then I think we should make the judgement wether the Observer is friend or foe."

*

Caitlin felt her body melt into the couch below her. Her feet let out a cry of relief. The living room around her had not change at all since Ethan had moved in. That she was glad for. She bounced up as Ethan thumped down on the couch next to her. Simultaneously they let out a heavy sigh. "Well, at least my killer may not be trying to kill me," she grumbled.

Ethan frowned at her. "It doesn't matter if he is trying to kill you or not. If he is even just trying to hurt you, then he needs to be stopped." He huffed. Deep worry lines became evident on his forehead.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and peered over at the two open doors next to her. A crib lay unbuilt and the walls were covered in pink and blue paint. With a smile she placed a hand on her stomach. "I managed to collect some of the poison on that arrow head. It turns out the arrow has an inbuilt device that allows it to release poison upon contact with blood. It wasn't anything that would have been deadly." She hummed, "but I made a cure as a precaution."

Ethan stared at her intensely. Taking her hand in his own, he sighed, "it always pays to be cautious." He clenched his jaw tightly, his frame went rigid. "But I suppose that confirms that the Observer was not trying to kill you. I wonder what he wants."

"I want to ask him that." Caitlin replied with a grumble. "Would you help me?" She cocked her head to one side and batted her eyes. It was an idea Caitlin had been thinking of for a while. The only way to truly understand a person's actions was to listen to their side of the story.

Ethan snorted, "you think I am going to let you speak to someone who tried to shoot an arrow at you, no matter how deadly," that was the reaction Caitlin had been expecting. Ever since their last time Caitlin almost died, he had become very concerned for her safety. Not that she blamed him, the toffee haired biochemist did have a tendency to throw caution to the wind when it came to her life.

"Please. It might be our only way of finding out where his allegiance lies and what he wants." Caitlin pleaded. "And anyway, you will help me because you know if you don't I will do it without you." She stated. For a moment, his face remained entirely neutral. Caitlin could tell he was still processing what she had told him, but she also knew she had backed him into a corner. If he really wanted her to be safe, then he would have to say yes.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine, but the instant I detect trouble I am taking you out of that situation. We don't know for sure he is harmless."

Caitlin gently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. Her thoughts strayed. The doctor could practically feel the cold shiver that slithered down her spine when the Observer was present. "For some strange reason I really do have mixed feelings on him. When I step back and look at the facts it seems as though he doesn't want to harm me. Yet when I am with him, I get the intense feeling he wants me to drop dead where I stand." Ethan cocked a brow. Caitlin stretched her arms out in front of her and twisted her body to look at him. "Sometimes, when I am alone, I get this cold sensation in my body. It's like nothing I have ever felt before. Then I spot a silhouette in the distance, usually too far away for me to make out any details. It's the same feeling I got when I met the Observer for the first time."

"You think he has been following you?" He squeaked, propping himself up to look at her.

Caitlin sent him a meek smile, threading her fingers together over her stomach. "I think so, yes."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ethan's voice dropped a little and he pushed out his bottom lip. A thick frown formed on his brows.

Caitlin felt her shoulders droop a little. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she told him, "I should have told you, I know. I'm sorry, but at first I thought it was just my imagination, that I was just being nuts."

Ethan sighed, "it's fine, but even if your going nuts you should tell me. Then I can prepare accordingly." He sent her a wry smile, "and anyway, now we have a way to find the Observer."