"Hey guys," Barry greeted as the first couple members of the team exited the ship, Sara, Ray, Rory, Amaya, and Nate.
"Hey, Team Flash," Ray happily said in his usual happy voice. "How has 2017 been for you all?"
"It's been... okay," Barry replied shaking his friend's hand.
"Yeah, more like a punch in the face," Cisco remarked.
"Who's she?" Ralph whispered in Cisco's ear, raising his eyebrow towards Sara.
"Out of your league man," Cisco responded.
"Mhm," Iris added, hearing this conversation go on beside her.
Ralph only scoffed disbelievingly. Attempting to give the beautiful blonde badass his best sweet et sly look, she gave him a weird look and tried to ignore his 'flirtatious' uncomfortable glance.
This causing Cisco to hit Ralph on the side to stop, Cisco then added, "This is Ralph, he's new and he... stretches."
"Anyways," Caitlin intervened, "What brings you guys here?"
"Actually, it's about you," Sara said, causing Caitlin to turn her head.
I thought getting involved in time travel business was Barry's thing, Caitlin thought.
"What do you me-," Caitlin started, stopping when her jaw dropped when the last few passengers finally came out of the Jumpship.
Stein, Ronnie, and Jax walked out together, with Ronnie slightly ahead eager to see his friends and family again.
Caitlin stood in awe, looking more like a ghost than actually just seeing one.
"Woah, the three halves of Firestorm," Cisco said also in awe but then realizing the error of what he just said, "wait..."
"Caitlin," Ronnie sighed in relief, walking down to hug her, as she slowly and reluctantly returned the hug. The two teams watched as if their favorite TV OTP finally came together, but that slowly turned to awkwardness.
"Y-you're... alive," Caitlin said in disbelief as they pulled apart.
"Yeah, I am," Ronnie replied smiling, although that quickly changing as he noticed Caitlin's reaction or lack of one. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing..." she replied, "I- um. I need some air," she said quickly walking away leaving Ronnie and everyone else in the awkwardness.
She was out of site when Ronnie turned around and looked at everyone else looking at him, then looking at his old friend Cisco.
Cisco nodded and went to go look for her, "I go talk to her."
................................................................
"What just happened?" Ronnie said as Team Flash and the parts of Firestorm gathered in the Cortex. "She didn't even look me in the eye? Does she not love me anymore?"
"God, no Ronnie," Barry assured. "Despite what's going on right now. None of us really knows what's wrong but what we all know is that Caitlin loves you, Ronnie."
"Mr. Allen is right, Ronald," Stien agreed, "despite the time spent apart between you two, your bond is as strong as the Firestorm Matrix."
Ronnie shook his head still worried about what was his stance with Caitlin now.
..............................................................
"Caitlin!" Cisco yelled knocking on Caitlin's apartment door. "C'mon, I know you're in there. You weren't at Star Labs or Jitters, plus I kinda vibed you."
Cisco knocked the door again waiting for Caitlin to respond. Caitlin who was sitting on the floor of her apartment eating a pint of ice cream in sweatpants reluctantly got up and unlocked the door.
"What do you want Cisco?" She asked.
"What do I want?" Cisco repeated, "I wanna know what's going on. What's wrong? I thought we were used to this people coming back to life thing," Cisco attempting to lighten the mood with humor.
"Wrong city, Cisco," Caitlin disregarded his attempts and threw herself over to the couch.
"You know what I mean, Caitlin," Cisco followed her, shutting her apartment door. "Ronnie's back, the love of your life. Before the particle accelerator explosion you two use to be inseparable, sometimes to an annoying extent. But personally I believe y'all most people's OTP. What in this situation could bother you? You guys have another chance to be together?"
Caitlin didn't reply and only looked down at her icecream.
"Okay, fine," Cisco stood up, "if you don't wanna answer me you can face all of us."
"Wha-?" Caitlin began before Cisco grabbed her arm and pulled her through a breach to Star Labs.
"Cisco!" Caitlin yelled as she look around the cortex to see her friends stare at her.
"All right then go on," Cisco remarked with his signature sass.
"I don't know what you expect me to do," Caitlin replied angrily.
"Then reply to this," Ronnie intervened. "Do you not love me anymore?"
Caitlin looked at Ronnie. She hated the way he was looking at her right now, like she was his everything, priceless and irreplaceable.
"R-ronnie," she stuttered, "of course not."
"Then what's wrong?" He asked.
A moment of silence passed before Caitlin thought of a reply.
"I'm not the same as before you were gone," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"I have powers," she said lifting her hands up to show the frost radiation from them.
"That was what I was going to tell you earlier, Ronald," Stein commented, "but I thought you should find out yourself."
"Okay," Ronnie replied shocked but still contained. "That doesn't matter, your still the Cait I love. Is that all-"
"No Ronnie," Caitlin interrupted. "We can't."
"We can't what Cait?"
"I-," she paused, "I don't think we should get back together."
The Cortex was left in awkward silence as Caitlin still remained with her head down and Ronnie looking taken aback by the comment the love of his life mades
"What?!" Ronnie said in an unfamiliar tone to him and the others.
"I think we should-" Barry finally broken the silence, telling the others to give the two some space.
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What's going on with Caitlin? Why is she acting this way? How will Ronnie react?
What y'all think of this chapter?
