Collateral Damage (snowbarry)

Why am I vibrating?

Caitlin starts stripping the bed that has been occupied for the last nine months and now lay empty, and boy does it smell. She wears a surgical mask over her face to block out the stench while she takes the sheets to the laundry room and walks back to disinfect every surface next to the bed. Why not? Nothing else to do. No patient to monitor.

Dr. Wells wheels into the cortex and chuckles to himself when he sees Caitlin cleaning. Of course she's cleaning, he thought. Caitlin hears him sigh and turns around to see him staring at her. She smiles at him and stops what she's doing to sit down.

"What are you thinking?" She asks, the same way she used to when she was younger. She was always fascinated with him.

"I'm thinking that there are a million things you could be doing right now and you've chosen to clean a lab that is no longer in use." He smiles, almost sadly as he looks around the room.

"We could put it to use you know. I know we have a reputation to overcome, but people do that all the time. We just have to show people that one mistake doesn't undo all the good we've done and still could do. So yeah, I'm cleaning the lab. We're gonna need it again someday." She says, trying to sound half as inspiring as he always sounds.

"You're going to be tied down here Caity. Those job offers still stand. No more mystery patient here to make you stay. You can start over." He suggested, only half-heartedly. He really would hate to see her go, but with his plans, it might be best.

"I don't want to start over Wells. I want to get back on track." She says, walking over to him to fix his hair that was a little all over the place today. "There's no way in hell I'm leaving you and Cisco to fend for yourselves. You'd burn this place down in a week." She says lightly, not breaking a smile though.

He grabs her hand and looks around the lab.

"We could fix it up. Maybe with a new mission in mind huh? Not a new start, but a more focused one. Maybe we got a little too big for our britches last time." Dr. Wells says, noticing Caitlin staring at him adoringly. He looks at her and smiles.

"My britches are plenty big. Too big if anything. Always falling down." Cisco interjects as he enters the room.

Dr. Wells chuckles and smiles at his younger employee whom he was grown very fond of over the years, and is now very used to his use of humor in every situation.

"What do you think Cisco? Should we fix this place up. Give S.T.A.R. Labs a purpose again?" Dr. Wells asks.

"I see it now!" Cisco starts. "Chairs lining the room. People coming from all over. Lights! Big bright lights! A stage... here" He points to where the control panel desks sit in the room. "And me in a tux"

"We're not turning S.T.A.R. Labs into a theater or a burlesque bar or whatever else you're thinking of right now, Cisco" Caitlin interrupts.

Dr. Wells laughs. "You're still welcome to wear a tuxedo if you want, Cisco."

Cisco's brief frown immediately turns back into a smile.

"Guys!"

The three turn to the entrance to cortex and see a very distraught Barry Allen, and is he...

"Why am I vibrating?" He yells.

**********************************************************************

"I gave you a mild sedative. It should calm you down enough to stop the" Caitlin hovers her hand over Barry's arm and wiggles it a little to represent the vibrating Barry was just previously doing. Barry looks at her and smiles, thanking her, noticing she doesn't smile back.

Dr. Wells wheels up beside her and thanks her, turning his attention to Barry. Caitlin and Cisco listen attentively as Dr. Wells attempts to explain the phenomenon that is happening to Barry. So he has speed. Like a lot of speed. Surely not like superhuman, nope he definitely just said superhuman speed.

"Are you ready to run those tests now, Mr. Allen?" Dr. Wells asks, in a light condescending tone. They had offered it earlier and he turned it down. Now look what's happened.

"Yes, sir." Barry stands and starts to remove his shirt.

"Not those kinds of tests." Dr. Wells says, motioning for Barry to put his shirt back on.

"Cisco!" Dr. Wells calls out. "I need you to build me something."

Cisco's face widens into a grin.

A/N:

So I found out today that my university's campus is closed for the next THREE WEEKS because of the coronavirus, so I'm hopefully going to be able to update a lot. I still have work and stuff so there's that, but I'm actually loving finally writing this all out and I'm getting a little addicted to it so I'm expecting a lot of updates over the next three weeks.

How are we feeling so far? Is it moving too slow? I want to set everything up before we take off. I mean he's been in a coma for nine months. The boy was practically reborn. And we don't want any Disney, falling in love at first sight, business here. Hell no. We're about development. We're about getting to know each other. We're about waiting for a drunk karaoke night that changes everything! WAIT I didn't just say that. Not sure actually yet about that one. It's obviously a huge Snowbarry episode so I can't leave that event out, but I haven't decided if I'm going to make it pivotal to romance or their friendship yet. It's a long ways away!

How do you guys feel about a legit friendship between Iris and Caitlin? CW never did it right and I may want to try.

Peace and Love! -Ali