Chapter Text
Stepping out of the breach on the other side that is now the Star labs of earth two, Caitlin takes a moment to steady and centre herself. It's one thing to travel through a short breach throughout Central City to take down the latest big bad but it's an entirely different experience to travel to another earth.
When the moment she needs passes and she's steady once more on her feet, Caitlin takes in the room she now finds herself in. It's not that much different to the breach room at home, the layout is a little different granted and it's lit similarly with low lighting but it's the hum of the building itself that is the biggest change. Whereas on earth one, the Star labs there holds a certain eerie vibe, a vast majority of the rooms lying empty and abandoned, the only occupants being that of team flash and their acquaintances to roam the many halls. Here though, despite the breach room being quiet and almost shrouded in darkness, outside of the closed door, the movement of the many workers going about their daily jobs could be heard.
In a way, it's something she misses. The daily hustle and bustle of the endless hallways, the many techs in the labs as she walked by. That's not to say she doesn't appreciate the atmosphere the lab now holds or the work that they do, far from it.
But she isn't here for a chance to reminisce. She's here to see Harry.
"This is indeed strange... I was just thinking about you and here you appear."
The voice startles her, low and rough, sounding from her right. Turning to look, she's surprised by what she finds. Harry is sat to her right, on the floor leaning back against the wall. By his side is a bottle, in his hand a half empty glass.
"That is if you're even real? Are you real, Snow?"
The words reach her and she frowns, wondering just how much he's had to drink. "Why wouldn't I be real?"
"Who knows? Maybe hallucinations are a side effect of my newly restored mind. Why else would you be here?"
Caitlin steps down off the breach platform and continues down the steps. Moving towards him, she stops a few feet away and looks down at him. His appearance isn't much different than that of when he'd left. Dressed still the same rather like herself, the only difference being the day old stubble along his jaw from where he'd clearly not shaven since he's returned.
Harry stares back, head tilted to the side as he considers her.
"What are you doing down here?"
"I wanted some quiet."
His behaviour and the intensity in which he's looking at her, leaves Caitlin feeling unsure. "Harry," she says softly, "are you okay?"
The man on the floor shrugs, taking a sip on the amber liquid within his glass. "What brings you here?" he questions instead, "it's been barely--" he stops to look at his watch. "A day and half, has things fallen apart that quickly?"
A soft snort of amusement escapes her, because yes, yes it has. "You'd be surprised."
"Well, in any case I'm afraid I can't help you." He lifts his free hand to tap the side of his head. "My mind isn't what it once was." He drops his eyes from her and finishes what's left in his glass.
Caitlin just watches him for a moment, her worry slowly rising at his behaviour. She hadn't anticipated this scene to be what greeted her when she stepped out of that breach, well, if she's really honest she didn't know what to expect. She hadn't thought this through, the only decision made was to come here and talk to him before she managed to talk herself out of it. And now here he is, right in front of her and clearly, not okay. Closing the gap between them, she makes to sit down beside him on the floor.
"What are you doing?" he asks, even though it's obvious. "You'll ruin your dress."
"Sitting with you and don't worry about the dress," she tells him as she lowers herself to the floor, bumping her shoulder with his. "What's going on with you? You seemed fine before you left."
"And I was, I mean...I thought I was. I had my mind restored and I've been given... this balance, which I'm grateful for of course but I..."
"What?"
"I came back here, saw Jesse and we talked. It was good, really good but now I just... what am I supposed to do now, Snow?"
The helplessness in his voice breaks her heart and the lost look on his face doesn't help either.
"I don't know what to do anymore."
Caitlin turns slightly to face him more, watching as he refills his glass before replacing the bottle with a dull thud on the floor. She's surprised when after he takes a sip he offers her the glass which she takes with a grateful smile, her fingers brushing his as he passes it to her. A little Dutch courage. It's also very intimate, sharing his glass, a thought she tries to push away and ignore.
"It's okay to feel like this, Harry. You've experienced a great change, it'll take time to get used to it."
"It's know, I just... I want to be the best father I can be to Jesse but she has her own life, with her own team around her. Outside of my role as a father, what else is there? My seven PhD's are useless, I know and understand things to a certain level but... I can't work like I did before."
Caitlin's eyes fill with tears, seeing clearly the extent of how he feels. This open and honest Harry is certainly an eye opener but he's still Harry. "Maybe you're right, maybe you can't work like you did before but it doesn't have to be a bad thing?" She shrugs lightly, passing him back the glass. "After what you went through, it's okay to take time to evaluate and find your footing. To decide what's next."
Harry rolls his head along the wall towards her, his eyes finding hers.
There's a flash of something in his gaze before it's gone but it's the lost look in his eyes that weigh down on her heart. Not really thinking of what she's doing, she reaches out and traces her fingertips over his forehead. "So you may not be able to achieve what you did before? So what? There's a number of other things you can do because you're Dr Harrison Wells, a man with a brilliant and beautiful mind, one of the brightest in the multiverse..." her fingers trail down his face until she's cupping his face in her hand tenderly. "You're still the same man you were before."
Unconsciously, Harry leans into her touch. "You really believe that?" His voice betrays the vulnerability he feels.
"I do," she reassures him quietly, "There's no rush Harry, there's no time limit for you to figure all this out."
Harry nods, dropping his eyes away from hers briefly. "I'm sorry you had to stumble upon my little pity party."
It's at that point she remembers something from earlier. She drops her hand away from his face to his arm, her touch a soft caress. "You mentioned early when I got here, that you'd been thinking about me?" Almost immediately she feels under her touch as well as sees him tense.
"Oh... that doesn't matter."
But she has a feeling it does. "Harry?" She squeezes his arm, trying to get him to look at her and failing miserably. "Why were you thinking about me?"
He refuses to meet her gaze, eyes instead focused upon the swirling amber liquid held within his glass. "I told you it doesn't matter."
"I think we both know it does."
Her words finally make Harry look up, his stunning blue eyes despite a little hazy from the drink he's consumed, lock onto her. He stares at her, searching her eyes for something, what she has no idea. Neither does she know whether he finds what he's looking for. "Why did you come here?" Is his response instead.
Caitlin can't expect honesty from him if she's not willing to give it herself. So she tells the truth. "I've been thinking about you," she tells him honestly, using his own words against him. "I had a talk with Cisco and it made me take... the next step."
"The next step towards what?"
Now or never because this is why she came here. "You," she whispers almost breathlessly. "Somewhere along the way, I've fallen in love with you, Harry." There it's out there, that heavy weight upon her heart has now lifted bringing with it a sense of relief. Though that does nothing to drown the nervousness that's rising within her.
"You..." Harry falters, to say he's caught of guard would be an understatement. He stares at her and all he sees back is what her words confirm. A heaviness feels like it's crushing down upon his chest, like he can't breath. Here's this beautiful woman sat next to him, telling him she loves him and it can't come at a worse time. "No," he shakes his head, closing his eyes. "You can't... I mean-- I'm not good enough for you Caitlin."
But Caitlin shakes head adamantly, pushing down her emotions. "You don't get to make that decision, that's for me to decide."
"But I..."
Her fingers stop his words, pressing against his lips. "No. I love you for who you are, from what's in here," she says placing her hand over his heart before rising to run her fingers through his hair, until she's cupping the back of his head. "To what's up here."
"Caitlin," he whispers. The way he says her name low and rough, sounding almost like he's going to cry but he doesn't.
He doesn't and she's trying so hard herself not to let her own tears spill over. "It's been so hard lately, so many things happening and I just... I want something good in my life, Harry... I want that to be you, I want you."
Harry bites his lip, looking like he's wrestling something within himself. He sighs heavily, "are you sure?"
She pulls him closer until her mouth is barely hovering his. "I'm sure," her lips brush against his, almost ghosting over.
Harry exhales into her kiss. "I was thinking about you," he mutters against her mouth. "I'm always thinking about you." His hand takes hold of her chin and tilts her head, then he's kissing her. Slowly at first he moves his mouth over hers, his hand moving from her chin to cup her face as he deepens the kiss. His kiss getting a little more demanding when his tongue meets hers as he tastes her. Caitlin couldn't stop the whimper that escapes into his mouth even if she wanted to, her hands falling to his chest and fisting his sweater there. Eventually and regretfully with a groan, the kiss ends and Harry rests his forehead against hers.
They stay like that for awhile, wrapped up in each other, exchanging soft stolen kisses and just enjoying the new found closeness between them.
"We should move," Caitlin finally whispers, breaking the silence and the bubble they found themselves in.
"Yes," Harry agrees readily. "I need to speak with Jesse and to pack."
"Pack?" She really tries really hard not to get her hopes up for what that means exactly.
Harry nods, leaning forward to kiss her quick. "Apart from Jesse, I don't really have anything keeping me here. And what you said before, about wanting something good in your life? I want that too... with you and if I can help the team in whatever capacity I can, I'd like that." He shrugs, "if HR could be of use, then there's hope for me yet."
Caitlin punches his arm. "Don't joke. I told you before, the team doesn't feel complete without Harrison Wells... and neither do I."
"That's... incredibly sappy Snow."
She pulls him towards her suddenly, her lips on his. "It's true," she utters between kisses.
Harry pulls away. "Right enough of that," he tells her, trying to be serious. "Jesse and pack." Reminding her of the plan.
"Right," she nods getting to her feet. Reaching down, she pulls him up. "And then we can go home?"
Harry pulls her into him. "Yes, then we can go home." He smiles at her before taking her hand, leading her out of the room. And despite knowing what lies ahead for both of them, Harry adjusting to a new life without his super high intelligence and all of the drama with Killer Frost and now with the revelation regarding her father.... it seems so much easier to look ahead now that they have each other.
And as they leave, the door falling shut softly behind them, the only evidence of their presence and his pity party, is the abandoned whiskey bottle and glass that remains behind on the floor of the breach room.
The end.