Work Text:
Caitlin sighed as she typed away at her computer. After so many weeks, they were finally able to see what they were dealing with. Savitar. Another speedster. She sighed as she recalled seeing the evil speedster flee the fight, the blue-white lightning sparking an unpleasant memory from the depths of her mind. With everything that had been going on, trying to figure out how to save Iris and trying to suppress her Killer Frost powers, Caitlin hadn’t thought about him in a while. She shook her head, trying to block out the thought.
As Caitlin continued her research, she felt the skin on the back of her neck prickle. She froze and looked up, letting out a shocked gasp. In the glass’ reflection, she saw the speedster who haunted her dreams, the one who kept her locked up like his property. Terrified, she spun around, only to find the room empty.
“He isn’t here anymore,” Caitlin muttered, firmly reminding herself that the time wraiths had taken him. “Jay… Zoom can’t hurt me or any of us ever again.” She let out a long sigh and stretched her arms above her head before turning back to the computer screen. Looking at the small blinking clock on the screen, Caitlin realized it was quite late, 1:15 A.M. Rationalizing that it wouldn’t make sense to abandon her research midway through, she vowed to complete her reading of this research article before going home.
Satisfied that she had done enough for the night, Caitlin clicked the browser closed and stood up, grabbing her jacket and purse. She flicked off the light and exited the lab. Upon entering the main hallway, she felt that chilling feeling again. Now that she wasn’t distracted by her research, Caitlin couldn’t shake the memories from coming back. She heard the clang of something metal dropping, followed by the faint crackle of lightning.
And she screamed.
Caitlin gasped as she looked up to see Zoom standing there, face uncovered, arms crossed over his chest, lightning cackling around him. “Come embrace your darkness, Caitlin,” he growled. She shook her head rapidly and began backing away, hand clutching her belongings tightly.
“You’re not real,” Caitlin stated, breath shaking as she tried to rationalize with herself. She turned around, only to see him again, this time advancing towards her with his arms outstretched, reaching for her. She quickly backed away and began sobbing, “No, no don’t come near me!” In her haste, Caitlin tripped over her heel, sending her sprawling to the ground. As Zoom kept coming towards her, she scrambled to get away until she hit a wall.
“Caitlin! Caitlin!” Zoom kept repeating as he advanced, his voice getting louder. When he reached her, he crouched down to her level and brought a hand to her shoulder.
Upon his gloved hand making contact with her body, Caitlin lost all control of her emotions. She screamed and lashed out, kicking at the figure that she believed to be Zoom. She tried to reach any part of his body that she could, trying to dislodge him from her person.
Zoom quickly backed off, shielding himself from Caitlin’s onslaught of limbs.
Surprised, Caitlin slowly lowered her arms, drawing into herself. She blinked, only to find a concerned looking Barry Allen sitting in front of her. “Barry?” she asked, quietly.
Barry nodded slowly. “Yeah, it’s just me.” He carefully reached out towards her again, resting his hand on her knee. “What happened?”
Swallowing, Caitlin replied, voice trembling, “I saw him. Zoom, I mean. I haven’t seen him in awhile but…” She looked up at Barry, biting her lip as she tried to collect her thoughts.
“He’s gone,” Barry murmured, keeping his voice low and soothing. “The time wraiths got him. He isn’t coming back.” He sighed and asked, “What brought up the memory?”
Caitlin ducked her head, a bit embarrassed at the trigger. “Savitar did. Actually seeing him reminded me so much of Zoom.” She sighed and uncurled herself, pushing herself up until she was standing against the wall, Barry following suit.
Carefully reaching up, Barry rested his hands on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay,” he soothed. “Zoom can never get to you again. He can’t get to any of us.”
Nodding, Caitlin stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Barry. “Thank you,” she murmured.
Silently, Barry pulled her closer to him, letting her bury her face in his shoulder. “I’m so sorry that monster was able to get to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him soon enough.”
“It’s not your fault. Zoom had us all fooled.” Caitlin pulled away from the hug. “What are you doing here so late?”
Barry blushed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “I left something here that I needed. It’s not important though.” He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Suddenly, he frowned and asked, “What are you doing here so late?”
Sighing, Caitlin replied, “I couldn’t sleep, so I came back here to work. It was able to distract me from the memories.” She smiled sheepishly. “I heard something, and I guess that just brought them flooding back.” She lowered her gaze, embarrassed.
Nodding with understanding, Barry pulled the shorter woman into another hug. “I’ve got you now,” he whispered, stroking her back as she clung to him. “Do you want me to take you home?”
Caitlin nodded. “I’d really appreciate that, Barry.” Hesitantly, she asked, “Can we take my car? I don’t think I can handle running right now.”
Barry nodded wordlessly and walked Caitlin out to her car, sitting her down in the passenger seat and taking the keys from her before hopping into the driver’s side, driving her home.
The ride was silent as Barry drove Caitlin home. Parking in front of her apartment complex, he silently got out and walked her up to her apartment, hand resting reassuringly on her back. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked.
Caitlin bit her lip nervously. “Would you come and stay with me until I fall asleep?” she asked, quietly. “I feel like I’ll fall asleep easier if someone is there.” As Barry nodded, she unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment, motioning him to follow. She wordlessly dropped her purse and coat on the couch before heading into her room, Barry following her.
Barry averted his eyes as Caitlin stripped out of her dress, pulling on her pajamas. At her hum, he turned around as she crawled into bed, clad in the same pajamas as the ones she wore after their night of drinking. He smiled at the fond memory. “I remember last time I saw you in those.”
Caitlin laughed slightly as she pulled the covers up. “That was a fun night. Although I really regretted the next day.” She looked up at the speedster, sleepily. “Whenever I think about him, I feel this chill that I can’t shake. Can you come hug me?” she asked, hesitantly before closing her eyes and snuggling into the bed.
Concealing his surprise, Barry nodded. “Of course.” Kicking off his shoes, he climbed on top of the covers next to Caitlin. He wrapped his arm around her middle, using the other to stroke her hair gently. As her trembling breath slowly began to even out, Barry frowned. He had no idea that Caitlin still thought about Zoom. She never showed her pain to anyone in STAR Labs, keeping her hurt locked up. Sighing, Barry gave her a final gentle hug as he noticed she fell asleep before untangling himself from her and standing up. Looking back at her, he vowed, “I promise I’ll try to be better for you. I’m always going to be there to help you,” before flashing away.