By the time Barry and Caitlin came back from Big Belly Burger, they were both in considerably high spirits: Barry due to Iris no longer causing him any grief and Caitlin knowing that things will be looking up for Barry from here on out. Usually Barry would just pick up whoever he's with and run them to wherever they're going, but he took his time. His guilt for obsessing over Iris and knowing the consequences of that made him realise that the speed force was trying to tell him that being with Iris would only lead him down an unhappy life. And by pointing out all of his best moments with Caitlin, he realised the speed force's second message; that Caitlin was his true lightning rod.

"Barry? You okay?" Caitlin asked, waking him up from his thoughts.

"Yeah, thanks for asking. I guess so much has happened that it's taking a bit of time to process," he said.

"Even for a speedster?" Caitlin gently teased. She guessed that with thoughts flying at a million miles an hour, it would get tiring after a while. No wonder he spaced out.

"Nothing wrong with taking it slow," Barry replied, with a smirk on his face. "You want to walk to the park? I find it always clears my head."

"Aww, you don't wanna run me there?" Caitlin joked. Barry laughed.

"Maybe not today. Nothing wrong with slowing down," Barry said, interweaving their hands together. They were treading on a fine line, but neither of them wanted to stop. And so they took their time. Barry was right, the long walk gave time for Caitlin to sort through the cacophony of memories and everything that happened in the past day. But one particular detail shone through: Barry's confiding in her. She was expecting him to confide in Cisco, man-to-man, but to her? She eventually realised that Caitlin is the only one that Barry can truly open up to. Just thinking about that made her heart flutter, and even more so when she remembered that he was right beside her, holding her hand.

They sat down on the park bench, her head resting on his shoulder, embracing the serenity of their surroundings. God, he wanted more of these moments with her; just the two of them, with no interruptions, whether it be Cisco telling them about some new tech, or a crazed meta in town. And it was when he was reminiscing about his favourite moments with her that he truly understood how beautiful she was. Iris was pretty - it's the reason he's in this mess in the first place - but her true colours shone through last night, and he wanted nothing to do with her. Caitlin, on the other hand, was on a completely different level. Looking back, there had been moments where they might've become something else. Confiding in her about regaining his powers after Blackout, the spark of jealousy he felt when 'Jay Garrick' made a move on her. And yet he remained oblivious. But one moment jumped out at him, and suddenly he was itching to get an answer.

"Hey Caitlin, how much do you remember of when Hannibal Bates attacked?" Barry asked, his heart racing. She became to fidget in her spot, not moving from their embrace, however.

"Well, I remember when he imitated 'Wells', and when he took on Iris's and my form when we locked him up," Caitlin replied, unsure of where he was going with this. Does he know? she thought, not knowing how to explain to him what had happened.

"Well, I remember you slapping me for being duct-taped instead of injured and you being skittish around me at S.T.A.R. Labs after I got back," Barry inquired, smirking. Oh, she did not like where he was going with this. "You never did explained why you were acting so skittish."

"Yes, well I-I didn't know how to tell you, because..." Caitlin trailed off, still unsure as to how to tell him.

"Was it something Bates did as me?" Barry asked.

"How did you know he imitated you?" Caitlin asked, wondering if he was somehow psychic.

"It would explain why you were skittish. What did he do?" Barry asked, genuinely concerned.

"It wasn't your fault Barry, it's just wh-what he did," Caitlin replied timidly, biting her lip. Why would he bring that up. Unless...

"Did he hurt you?" Barry asked. "If he did, I need to know."

"Barry, he's-"

"Dead, I know. But if he did something to you, as me, I need to know. Truth be told, it's been bugging me ever since it happened. For a while, I thought it was something I did," Barry finished, never taking his eyes off hers. She melted under his gaze. He thought it was his fault the entire time? she thought, guilt eating away at her.

"Oh Barry... when we came back to the labs, I started telling about the serum that would stop him transforming, and he tried to... distract me," Caitlin said weakly, still unable to tell him. He had just ended his relationship, and she doesn't want to thrust him into a new one.

"What did he do?" Barry demanded, looking murderous. It was one thing when she was hurt or threatened, but with his visage, that was another thing.

"He-he..." Caitlin trailed off. "Barry, he k-kissed me," she finished quietly. "And I kissed him back," she added, tears beginning to well in her eyes. "I thought that there was something between us, and I thought that you had chosen me over Iris, so I embraced it," she finished, and Barry looked so remorseful, his eyes wide in shock. His reaction hit her like a truck. "Y-you never knew?" Caitlin stuttered.

He cupped her cheek, wiping away her tears. "You loved me for all these years? God, if I had known... God, what have I done?" Barry murmured. And it was in this moment that he understood all of Caitlin's actions. Why she was always the most emotional whenever he was injured, why she would never leave his side when everyone else did, why she willingly followed Savitar. Not wanting to wait any longer, his lips to hers, pouring all of his love, passion and guilt into that kiss, conveying everything he felt about her. Quickly reciprocating, Caitlin felt light as a feather, as she had finally won his heart, and all of the years of trying to win him over had paid off. Needing to breath, they broke apart, resting their foreheads together. "Cait..." Barry began, not knowing what to say. Caitlin put her finger on his lips.

"Barry, you were willing to die for me over and over, and I you. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to risk our friendship and ruin things between you and Iris," Caitlin finished, skin tingling in anticipation.

"And what are we now, Dr. Snow?" Barry inquired, his trademark smirk blossoming on his face. She answered by pulling him in for another kiss, less passionate but no less loving.

Barry and Caitlin never noticed the figure watching them from afar. Turning away and walking back to her car, Iris West wasn't sure how to feel: guilty that she had broken Barry's heart, or angry that Caitlin was putting it back together. Nevertheless, if this was something that was building up ever since he became the Flash, then there was nothing she could do, and she would be wicked for trying to win him over again. She had lost her chance. The only right thing to do was to leave. All of her furniture was already packed away. Iris took off Barry's mother's ring and placed it on the table, along with a two-word message: I'm sorry.

When Barry and Caitlin returned to their apartment, they retreated to the bedroom. Neither one held back, and didn't do what they had wanted to do for years. Slowly, they came down from their high, and lay together on the bed. Wrapped together, they felt nothing but pure bliss. The feelings they had towards each other, suppressed for so long, had finally bloomed, and they both relished in each other's love for each other. Caitlin curled up closer to Barry, laying her head on his shoulder, while Barry wrapped her arms around her wais, pulling her closer. Drifting off to sleep, Caitlin stole one kiss, whispering "I love you, Mr. Allen."

"I love you too, Dr. Snow."