A/N: Ok, so before you all get out the pitchforks to kill me for not updating, please let me explain! This year has been super busy for me. It's my last year at high school and every piece of assessment matters for my future so I've been stressing the hell out about that. I know it has been about 10 months, but hopefully I will be able to update more often. Tbh I didn't really know where I was going with this fanfiction. I nearly gave up on it just because it was meant to be a drabble. It got so popular that I had to continue it. Anyway, I hope this lives up to your expectations!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Flash, I only own this fanfiction.

Please ignore all mistakes, I haven't got anyone to check over this!

*TRIGGER WARNING:* I DO MENTION A BRUTAL MURDER IN THIS CHAPTER. PLEASE, IF YOU ARE TRIGGERED BY THIS KIND OF THING, DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER. YOU WILL STILL UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING IF YOU WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT UPDATE. THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY.

. . .

Dr Harrison Wells was the first one to round the corner, followed by a pensive looking Joe and Cisco typing furiously away on his tablet. Joe stopped at the threshold and leant against the doorframe, looking down at Barry with fatherly concern. Barry, in turn, shuffled in bed, trying to sit up a bit straighter but let out a hiss of pain. Caitlin couldn't help her natural instincts; she reached over and gently pushed him back down. They made the briefest flash of eye contact but Caitlin quickly cut off the connection and looked over to Dr Wells.

"Barry, it's good to see that you're awake," Dr Wells commented.

"If only I didn't feel like the walking dead," Barry smiled weakly. "Or, more accurately, the bed-ridden dead."

Dr Wells laughed lightly. "And still so eloquent."

Joe walked over to Barry's side and put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes looked suspiciously glassy and he ruffled Barry's hair affectionately. Barry smiled sheepishly up at his foster father.

"Detective West," Caitlin said, "did you say that you knew who was behind this?"

Joe looked up at Caitlin, like he was noticing her for the first time. He nodded distractedly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"There have been mysterious cases occurring for the last few months that sound like it could be the works of a meta-human. There could be a connection. I'm not sure if it could be this one specifically, but it's all I've got to work on," Joe admitted.

Caitlin nodded in understanding. They still weren't sure how many people had been turned into meta-humans, or what their powers were. It was all really a guess-and-check game with a hope that you've got the right person.

Joe continued, "A few months back, a bank manager came back after hours and stole over $75 000. He then exited the bank with all the cash and came back empty-handed. He called the police, admitting to everything and waited until we showed up to arrest him. The moment he was in the back of the car, he had no idea where he was and claimed he had been asleep for hours. Completely changed his story, despite camera evidence," Joe shook his head ruefully. "Of course, there was nothing we could do, the evidence against him was a mile high. But I had the feeling something wasn't quite right.

"There were other reports of people committing their crimes, admitting them, and then changing their stories. The most horrific one was about a month ago," Joe trailed off and clenched his jaw, his eyes darkening.

Cisco looked up and stepped forward, handing the tablet over to Caitlin. "Here, this is the file."

Caitlin looked down at the man on the tablet screen. His name was Miles Smith and he had had no previous run-ins with the police. Caitlin scanned his face critically. He had cropped brown hair, dull blue eyes, an utterly forgettable face and most certainly did not look like a criminal. Caitlin peered up at Cisco, raising her eyebrow in question.

Cisco only responded with, "Keep scrolling."

Caitlin did as she was asked and suddenly was faced with one of the most gruesome sights she had ever seen. A woman lay sprawled out on the floor, her head bashed in and blood stained her white carpets. Beside the scene was a picture of a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair and frown lines around her mouth. Her name was Grace Johnson.

Cisco carried on for Joe, "That's Miles Smith and Grace Johnson. They were complete strangers. Miles was your average, everyday kind of guy. That was until he broke into Grace's house in broad daylight, grabbed a lamp and brutally murdered her." Cisco shivered.

"However," Dr Wells continued, his fingers pressed to his chin pensively, "much like the other cases, Mr Smith did not remember committing the crime. He claimed to have been walking home the previous night and waking up in a pool of Ms Johnson's blood. However, multiple eyewitnesses saw the whole event and there was no way for him to convince the jury of his innocence."

Caitlin scrolled back up to the picture of Miles Smith and a pang of sympathy shot through her. This was an innocent man, manipulated to murder someone and thereby ruin their life.

Eventually, Barry spoke up. "At least we know where to start, if there is a connection at all. We should meet Miles Smith in prison and question him. See if he remembers anything while being under the meta-human's control, anything that we could use. It sounds a bit different to my experience, because I definitely remember everything," Barry winced, "but it's worth a shot."

"We should also look into Grace Johnson," Joe said. "That case had a completely different result. It wasn't just theft, that was cold-blooded murder. This meta-human, whoever they are, wanted her dead, and wanted her to suffer."

Silence hung over the four of them like a weary shadow. Dr Wells was the first to break the quietness. "It's late now, and Barry needs his rest. I can organise a meeting with Mr Smith for tomorrow at prison. Barry, do you think you will be healed by then?"

Barry nodded slowly and Dr Wells smiled grimly. "Then, let us leave you to it."

He steered his chair and disappeared around the corner, the whirring of the electric chair the only sound for a few seconds. Caitlin handed the tablet back to Cisco and hugged him goodbye. Joe smiled wryly down at Barry. "See you later, Flash. Rest up." He ruffled Barry's already spiky hair affectionately.

Before long, Caitlin and Barry were alone again.

Caitlin looked over at Barry, worry shadowing her eyes. "Barry, if Joe is right about this meta-human, and they manipulated Miles to kill Grace, then that's something we've never dealt with before. That power is… is," Caitlin fumbled, trying to grasp for the right word.

"Scary?" Barry offered.

"Unthinkable! Uncontrollable! How are we meant to counteract that? Barry, they know who we all are. They could expose you as The Flash. They could be planning on killing Cisco, Joe, Iris, Dr Wells, Eddie…anyone!" By this time, Caitlin was rapidly pacing back and forward, wringing her hands.

"Caitlin. Caitlin," Barry said. "Cait!"

She glanced up sharply at the nickname, the one that only Ronnie had used. She stared into Barry's green eyes, searching for an answer she didn't know if she could find.

"I'm scared," she murmured.

Barry smiled softly. "Cait, I'm scared out of my mind too."

Caitlin returned his smile falteringly and sat down on the chair next to the bed. "How are we going to do this?" She whispered.

Barry turned to face her, reaching out a gloved hand for her to hold. His fingers curved around hers gently and he squeezed reassuringly. "Like we do everything else. With stubborn refusal to back down. We'll figure it out."

His last words were weighted and Caitlin glanced up to find Barry's eyes trained on her. She smiled half-heartedly and squeezed back before standing up. She checked her watch. It was 12:32am.

"Well, I'm going to have to get comfortable," she said.

"What for?"

"I need to be here all night to make sure nothing heals wrong, of course," she explained.

"Caitlin, you don't have to-"

She cut off his protests with a no-nonsense look. He gave her a sleepy smile.

"Please, Caitlin. I'm going to be fine. I promise. Please, go home to your bed," Barry pleaded.

Caitlin looked into his earnest and sleepy eyes. She didn't want to fight with him when he was so exhausted. Instead, she silently nodded her acquiesce and left the room. That was, not before looking over her shoulder again at Barry. He smiled wearily back at her and inclined his head to the side that meant 'go on, get going, I'll be fine'.

Caitlin had only made it back to her office, put her coat on and packed her bag before she went back to check on him. He was faintly snoring, his head drooped against the pillow and drooling slightly. She smiled slowly at him and put her bag down beside the chair. She looked at this man, this man who was passed out into his own little world, had suffered major injuries only that day and still wanted her to be comfortable and get a full nights rest. She cradled his gloved hand and softly stroked it absentmindedly. It wasn't long before her eyelids were drooping and she felt her head making a pillow out of his hand.

. . .

An annoyed bleep of a monitor, a hand carding through her hair softly, hushed words. Feeling like she was being lifted, bridal style. Exhausted enough to ignore the second-long gust of wind that whipped her hair back. Being set down on a comfortable bed, feeling suspiciously like hers. Blankets tucked to her chin. A gloved hand brushing hair back from her face. Soft lips pressed to her temple. Silence.

Viola! Please like/follow/review! Thank you so much for your support! Please stick with me! I hope this was worth the wait ha.