Author's Note: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! Snowbarry- Season 4! I cannot believe we have made it this far :) :) :) I couldn't have done it without you guys, so a MILLION TIMES THANKS for all your love and support!

It had been a rough six months.

After Barry had gone into the Speed Force, the city's sky had gone back to normal. Emergency teams and Kid Flash had helped clean up the last of the mess caused by the earthquakes, and Caitlin had snuck away from STAR Labs in the confusion.

She hadn't come back.

There was something inside of her that had broken, and not just a little. First, becoming Killer Frost, terrorizing and hurting her friends and destroying every moral she thought she held as her own. Now Barry was gone, and she was left to deal with it all by herself.

Barry was gone.

It was still something that Caitlin was having a hard time coming to terms with. Even after she bought a new apartment, got a new job, and took the cure that would eliminate Killer Frost... even after the cure didn't work, and she started working for Amunet, and she ignored every one of Cisco and Iris' calls... she still couldn't believe that Barry was truly gone.

Caitlin Snow, MD, now worked in a bar. She was a pretty darn good bartender, able to keep up with orders and remarkably good at mixing drinks. She enjoyed watching people and learning about the regulars and their life-problems (it took her mind off her own), and wasn't afraid to break up fights with the underlying knowledge that she had an ice-demon inside of her that could easily protect her. Considering that she had spent her entire life as a scientist, she was starting to wonder why she hadn't made the decision to change occupations a long time ago.

That being said, sometimes she missed Team Flash. When she heard the sound of sires and occasionally saw a flash of Wally's lightning outside the bar or when she was walking home, she would remember sitting in the Cortex with her eyes on her computer screen, monitoring vitals and capturing metahumans.

Most of all, she just missed Barry. She missed his smile and his laugh and the warmth of his hugs, and his long lanky frame and his soft, sweet kisses and the coffee he would bring her after a long night. She missed his silky hair and his sweaters and his occasional tendency to trip over his own feet. She missed waking up with him in the morning, or without him and smelling breakfast in the kitchen, long hugs in the Cortex after trying days, and the quiet times that they would spend together as she patched him up after a fight.

She missed all of it, even though she tried to hide it. Caitlin didn't mope. After a week of tears and not wanting to get out of bed she shut down her feelings and shoved them in a little box in the far corner of her brain. She put her apartment up for sale, and went searching for a new one. Even though she wanted to get out and distance herself, Caitlin couldn't bear to actually leave Central City. She found a new apartment close to the bar she worked at and bought it almost immediately.

It didn't take Caitlin long to get settled into her new life. She would wake up, make breakfast, not think about Barry, walk to work (or take her car if the weather was bad), not think about Barry, work her shift, take a lunch break, not think about Barry, go back for another shift, then walk or drive home and not think about Barry. After her day was over she would make herself dinner or order takeout, and not think about Barry.

It wasn't living, but it was life.

Then came the day that Cisco walked into her bar.

She had been working her shift, cleaning glasses and wearing a slimming white tank top and jeans. Caitlin couldn't even remember the last time she had worn a skirt. She definitely didn't dress like a high school principal anymore. It reminded her too much of Barry and the life she used to have.

"Wow," a very familiar voice behind her said. "What a selection. Any suggestions?"

There was a large, grizzly man also at the bar. Caitlin smirked at his reply. "Yeah. Drink somewhere else."

"What can I get you?" Caitlin asked, not turning around.

"Let's go with something sweet, but deceptively strong," the man responded. "With lots of ice."

Caitlin sighed. At this point, she knew who the man was. It was a voice too familiar to her not to recognize.

She turned around, smiling a little. "Shirley Temple, coming right up."

Cisco shook his head. "What is a nice girl with two doctorates and PhD doing in a rats nest like this one?"

Caitlin smiled up at him, filing his drink. As much as she tried to ignore it, she had missed Cisco quite a bit. "Working. How'd you find me?"

Cisco rolled his eyes. "I'm great with computers and I have my own satellite," he reminded her. "You do the math."

"You vibed me," Caitlin said flatly, setting down his drink.

"I vibed you, yeah," Cisco admitted. She shook her head and walked across the back part of the bar, knowing he would follow her. "You're looking a lot less Frosty than the last time I saw you. You said you weren't yourself anymore; that there was still apart of her in you."

Caitlin didn't look at him. "It's just me, Cisco. I'm just Caitlin," she lied. In truth, Killer Frost was still there, strong, but controlled. She was no longer a danger, at least for the most part.

"How'd you do it?" Cisco asked, peering at her.

She changed the subject. She didn't want to get into her history with Amunet, not ever if she had to. "What do you want?"

"Well, a stiffer drink for starters," Cisco joked. Caitlin rolled her eyes and grabbed his empty glass. "If you're back to normal," Cisco continued. "I have to know. Why did you leave us?"

Caitlin didn't reply. Cisco knew why she left.

"Okay, I get it, that's fine," Cisco said quickly, holding up his hands. "I'm not gonna make you answer that. But we really could have used you. With Barry still in the Speed Force and everything."

Caitlin looked down, swallowing a little. "I know, Cisco," she said softly. "I've done my research."

"But," Cisco said, leaning forward. "I'm gonna get him out. I need your help."

Caitlin paused her action of squirting alcohol syrup into Cisco's new drink. She looked up, opening her mouth to speak, and saw Norvock coming over to the table. He was a creepy, sleazy looking man with a snake for an eye (hidden behind a fake eyeball), and a partnership with Amunet. Even Frost didn't get along with him.

"Everything okay?" Norvock asked, sliding his gaze from Cisco to Caitlin.

She knew he didn't actually care if she was alright or not. This had to be about... the something else. "Everything's fine," she responded quickly.

"Yeah, everything's great, pal," Cisco said, rolling his eyes. "Do you mind? I'm talking to the lady; I'm sure there's someone else in here you can find to commiserate with over poor life choices."

Caitlin held her breath. When provoked, Norvock could be extremely dangerous. She, as Caitlin, wouldn't try to anger him... though how Frost interacted him with was definitely different.

Norvock gave Cisco a long, unthreatened look and straightened up. He glanced at Caitlin one more time before sauntering away.

"Thank you," Cisco said under his breath. "Look," he continued, looking back up at Caitlin. "I've figured out how to save Barry. But I can't do it without you. You see that Samurai that showed up today?"

Caitlin tried to ignore the fluttering in her chest that felt strangely like hope. "Yes."

"He's threatening to blow up the city," Cisco said. "And we need Barry to stop him. Will you help us out? Please? Caitlin?"

Caitlin's hands stilled on the glass she was cleaning and she let out a soft breath. When she looked back up at Cisco, she smiled. "My shift's over in an hour."

Flash!

Caitlin met up with Cisco in the same place where it had all started: the empty road where Barry had first tested his speed. She remembered it like it had been just a couple days ago; Barry running for the first time, watching him through binoculars and not believing what she was seeing. She remembered him tripping on his own feet and crashing into barrels after an exhilarating couple of seconds. It had been the first of many times to come that she had set one of his broken bones.

She waited until Cisco had explained everything to Wally and Joe. Apparently Iris had taken over as the Team leader and was, for whatever reason, against bringing Barry back. Caitlin didn't quite understand it, but she was sure the other woman had a good reason.

Joe and Wally turned around when she said a soft hello, both of them tensing.

"It's okay!" Cisco said quickly. "She's Caitlin again. Our Caitlin. She's here to help us."

Caitlin swallowed, shifting nervously where she stood. She had been so nervous about this. Not only had she tried to kill Iris and kidnaped Cecil in her time as Killer Frost, but she had worked with Savitar, and she had just left the Team after Barry disappeared. No explanations, no support for the other people who were hurting. She wouldn't be surprised if Joe wanted to shoot her, much less never speak to her again.

Cisco glanced at Wally and Joe. "What do you say?"

Joe shook his head slowly and pointed at Cisco. "You'd better be right about bringing him back."

Cisco grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "I am."

Caitlin took a deep breath as Cisco walked over to the tech set up, approaching the man that she had seen as sort of a surrogate father over the past few years. "Joe... I know I can never make up for the things I did to you... to Cecil... I just hope- that someday... you can forgive me?" Her voice shook a little as she got to the end, and Joe finally smiled at her.

He leaned forward and pulled her into a hug, and Caitlin hugged him back gratefully. When she pulled back, Joe's smile was even wider. "Let's bring everyone home today, okay?"

"You got it," Caitlin said, extremely relieved.

"So..." Wally said. "How are we going to bring Barry back without blowing a hole in the Speed Force?"

"In the spirit of bringing back, we're bringing back old friends!" Cisco announced, whipping a sheet off of what looked like an odd telescope. "May I present... the Speed Force Bazooka. I made a few slight modifications, as Captain Solo would say."

He ran his hand lovingly over the machine and then turned back to the group. "Caitlin and I spent all last night working out some of the kinks, and fine-tuning the quark sphere."

Joe frowned. "What?"

"The quark sphere," Caitlin repeated. "Filled with Barry's genetic marker and programed to track his specific DNA using the electrical current of the Speed Force." She tossed the small, red ball to Wally, who looked it over curiously.

"Once we track Barry and we pull him out," Cisco called over. "The quark sphere will trick the Speed Force into thinking he's still there."

"Hey Wally!" Caitlin called. She had walked over to the tent and was standing behind the computer monitors, ready for action. "Can you put that on the center pylon?"

Wally grinned at her and flashed off. A second later the computer Caitlin was looking at jumped to life, signaling that the quark sphere was in place. "Ready," she reported, feeling a sparking mixture of nerves and excitement and anticipation spike in her blood. It was the most alive that she had felt in months.

"Let's bring our boy home," Cisco murmured, and activated the Bazooka.

"Quark matter scanning electrical current!" Caitlin called over.

A terrific breeze began to blow, sending her hair flying across her face. Caitlin swiped it away, watching with wide eyes as the quark sphere lifted into the air, shaking and glowing.

"Triangulating quark matter on his location!" Caitlin yelled over the noise of the wind, clicking a couple of buttons on her computer. "I've got a lock on something!"

An uncontrollable grin spread across her face. They were doing it. They were actually, truly doing it.

"It's him..." Cisco muttered, then: "IT'S HIM!"

"Now, Cisco!" Caitlin yelled, warmth filling her chest.

The bazooka shot out a ray and formed a giant, swirling breach in the middle of the roadway. Then, suddenly, anticlimactically...

It all vanished.

System failure, the computer read, but Caitlin was barely looking. A crushing, all consuming, weighted disappointment smashed into her chest.

They had failed.

Flash!

"I don't understand..." Cisco murmured. "This should have worked."

Iris had found them outside and immediately gotten angry. Now Cisco, Joe, Wally and Caitlin were all in Cisco's lab.

"Or, you could have killed us all," Iris snapped, glaring at him.

Caitlin tilted her head, suddenly understanding. Iris had seen all the things that had happened with the Speed Force. Savitar had come from it, they had almost lost Wally and Jay to it for good, and it had nearly destroyed their city countless times. Iris, Caitlin realized, was scared. It wasn't that she didn't want Barry back. She just knew that there could be consequences, and she didn't want to have to face them.

Still, Iris was being a bit hard on all of them. All they were doing was trying to get their best friend back. "I don't know, Iris," Caitlin spoke up. "I think we were pretty close."

Iris turned around slowly, glaring at Caitlin. "I'm sorry, 'we'?"

Caitlin frowned, not understanding what she meant.

"Where have you been the last six months, again?" Iris snapped, and Caitlin felt like she had been punched in the gut. She took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself defensively. Maybe Iris was right. She had no right to be here.

Joe defended her before anyone else could say a word. "She was only trying to help," he said, shocked that Iris had been so rude.

"Look, guys, we need to concentrate on stopping this Samurai that's trying to destroy the city, not on Barry," Iris continued, not looking at all remorseful.

"Dude, what is your deal?!" Cisco yelled, spinning around. "It's like you don't even want him back!"

Iris squinted angrily and opened her mouth, but Joe held up his hands. "Hey! Hey hey hey hey," he cried, stoping a full out fight from breaking out. His phone buzzed, and Joe held it to his ear. "Cecil, can I call you back in a minute? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

Then his eyes went wide. "What?"

It took the Team no longer then 3 minutes to get over to the CCPD. They met Cecil in the entryway and followed her at a quick pace to a private room in the hallway. "State police picked him up on route 112, just outside Central City," Cecil reported as she walked across the tile.

"That's 300 miles away," Joe said, bewildered.

"Yeah," Cecil murmured. "But the cops at Keystone recognized him."

Caitlin and Cisco were right behind Joe and Cecil. Caitlin found her hands were trembling as Cisco quietly rejoiced his success. "I knew it would work," he murmured. "I knew it."

Right outside the dark wooden door to one of the briefing rooms, Cecil stopped and took a deep breath. "You should prepare yourselves."

Even that ominous note couldn't stop Caitlin's heart from fluttering with excitement as she stepped into the room.

Barry had to his back to them. He was sitting crosslegged on the floor in a grey t-shirt and jeans that Caitlin didn't recognize, and he had a pencil in his hand. There were drawings all over the room, but as Barry turned slowly around all Caitlin couldn't concentrate on was him.

A smile spread across her face, uncontrollable and bright. "Barry," she whispered, and Barry's eyes locked with hers.

He smiled back, widely, blankly, and Caitlin was about to run to him for a hug when his gaze slipped straight past her shoulder. "Nora shouldn't be here," he said quietly.

Caitlin's heart sank. "Your mother's not here, Barry," she said gently. "It's us. It's me. Caitlin. We- we got you back."

Barry didn't seem to have heard her. "Your honor, I miss him," he murmured. "I didn't do this- I didn't kill anyone." Suddenly he began to yell. "Can you hear the stars?! Singing?! Rhyming-chiming-turning every hour, every minute-" His gaze turned to Joe, who looked shocked. "You said the city was safe! That there was no residual danger. But that's not true! What really happened that night?"

"The city is safe. You saved it. You saved us all," Caitlin said slowly. Something in her was breaking, slowly crumbling as hope rushed out of her for the second time that day. This wasn't their Barry. Something wasn't right.

Barry stepped up to her and Caitlin looked right back at him, eyes wide. He smiled at her, soft and gentle, and her mouth smiled back before her brain could realize how nice it was to see him smiling again.

But then... "Now stars think," Barry whispered. "Like... ice-cream... drain... gleam...mmmm..." he trailed off, rubbing his mouth thoughtfully and moving past her to the other side of the wall.

Caitlin turned with him, unable to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. The entire wall behind them was covered with the same drawings, as was the window.

Barry leaned against it. "Nothing seems..." he mumbled. "Nora shouldn't be here."

Joe leaned over to her. "I'm guessing this isn't just shock?"

Glad to have some real answer for him, Caitlin shook her head. "Shock results from a drop in blood pressure. This is... neurological."

Barry pressed his hand to the wall and then slowly backed up, eyes wide. "It's a- a whole new way of looking at physics!" he proclaimed. "It can change the way that we think about everything. From a single atom... to an entire galaxy."

Suddenly Barry let out a scream and clutched at his head, falling to the ground. Caitlin's hands balled into fists at her sides, aching to do something. She hated this- hated it hated it hated it.

"Stars so loud-" he wailed. "Loud-cloud-proud-" Then his voice trailed back off to a whisper. "We're both okay. We're gonna be fine. I'm just not sure I'm like you, Oliver."

Joe and Caitlin exchanged another glance, and Caitlin nodded. "We need to get him back to STAR Labs, now," she said quietly, and walked over to Barry side. He was back on his feet now, looking fully recovered from his brief mental breakdown.

Ever so gently, Caitlin pulled a tranquilizer pen out of her pocket and pressed it to Barry's arm. It made a soft noise as it depressed, and Barry looked up at her. It seemed that he saw her for the first time, and his eyes filled with confusion and betrayal.

Caitlin rested her hand against his back as he began to fall, the tranq kicking in. Joe caught him easily, but Caitlin kept her hand on Barry.

She couldn't believe that after everything they had been through, this is what she had left.

Flash!

Barry was still unconscious after Caitlin finished her checkup. She came into the side Cortex room with her tablet and a half-hopeful heart, and Joe met her with a worried look. "What's the diagnosis?" he asked. "Does he have brain damage or... something?"

"He's actually scary healthy," Caitlin reported, in full doctor mode. "His neural transmitters are functioning at five times the normal speed."

"Then what's wrong?" Iris asked, frowning.

"I have two theories," Caitlin said, turning around to face her apt audience. "One is that he's suffering from a form of schizophrenia: that's where you assign the wrong definitions to words."

"So, from his perspective, all that nonsense he's saying makes sense," Joe nodded.

"It's too bad we don't have a translator," Wally said.

"No," Cisco said, squinting thoughtfully. "But we can make one."

He led the team out of the room, already putting up pictures of all the symbols Barry had been drawing up onto the monitors. "If his brain's schizophrenic, all these symbols represent words, and he could be sending us a message. We just need the right algorithm to decrypt it."

Iris turned back to Caitlin. "You said you had two theories... what's the other one?"

Caitlin sighed. This was on the one she didn't like. It wasn't solvable, and it drained the last bit of hope that was still clinging on inside of her. But still, Iris deserved an answer. "We know that the Speed Force exists beyond space and time," she said. "To us, Barry was only there for six months. But to him... it could have been ten thousand years. All that time in isolation... it could have caused dementia. That may be all of him that's left."

Iris looked down sadly and Caitlin bit her lip. This was one of the hardest things that she had ever been through. Having Barry so close, but not quite there... it hurt her more then any of that pain in her past had.

"How do we find out which one it is?" Joe asked, breaking the silence.

Caitlin shrugged. "I could... decrease the sedative and wake him up?"

Cisco slowly turned around from his work and started to smile. "I think I've got the perfect song for that."

Flash!

"Are you sure this is appropriate?" Caitlin asked skeptically as Poker Face by Lady Gaga began to blast through the STAR Labs speakers.

She and Cisco were hovered over Barry, and Caitlin was shining a light in his eyes to run a few more pupil checks before he fully woke up and wouldn't look at her.

"Yeah," Cisco said. "It's a good luck charm. It worked last time, remember?"

"He was in a coma. Not another dimension."

"Well, waking up to Gaga shouldn't seem too freaky, then," Cisco said with a grin.

In truth, Caitlin did remember the last they had listened to this song with Barry in the medical bed in front of them. A lot had changed since then.

Like, a lot.

"Hey? Barry..." Cisco said, grinning and waving his twizzler in front of Barry's face. "It's me. Cisco. AKA Vibe. AKA your BFF."

Barry sat up a little and slowly looked around. Caitlin smiled gently at him, resting her hand on his arm. "Hey," she whispered, rubbing her thumb over his skin.

"While you were gone, I made you a new suit," Cisco continued, still trying to act as normal as possible and make Barry feel comfortable and like himself. "You wanna take it out for a spin?"

"Stars write..." Barry whispered, and Caitlin's heart sank.

Barry fell back against the pillows, rocking back and forth and clutching at his head. "Pain..." he mumbled. "Too soon... I think- they're here- no thank you- I'm not hungry."

Suddenly he turned to Caitlin. "He didn't do those things," he said in a heartbreaking voice. "He didn't hurt my mom- I was there that night. There was a man- man- no plan-"

He clutched at his head again and fell forward, grabbing at the edge of the whiteboard. Then the pain seemed to fade and he let out a hysterical laugh. "We're gonna need more diapers."

Caitlin and Cisco exchanged looks, and the latter let out a strained laugh. "Diapers. Right."

Barry spun towards the white board and picked up at a white felt marker. His face turned serious, concentrated, and he began to neatly draw the symbols that had been all over the room in the CCPD.

"You keep drawing," Cisco said supportively. "You keep drawing, buddy. We're gonna figure this out."

Barry rubbed the back of his wrists over his eyes, muttering under his breath. Joe sent Caitlin a worried glance. "Caitlin?"

"I don't know," she murmured, wishing she had more answers. "Do you mind if I... talk to him for a second?"

The rest of the Team nodded and filtered out of the lab. Caitlin took a step towards her fiancé, hands shaking and everything in her aching to run to him and hold him.

"Barry?" she whispered instead, not wanting to overstep her boundaries and scare him in his mentally fragile state. "I don't know if you can hear me, or if you're trying to send us a message or... but I- I just- It's been so hard without you, you know? And I... I'm struggling. Killer Frost... she's still here, and she's still real, and I'm scared Barry. I don't know who to talk to and I just- I need you more then I ever thought I did."

Barry was staring intently at the drawings he had made on the white board, and Caitlin came around to the side of him so she could see his face. "I don't- I don't know what I will do if this is all that's left of you," she admitted. "All that's left of the reckless, amazing, beautiful, incredible Barry that I love."

A tear slid down her cheek and Caitlin wiped it away with the back of her hand. Suddenly unable to resist herself, she rested her head against Barry's shoulder and lightly placed her hands on his arm.

Barry glanced down at her, looking bewildered, before his eyes suddenly flashed red with lightning and he began to vibrate.

"Um... guys?" Caitlin called as Barry suddenly flashed into the Cortex and began to whip around it at alarming speed. Caitlin sprinting out of the lab and toward her own, grabbing a weapon that was still thankfully lying on one of the tables.

Barry continued to whiz around the Cortex, knocking both Joe and Wally to the ground.

"Breach him to the pipeline!" Iris called to Cisco, who had just run into the room.

"He's too fast!" Cisco protested, trying to get a good shot.

Caitlin had reached the entrance of her lab. She squinted, aimed, and shot a quick blast of ice.

Barry crashed to the ground in on a pile ice shards, and Cisco and Iris both glanced up, alarmed.

Caitlin smirked, holding the cold gun in her grasp. "Expecting someone else?"

She thought she saw Iris' eyes flicker with a little bit of guilt, but Caitlin decided that now wasn't the time to read into it.

Joe got to his feet, pointing at Barry. "We need to get him into a containment cell before he does that again."

Caitlin nodded and sighed, and she, Cisco and Joe all worked together to lift Barry off of the ground and bring him towards the pipeline.

Flash!

Iris came up with the brilliant-but-also-stupid idea to send Wally instead of Barry to fight the Samurai. Wally dressed in the Flash suit and vibrated his face and voice, but it was (at least to Caitlin) still easy to tell that he wasn't the real Flash.

The plan didn't work, and Wally ended up back at STAR Labs with his leg injured and seeming very frustrated. Caitlin sighed and got to work fixing him back up. She honestly wasn't sure how Team Flash survived while she was gone.

"He sliced right through your fibula," Caitlin sighed, kneeling by Wally's chair and inspecting her wrapping work on his calf. "If you weren't a speedster, I'd be amputating your leg right now."

Wally swallowed audibly. "How long?"

"I'd give it.. five hours until you're fully healed?"

Joe and Iris exchanged very obvious glances and Wally's face set. "You know what? I'm fine," he said, standing up before crying out in pain and collapsing back into the chair.

"Son, son," Joe cried, hurrying over. "You've done everything you can do. Just... relax."

Caitlin let out another sigh and got up, leaving the Wests and going to find Cisco. He was sitting in his swivel chair in front of his computer, which was running scans on all of the symbols Barry had been drawing.

"Any luck?" Caitlin asked hopefully.

"Well, not yet," Cisco said. "The computer keeps telling me it's random gibberish."

The corners of Caitlin's mouth slid down. "Maybe it is," she murmured, refusing to ignore any possibilities, no matter how much she wanted to.

"No, it's not," Cisco told her firmly. "Barry's trying to send us a message. I know it. I mean, he spent all this time in the Speed Force. Maybe now he knows the answers to life... the universe... and everything."

"So you think all this crazy writing is Barry's way of tellings us that he's now the wisest human being on the planet?"

Cisco chuckled. "Yes, exactly." He paused for a moment, glancing up on her. "Have I mentioned how much I miss having you around?"

Caitlin bit her lip and looked away. There was a semi-awkward silence before Cisco looked down, too. "I'm gonna keep working on this," he mumbled, gesturing to his computer. "You have any ideas?"

"Nope," Caitlins shrugged. "It's all Greek to me."

Cisco looked up, eyes going wide. "Great Caesar's Ghost..." he breathed. "This analysis is based on mono-alphabetic substitutions. But what if it's poly-alphabetic? Like Greek. Like, the symbols are a unique alphabet!"

Intrigued by this new possibility, Caitlin came around the side of Cisco's desk and watched as he changed the algorithm on his computer.

"YES!" Cisco cried, adding another exclamation in Greek in the same voice and grinning madly.

"What is it?" Iris asked, running in from the hallway.

"Cisco figured it out!" Caitlin beamed excitedly. "He figured out how to crack Barry's code."

"What does it say?"

"Hold on hold on hold on..." Cisco muttered, snapping his fingers at his computer. "It's loading... come on..."

A soft beep made Caitlin's heart clench suddenly. This could be the answer. This could be the solution to all of their problems.

Four words spread across the screen and Cisco sucked in a breath. "And it says... This house... is... bitchin'..."

His voice trailed off and Caitlin frowned. If this hadn't been so disappointing it would have been funny. "That does not sound like Barry."

"No, no it doesn't," Cisco said, disappointed. "It's 'cause it's not."

He shut down the algorithm and abruptly left the room.

After a long moment, Iris turned to Caitlin. "Caitlin... this might sound crazy, but I just had an idea."

Caitlin tilted her head. "What?"

"The Samurai wants the Flash, right?" Iris asked. "And he's going to destroy the city if the Flash doesn't show up in..." Iris checked her watch. "An hour. My dad is setting up a line of cops to try and fight him at the location he gave to meet Barry, but if the Samurai can defeat Kid Flash he can easily defeat a bunch of cops."

"Right..." Caitlin said, unsure as to how this was a plan. It seemed like a bunch of recap to her. Almost like Iris was trying to get the readers to know exactly what was going as quickly as possible.

Whoops, I've been exposed.

"Okay, so, what if we can convince the Samurai that if he does something, the Flash will definitely show up?" Iris continued. She was starting to sound more and more vague, and Caitlin was getting more and more confused.

"Iris, what exactly is your idea?" Caitlin sighed. She really didn't have the patience for this today, especially after Iris had been so harsh to her earlier that morning.

"Get him to kidnap you."

"What?!"

"Get him to kidnap you," Iris repeated.

Caitlin gave her a hurt look. "Iris, I know that you're mad at me. I get it- I really do. I worked with the man that tried to kill you-"

"No, Caitlin, this isn't about that!" Iris cried. "I forgive you for all of that. Today.. what I said this morning... I was just frustrated, and I took it out on you. This is something completely different. Barry will come for you. He always has and he always will."

"I don't understand..." Caitlin murmured.

Iris let out a sigh and rubbed her hands through her hair. "If Barry thinks that you are in danger, no matter how messed up his mind is, he will come through for you. You know he will."

"So you want me to get the Samurai to kidnap me so that the Barry we know will awaken and defeat him?" Caitlin asked slowly. "That... might actually work."

Iris nodded anxiously. "Okay," she said shortly, not wasting time on needless conversations. "Then you better get over there and figure out how you're going to do this."

Flash!

Approximately an hour and 11 minutes later, Joe came sprinting into the Cortex. "The Samurai," he panted. "He's got Caitlin. She gave herself up."

"What?!" Cisco yelled, jolting to his feet. "Why would she do that?"

Iris took a deep breath and composed her face. If this got Caitlin hurt, or worse... she wasn't sure how she would be able to face Barry or Cisco or even Joe ever again.

"How do we get her back?" Cisco continued, expression mixing between angry and terrified.

But Joe's eyes had fallen on the video monitor of Barry's cell in the Pipeline. His brow furrowed a moment before he held up his finger and rushed back out of the Cortex. He didn't pause to even catch the elevator, just sprinting down two flights of steps and raced to the Pipeline.

Barry's cell was already in front, ready for visitors.

"Barry!" Joe yelled. "Caitlin is in trouble. She needs your help!"

Barry was ranting madly to himself, hands clutching his hair and gripping his now clean-shaven cheeks. There was writing all over the cell of the Pipeline, and the white felt-tipped marker was still held in his grasp.

"Please, son," Joe murmured, hoping against all hope that this would work. "Please! I wanna help you. And after all of this I will. But now she needs our help, or she's gonna die!"

His voice caught and he gripped the edge of the cell, praying to everything holy that he could get Barry to listen to him.

Barry was still scribbling on the walls, and Joe slammed his fist against the glass. "Barry, did you hear what I said?! Caitlin is gonna die!"

Before Joe knew what was happening, the Pipeline cell had exploded as a flash of lightning went straight through the glass. Joe ran from the Pipeline up to Cisco's lab.

"Barry's gone," he reported.

Wally, Iris and Cisco were all staring at the empty body of the mannequin, the sheet that had just been draped over it crumpled on the floor.

"You know what else is gone?" Cisco asked, excitement rising in his voice. "The new suit."

They all hurried up to the Cortex, Iris supporting her brother. Team Flash's leader gave Cisco a worried look. "What's happening?"

Cisco was positively beaming as he watched Barry's tracker blip across the screen.

"The Flash is BACK!"

Flash!

Halfway across the city, Barry felt his head start to clear. All of the strange, jumbled mess that had been inside of it filtered away, and as he ran there was truly only one thing on his mind.

Caitlin.

He tracked the Samurai through the city and outside of its boarders, running faster than he ever had before. He could just barely spot Caitlin and her captor in the air, like a very large bird, or a very small plane.

It was then that they realized that they were headed straight for the windmills.

Not sure quite how he was doing it, Barry ran even faster. Even with the crazy head-start the Samurai had gotten, he started to gain. Faster and faster, until he could actually make out Caitlin on the Samurai's back.

Caitlin saw him, too. She lifted her head, eyes wide with amazement at the fact that Iris' plan had actually worked. She stopped herself right before she started to let hope back in. There was no way to know if this was her Barry.

But she could feel it. In some place she couldn't quite name, she could feel that this was her Barry Allen, back from the dead.

The Samurai pulled out his sword and sent an energy blast towards Barry and one of the windmills. Barry skidded to stop and turned in time to see the entire windmill lean. It let out the huge, squeaky, deafening groan of bending metal and toppled over. Around him, the other windmills were doing the same.

Barry started to run again, dodging the falling machines and keeping his eyes on Caitlin.

A windmill right in front of him started to fall and Barry gritted his teeth. He raced up it's side, trying not to notice the dangerously spinning blades that were feet from him, and leaped off of the machine onto the Samurai's back.

Then he grabbed Caitlin and launched himself off again, using another falling windmill to run back down to the ground.

Barry came to a stop with Caitlin bridal-style in his arms. He set her down, and both of them turned their eyes from the falling Samurai (which had been hit by one of the windmills' blades and crash landed somewhere in the grass) before looking back at each other.

Barry forced himself away, however, needing to make sure the threat had been taken care of. He strode towards the Samurai and ripped off it's mask.

All that was there were some smoking wires.

"Flash..." a raspy, computerized voice said. "Welcome home."

Barry stared at it in confusion for a moment, until a voice broke through his thoughts.

"Barry?" Caitlin said. Her voice was hesitant, concerned, and halfway to overjoyed.

Barry pulled off his cowl, and grin spreading across his face, and turned around.

Caitlin wasn't sure quite she saw, but someone on his face assured her that it was really him. The real him.

She threw herself into his arms and kissed him. Barry kissed her back, fingers winding into her hair as her arms wrapped around his neck. Warmth filled every part of Caitlin, until her toes were tingling and she felt lightheaded.

This was living.

Flash!

It took them a little while, but Barry and Caitlin finally arrived back in the Speed Force. Their hands were locked together, and Cisco took one look at them and grabbed both of his best friends in a hug.

Caitlin and Barry hugged him back, tightly, and for a moment the three of them just stood in the middle of the Cortex hugging and mostly trying not to cry, just like they had after Caitlin had escaped from Zoom.

It was really good to be home.

After the three of them broke apart and Barry was passed around for more hugs from all the members of the Team, Caitlin dragged her fiancé into her lab. "You. Sit," she commanded, and Barry complied with a laugh.

She was impressed with her results. "Your pupils are normally dilated, and your vitals are amazing. You're in perfect health, even for you. I'd like a urine sample, just to confirm, but everything looks great."

Cisco snorted softly. "Man, you love urine."

Caitlin glanced up from her tablet and looked over her shoulder, giving him a weird look.

"I mean, you love the testing of the urine- the testing.. you know what I meant." Cisco elaborated quickly, looking chagrined.

Caitlin sighed and shook her head in mock-disapproval. "Why do you have to ruin science?"

Barry looked up at her, smiling softly. "It's good to have you back," he murmured. Caitlin wasn't quite sure how he knew that she hadn't been here over the past few months, but somehow he could just tell.

She smiled back at him, lightly cupping his cheek with her hand for a moment. "Right back at ya."

"It's good to have you back," Joe agreed, walking over to Barry and pulling him into a one-armed hug. "How do you feel?"

"I feel great," Barry said. It was the most smily Caitlin had seen him in a long time, and it made her happy. "Yeah, I feel incredible. I don't know... it's like... I've been reborn."

"Well okay, Speedy-Jesus," Cisco snarked, and Barry grinned.

"But seriously," Wally put in, holding up a hand. "I mean, it hurts me to admit it, but you may be the fastest speedster ever."

"I mean, you were in the Speed Force for six months, maybe you were soaking up it's energy?" Caitlin suggested, shrugging.

"Maybe?" Barry mirrored her shrug and changed the subject. "How was everything while I was gone?"

Caitlin winced and looked down. That was a question she would answer when she was finally alone with the love of her life.

Wally, on the other hand, grinned widely. "Oh, yeah, it was really cool," he said tactlessly. "I mean, Team Kid Flash had everything under control, so..."

Barry raised his eyebrows, and the rest of the Team that had been around all muttered different versions of "That's not our name."

"Still, we have some mysteries left to solve," Cisco said, changing the subject again. "Like our flying Samurai robot. Android Samurai. Samuroid. OH HO HO!" He snapped his fingers triumphantly at the success of his name. "We back, baby!"

Joe chuckled, but Iris squinted at the metal head that was resting on the table. "Yeah, someone created this, and it must be for a reason."

"Does the phrase 'This House is Bitchin' ' mean anything to you?" Cisco asked Barry thoughtfully.

Barry's face scrunched adorably. "No..." he said, looking around at the rest of the Team with a still somehow happy looking confused-face. "Should it?"

Cisco huffed a laugh. "No. Just know that while you were in your Beautiful Mind phase you were talking straight up nonsense."

"I don't remember any of that," Barry said honestly. "Last thing I remember was going into the Speed Force with my mom and then saving Cait."

"So how'd you know Caitlin was in trouble?" Joe asked.

Once again, Barry just plain looked happy. "I don't know," he responded with a shrug.

Caitlin peered curiously at him. There wasn't a single shred of the darkness that had invaded his features since his dad died. There wasn't that weighty look in the lines of his forehead or the slight down-curve of his lips. He looked younger then he had in a long time, and just so happy. It made her smile.

Barry turned to Cisco. "Well, thanks for bringing me home."

Cisco grinned and the two of them hugged again. "You are very welcome."

Iris nodded at him. "And thanks for believing in him when I was too scared to," she said quietly.

Cisco nodded, smiling softly at her. "See you tomorrow, boss."

"Yeah," Iris murmured, giving him one last look and leaving the room.

Cisco approached Caitlin as she was putting on her coat, Barry waiting for her in the corner. "I know we left some questions unanswered, but I have to know," he said seriously to her. "Are we gonna see you tomorrow?"

Caitlin straightened her leather jacket and tucked her hair behind her ears, sending him a smile. "Yeah, you will."

Cisco nodded, looking pleased, and watched as Barry tucked her under his arm and they walked out together.

"We back, baby," Cisco murmured under his breath, and finally everything was just as it should be.

Flash!

Caitlin and Barry stood together outside of STAR Labs, watching the sunset. "I'd, uh, love to go home," Barry said awkwardly. "But... I don't know if I even have a home to go back to?"

Caitlin had to smile at his adorkableness. "Joe, Wally, Cisco and Iris all took turns keeping up your apartment while you were gone," she told him. "It's still there, waiting for you in case you came back."

"What about you?" Barry said softly.

"I..." Caitlin bit her lip and looked away. "Well, um... I'm working at a bar. Worked at a bar. I'm going to quit tomorrow morning before heading to STAR Labs."

Barry tilted his head, watching her. "You left Team Flash?"

There wasn't any judgement in his voice, but Caitlin wrapped her arms around herself defensively. "Look," she said, voice cracking a little. "When I said I would come back it was so that we could help each other heal. With you... with you gone, there was no one that I felt like I could talk to. I just couldn't do it, okay? Each and every day was a reminder that you were gone, and being at STAR Labs, trying to act like everything was fine, was just making it worse. So yes, I- I left, and I got a new apartment and a new job and a new-"

"Wardrobe?"

Caitlin glanced up from the ground in surprise. Was he... joking?

Barry smiled down at her, his eyes filled with love. "Whatever you had to do to get yourself through the last few months, I understand. It was what you needed to do. But now... Caitlin, I'm back, and I'm here, and I'm not going away ever again."

Caitlin tilted her head, tears sparkling on her eyelashes.

Barry stepped forward, gently grasping her upper arms and making sure she was looking at her. "I don't know.. maybe this was a good thing."

"You being gone for six months?" Caitlin clarified incredulously.

Barry shrugged, eyes still holding the same joyful light. "I don't know- how I feel- it's hard to explain. It's like all the pain from my past... everything that's been weighing me down... it's all gone. All I see is you and us and our future and everything that we can have. I'm ready for all of that with you."

Caitlin nodded, licking her lips. Barry pulled her into a hug and she hugged him back gratefully. She wasn't sure if being able to hug him would ever get old now that she had been without it for so long.

"Do you want to head home?" Barry asked softly, pulling back.

Caitlin nodded. No words had to be exchanged for them to know that they were both going back to Barry's place.

Barry swept Caitlin up into his arms and began to run. Caitlin shut her eyes and rested her cheek against Barry's shoulder, having forgotten how dizzying moving at super speed was when you weren't doing the actual running.

She opened her eyes as she felt the air current around her slow, and Barry set her down.

"It should be unlocked," Caitlin said softly, watching him stare blankly at the door and realizing he didn't have a key. "They knew you were coming back today."

"Convenient," Barry said with another one of his new, bright side-smiles. He turned the handle and the two of them walked inside.

Nothing had really changed since they had left. The couch was the same, with two cushions resting on either end. The coffee table still had water rings from so many forgotten glasses without coasters, and no one had gotten hooks for the curtains to hang on while they were open yet. The rug had the same odd pattern and the kitchen table was clean except for a couple appliances. The dishwasher was open like someone had recently emptied it, and the framed photograph of Caitlin and Barry that Cisco had taken was still resting on the side table in the living room.

Caitlin felt tears brim in her eyes, but these were the happy kind. She hung her leather jacket over the hook next to the door, and Barry did the same with his coat, looking around.

He glanced at her, and his soft smile turned into a full-out grin. "I like your new style."

"Pardon?" Caitlin asked, glancing down at herself. "Oh! Oh, the clothes. Um, thanks. They fit in better at the bar I worked at than dressing like... well-"

"Like a high school principal?" Barry finished with a laugh.

"Yes, that," Caitlin agreed, laughing too.

The two of them went further into the apartment and Caitlin let out a long sigh. "You probably want to sleep."

"I feel like I've been sleeping for months," Barry admitted, sitting down on the couch. "What I want to do now is talk. Tell me everything, Cait. All the good parts, and the bad parts, and the exciting parts and the boring parts and all the stories from the bar, and what you had for dinner every night-"

"For six months?!" Caitlin asked incredulously. "I don't even remember what I had for dinner last week."

Barry laughed. "Me neither," he admitted. "Though I kind of doubt I ate in the Speed Force."

Caitlin peered at him curiously. "Interesting... I wonder if your body was in a sort of balanced state? Like how the idea of freezing someone can help them resist bodily degeneration, hunger, sickness, age, all of that. It would explain why it looks like you haven't aged at all even though it's been half a year."

Barry gave her a loving look and Caitlin blushed, suddenly self conscious. "What?"

"You," he said simply, pulling her down to kiss her. "I forgot how much I love you, I guess."

A warm glow tingled in Caitlin's chest and she bit her lip happily. Barry slung his arm around her and she tucked her knees up on the couch, leaning against his chest. It was incredibly nice to be close to him again.

"What has been the best part of your last six months?" Barry asked quietly, tracing distracting circles on the exposed skin of her hip.

"Mmm..." Caitlin mumbled, feeling her eyes shut and her body start to yell at her to let it sleep. She had pulled an all-nighter last night, and the day hadn't exactly been emotionally relaxing. "I... liked working at the bar..."

"Did you?" Barry asked, sounding surprised.

"Mhm. I liked mixing drinks and listening to people's conversations. I saw at least twenty breakups and quite a few movie-caliber kisses. One time two people were kissing so much that they actually fell of their stools."

Barry snorted with laughter. "Sounds like you had an interesting time."

"That's one way to describe it," Caitlin murmured. She snuggled closer to Barry and wrapped an arm around his waste.

"You should get some sleep," Barry whispered, pressing his lips to her hair.

" 'm fine here," Caitlin mumbled. "Let's just sleep here tonight."

He shifted them so they were laying down, curled together on the couch.

Caitlin was asleep within minutes, surrounded by the warmth of Barry's arms and the knowledge that he was finally home.

Author's Note: AHHHH I LOVE SEASON PREMIERSSSS!

There are SO MANY episodes in Season 4 that I am excited to write! Let me know what you are excited for in the comments :)