Barry silently walked into the main room of S.T.A.R. Labs. He knew Caitlin was there. She always was after days like this. He wanted to check on her, and though he would never admit it out loud, he needed the comfort she usually procured him. He saw her in the corner of the room, curled on the floor, silent tears rolling down her cheeks, sniffling every few seconds.

She stayed silent when he sat next to her and barely looked at him. He didn't say anything, waiting for her to give him the go-ahead to either talk or leave.

"How do you do it?" she asked suddenly.

"Do what?"

"How do you keep going when the worst has already happened?
How do you get out of bed each and every morning knowing you won't get to see your loved one that day? Or any other day for that matter, ever again.
How do you find the strength to do easy everyday stuff?
How do you still smile when there's nothing left that makes you happy?
How do you hold the tears back when all you see is misfortune?
How do you keep going when you don't have anything to keep you going? When you don't want to keep going?
How do..."

She choked on her tears, and she hated herself for sounding so weak and needy. But she couldn't help herself. Just when she was finally starting to move on, she saw Ronnie and found a glimmer of hope, only to have it cruelly ripped away from her.

"Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torment of man."
"Nietzsche."
"Yeah."

What was worse than her not being able to be with him was him not remembering her.

Barry hugged her tightly then started rubbing her back in small circles. That's what people had done to him when his mother had died. When people he didn't know had offered him their condolences. Those movements hadn't soothed him, and he hadn't understood why people did them. He still didn't. But maybe they just didn't work on him. Maybe they would work on her. He would try anything to get her to feel better.

He waited for her to break the hug, and she did...eventually. But he didn't mind the long contact or the smell of her soft hair or her small hands on his back hanging on to him for dear life. He didn't mind that her tears, mixed with mascara, were leaving a stain on his favourite T-shirt. He didn't mind having Caitlin Snow in his arms.

He looked at her in the eyes. He stared at those beautiful light brown eyes of hers, and for a moment, he lost himself, forgot what her question was. He could see her pain, he could see her screeching torn soul, he could see her battered heart in her eyes. And he was sure she could see the same in his.

"I think of you," he simply said.
"What do you mean?"
"I keep going because I think of you. I wake up every morning and keep fighting the good fight to honor my mum and to see you. To see your smile and hear your laugh. And your scolding, of course," he added, nudging her on her elbow. That earned him a small smile, and he could've sworn it was the most beautiful thing he had seen in a long time.

"Now what?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know... let's just get out of here."

She nodded and smiled again. Her eyes lit up, and they seemed to push away the troopers sent by the night, brightening up the whole messed up day. As soon as they were outside S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry stopped in his tracks. Caitlin stopped two steps ahead of him and turned to face him. She noticed him staring at her chest.

"What?" Her tone was both amused and puzzled.
"My heart beats faster than yours. And I mean by A LOT."
"So? That's already been established months ago." This was definitely the strangest moment of the strangest day of her life so far.
"So that means that I can - and I do - love you more than you could," he said showing his dimpled, adorable smile.