Disclaimer: No, I don't anything related to "The Flash", although that should really be obvious to you guys.

A/N: Yes, this is related to episode 12, "Crazy For You." Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I hope you all keep enjoying.

Chapter 6: Karaoke Night

Caitlin's eyes hovered over the microscope, but her mind was far from work. That was an unusual situation, to say the least, but it was justified. Things with Barry had recently been-well, awkward, although that seemed to be mostly from her side as Barry seemed content to act like nothing had happened at all. She still couldn't get over the fact that they had almost kissed, and how his hot breath had felt electrifying on her skin-there she went again! Caitlin groaned, dipping her head into her hands. What had she gotten herself into now?

Okay, she better line up all the facts. Given the circumstances, and how Barry had been acting around her recently-the little glances and lingering, longer-than-uaual touches, it was most likely that Barry Allen had a crush on her. Was she attracted to him too? She would be lying if she said she wasn't. Could she really be blamed for liking a guy who understood her, never judged her, always stood by her, saved her life, and above all, taught her how to smile again?

Conclusion: She had a crush on him too. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening, but now that it was, she needed to be certain of Barry's feelings before doing anything. That seemed like a good plan. Caitlin Snow loved a good plan-she had her college research topic planned out in eighth grade, duh.

"Yeah, that's right baby. I rock." Her musings were interrupted by the excited cry of Cisco as he entered the lab, holding a magazine to his chest and smiling broadly. "Too easy, should have been more of a challenge."

"What are you doing?" She enquired.

"Oh nothing much. Just testing out my general trivia of the world at large." He smiled broadly, "But these were really too easy. Who wouldn't know the name of the Disney movie featuring Elsa and Anna?"

There was silence. Stunned, Cisco looked at her, "Caitlin...?"

"Umm, Freeze?" She tried out hopefully.

"NO, 'Frozen'." Cisco yelled, almost hysterically. "Caitlin, how can you not know about this movie? It's a crime against humanity. Don't you have a life outside the Lab?"

Caitlin bristled a bit at his comment, but before she could speak again, there was a rush of wind as the familiar scarlet figure came rushing inside the Lab, inadvertently messing up her hair again. "Barry." She was about to scold him, when she realised something was wrong with him-the scarlet around his shoulders were not that of the suit, but of blood. She immediately rushed into action, "Oh my god, what happened to you?" All awkwardness was forgotten-for now.

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Caitlin was relieved that Barry's injury wasn't as serious as it looked at first glance, but she was still mad at him for getting hurt in the first place. "You're lucky the bullet barely broke the skin." She informed him in a clipped tone.

"Guess I'm a lot faster than a speeding bullet." Barry winked at her, causing her to blush. 'Ugh, stupid hormones. Pull yourself together, Caitlin. Weren't you mad at Barry right now?'

"How did to manage to run this far anyway with the injury?"

"The thought of a certain pretty scientist, and what she would do to me if I was terminally injured again, kept me going." The sincerity was there, but coupled with that annoying smirk which she longed to wipe from his face; presumably by the use of her own lips...

She must have zoned out again as she noticed Barry looking at her curiously, "Something bothering you?"

'Yes, you are.' "Why would you ask that?"

"You're doing that biting your lower lip thing that you do when something's bothering you."

The fact that he noticed such minute details about her shouldn't have mattered much, but damn it, it did. "It's just that Cisco says I don't have a life." She quipped, referring to their earlier conversation.

Barry shook his head good-humouredly, "You don't...do you?"

Caitlin immediately protested, "I do. I read, I cook...and I eat...and sleep...and I help you", trailing off towards the end.

"So basically you are saying that you do everything that has nothing to do with having a life."

She huffed, "You don't have to be rude about it."

"Hey, I'm not doing any better. My social life consists of running at superhuman speeds and Netflix."

Caitlin's lower lips twisted in a half-smile, "We're quite the pair, Mr. Allen."

Maybe she imagined it, but it seemed like Barry's eyes darkened for a fraction of a second at her words, "Yes we are Dr. Snow."

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Barry looked up from his glass of wine to greet her when his breath caught in his throat. Who was he looking at?

She was Caitlin-but she was also not Caitlin. She was not the shy little scientist he was accustomed to seeing-instead she was dressed in a black dress that hugged her curves perfectly, with just enough skin to send his mind into overdrive. Granted, he had seen her outside office clothes before, but the moments were so rare, that he still felt his breath hitch at the sight of this sexy goddess. When he had asked her about the haunts of their latest metahuman/human pair and she had acquiesced to join him, he had not really expected that he was in for such a treat.

"What?" Caitlin asked him, a little self-conscious under his gaze.

"What?" Barry repeated, a little dumbly, before seeming to understand the meaning of the question, "Oh, nothing. It's just that-you look really nice."

She smiled, sitting down beside him, "I don't always dress like a high school principal."

"Yeah, I can see that." Barry muttered under his breath and before she could catch him, he quickly added, "So this is where Clay Parker and Shawna Baez used to hang out?"

"It is, according to the files." She paused, before adding, "I thought we could kill two birds with one stone-look for them and get ourselves back out there."

A flash of something akin to jealousy sparked in Barry's eyes before he smiled,"Well I am certain that you will not have any problem attracting attention tonight."

She wanted to scream at him, "Why are you so dense? There is just one man whose attentions I want to capture tonight" but she settled for raising Barry's glass and smiling, "Well, here's to liquid courage" before starting to drain it. She needed a drink to deal with this endearingly frustrating speedster.

"Wow...that is very fast." Barry muttered, as he watched Caitlin finish off the glass. "Drank all of it." He noted.

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"Excuse me, can I get some water?" Barry tried in vain to catch the attention of the man behind the counter. While he didn't need it, Caitlin certainly did. She had been drinking...a lot. "Yo?" Failure again. "For real?" He complained.

"Mr. Barry Allen..." The voice was slurred and muffled, but he would recognize it anywhere. He looked up at the stage with some trepidation to realize that Caitlin had somehow decided it was a splendid idea to get on the stage and sing. "Come on down...or up? Come up here with me."

"Oh no." Barry adamantly shook his head.

"Come on. Barry, Barry, Barry..." she started chanting as the call was soon taken up by the crowd, causing him to shake his head as he moved towards her, "Ooh, look at him go he's so fast...Ssh." She quieted herself as Barry reached the stage beside her. "You know I'm not much of a singer...and you're not much of a drinker." He wryly commented.

"We're going to bring this place down." Caitlin slurred. "Get ready." She commented, and as the lyrics floated on screen ,she began:

"Summer lovin', had me a blast,

Summer lovin', happened so fast..."

It was completely out of tune, and the assorted people were all chuckling, but Caitlin didn't seem to mind. Her eyes were closed, almost lost in the music, and she looked absolutely radiant...as if she didn't have a care in the world. A smile hung loosely in the corners of her mouth, and Barry struggled to identify her with the scientist "who didn't smile much". It was such a new sight, seeing her so serene and carefree, that Barry felt privileged that he was the one who got to see this side of her. Suddenly an image of holding Caitlin's hand, making her laugh at something he had said, and strolling through the park on a windswept day flashed across his mindscape. He smiled fondly at the thought before joining in the song, "I met a girl, crazy for me..."

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"You're fast and you can sing? What can't you do?" Caitlin asked Barry, a little incredulously.

"Stopping you from drinking, apparently."

She picked up another glass and made a face, "I'm not even sure that was mine." She paused, "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Okay." Barry nodded. He faced the man behind the counter again, "Excuse me, I would like to close our tab." As before, the man was ignoring him before suddenly another girl spoke up on his behalf, "Roy, can our friend here tap out?"

"Sure Linda." Came the quick reply.

"Wow, thanks." Barry expressed his gratitude.

"No problem, Barry."

"How did you know my name?"

"Barry, Barry, Barry..." she chanted, rolling her eyes.

"Right."

There was a pause before she asked, "The girl on the stage-Is she your girlfriend?"

"Um, no-she's just a friend." Barry muttered.

"But you would like her to be?" At Barry's shocked look, she smiled, "It really was obvious from the way you looked at her while singing." She paused before quickly scribbling down something on a piece of paper and handing it over to him, "There, you have my number. Feel free to give me a call if things don't work out between you two."

"Ah, okay?" Barry muttered a little awkwardly. He was relieved to notice that Caitlin was returning, but wait a second-she didn't look okay. As if to confirm his suspicions, she pleaded, "Barry...I don't feel good."

"Okay." In a rush of speed, they were miles from the bar, Barry holding Caitlin's hair up as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the ground.

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"Are we still running?" Caitlin muttered weakly as they reached her apartment.

"No, we are here." Barry informed her.

"Vodka and super-speed. Not a good combination." She proclaimed. "So, are you going to call her?"

"Who?"

"The girl...who gave you her number."

"I haven't really thought about it."

"Yes you have. But I know you-you won't. You'll let her slip right through your fingers because you think you don't deserve happiness." Her tone was both soft and teasing, and for a moment Barry wondered-was she talking about Linda or rather...herself? Was it a signal for him to get off his ass and ask her out-the very thing he was dying to do?

"It's just that..." Barry started before nearly choking as Caitlin shamelessly started stripping right in front of his eyes. He stood mesmerized, as more skin was unveiled to him before coming in terms with reality and hurriedly turning back-he was a gentleman after all. 'You shouldn't look You shouldn't look You shouldn't look' He chanted in his head, but found himself turning back anyway-'Dear God, was that lace?' He snapped back again.

"A little help please." Caitlin begged, giving up on her futile quest to relieve herself of her dress. Barry turned to look at her-so delightfully tussled and so fucking beautiful.

'She wants us to strip her. YES.' A part of Barry's mind cheered.

'No, she wants us to re-dress her and get her ready for bed-in the proper way! There's a world of difference. Remember that and keep your hands to yourself, and you will be fine.' The more logical part countered. That was sound advice, now if he could only follow that...

He sped up. There were her night clothes. He raced behind her, drinking in the sight in front of him. If there was a perk to his abilities, it was the fact that he could make moments like these seem everlasting. He reached for the clasp of her bra and snap, it was undone. The close proximity was tantalizing, her scent intoxicating, an unique combination of tequila, perfume and something definitely...Caitlin. She smelled like...home.

'You mustn't ogle your friend...not yet anyway'. The snarky voice in his head was back. Barry shook his head and completed his task, managing to limit himself to only two glances-well maybe five because her body was so...delicious. "Done." He concluded.

"There you go again...saving me from that evil dress." Caitlin commented, before looking at him with an accusatory glance, "Did you sneak a peek...at my goods?"

'Ouch. Okay Barry, you are a terrible liar, so say something neutral.' "I wouldn't be much of a hero if I did."

"Yeah...but it's okay if you peeked a little. You deserve a peek for all the good stuff you do." It was as if she was purposely teasing him, driving him to the brink. The tension was escalating-one more push, and he would be undone. "Drink lots of water." He croaked out, somehow still managing to smile platonically (at least he hoped that he was not openly leering at her.)

Barry was about to leave when he felt Caitlin tugging at his arms. "Hey, Barry-will you stay with me till I fall asleep?" She asked in a small voice, suddenly looking vulnerable and afraid.

"Sure, yeah." And that is how Barry found himself a little while later, rubbing circles on Caitlin's back with a goofy smile on his face as she went into a peaceful repose. Looking at her, so peaceful and serene, Barry felt an overwhelming urge to always see her like that. It was not a ground-breaking revelation for Barry to realize that he just didn't like Caitlin-not anymore. He was falling in love with her, and if tonight was any indication, she liked him back too. Maybe life was finally turning out to be good for him.

Barry rose up to find a glass of water-Caitlin would certainly need it when she woke up, hung-over. When he tried to find a place to put it in, his eyes fell on her nightstand, and he suddenly froze.

There was a picture of 'The Burning Man', as Iris had named him, and all the assorted news about him. However, Barry knew that all his other friends at S.T.A.R. Labs, and most importantly, Caitlin herself believed him to be her 'dead' fiancée, Ronnie Raymond. If Barry had been thinking rationally, he would have realized it was nothing unusual for her to search for him-he himself would be crazy trying to figure out everything about Iris, or any of his friends for that mtter, if anything ever happened to them, but at that moment, seeing the picture came across as a solid blow to his guts.

To Barry, it was a clear indication that Caitlin was still truly in love with Ronnie-maybe he had been reading too much into tonight, or maybe Caitlin was just a really touchy-feely person after drinking too much, but it didn't matter-she didn't feel the same way as he did-and he knew better than to be in another unrequited relationship. He shook his head sadly before speeding out of the apartment.

Maybe Oliver was right. Guys like him didn't get the girl after all.

A/N 2: Um...not certain what happened with the chapter, it seemed to write itself. I really didn't want to put the last bit in, but it stuck. I need to hear your opinions-should the conflict be increased or quickly resolved? Please let me know.