"Barry, are you okay?" He heard a feminine voice ask softly. Barry turned around, seeing the face of Caitlin Snow looking concernedly at him. Her warm winter coat and knit hat were indicative of the fact that she was getting ready to leave. He sighed deeply. "Sorry, that was a dumb question; of course you're not okay."

"It's fine, Caitlin, thanks for asking," The speedster responded with a half-smile that disappeared seconds after it formed. Caitlin wished she could do something to make his smile come back. Ever since he had been defeated by the man in yellow, Barry had been much more tense and nervous. The wise-cracks and grins and all the things he did that brightened up her days were replaced by an eerily quiet and humorless hero who spent days on end running on that stupid treadmill, just trying to be fast enough to face his nemesis again. Caitlin missed her Barry.

"It's getting late; don't you think you should head home to Joe and Iris?" She asked, sitting next to him on the treadmill. He shrugged in response.

"They know I'm gonna be working late. I can't go home, I need to get faster," Barry said, standing up and stretching. Before he could start up the machine, Caitlin got up and grabbed his arm.

"Barry, do you not know what day it is?" She asked, giving him an incredulous look. He stared back blankly, trying to ignore the distinct tingling he felt from her fingers around his forearm. "Barry, it's Christmas Eve! You're gonna miss the party!"

"Oh," He responded, barely seeming to care. "I'm sorry, but I-" Caitlin would not allow him to think of some ridiculous excuse.

"Christmas, Barry. You're going to miss Christmas for the man in yellow?" She asked, retracting her hand and crossing her arms. She had wanted to confront him about his behavior for a while, and she figured she had found her opportunity.

"Look I know how important Christmas is, but I can't waste this opportunity. We don't know when he'll be back. This could be the only time I have to get faster," Barry retaliated. Caitlin sighed in frustration, rubbing her temples.

"By doing this you're letting him win," She said curtly. He gave her a confused look. "He wants to destroy you. He wants you to suffer. He wants you to lose everything. And you're letting him."

"Caitlin, I'm not letting him win, I'm trying to stop him," Barry responded defensively, crossing his arms. Her face softened up, sadness visible on her features.

"Y'know, I missthe friend who would crack jokes to lighten the mood in a serious situation," She interjected. Barry looked down. "I miss the friend who was always optimistic regardless of the situation," She stepped closer. "I miss the kind friend who would always make me feel better when I was feeling down. I miss…" She paused for a moment, deciding whether or not it was a good idea to say what had just come into her head. "I miss the person who I thought was going to ask me out. The one who I was actually starting to fall for too," He froze. She was falling for me, too? Oh my gosh what have I done? "I miss you, Barry."

Realization struck the speedster much like the lightning bolt that had granted him his powers. He looked up at Caitlin, their faces merely inches apart now, seeing the hurt in her eyes and feeling guilty. Barry finally realized that, in all his training to beat the reverse flash, he had forgotten what made him, well, him. He was always tense, never smiling, never joking. He had lost himself. "Honestly, all I want for Christmas is to have you back, Barry. Even for just a day."

"Caitlin-" Barry started to say something, but Caitlin held her hand up to stop him.

"You don't need to justify it. I'm going to go to your family's Christmas party. I really do hope you get faster, and that it's worth it," She said quietly, turning around and walking towards the door. If she was being honest with herself, that was a total lie. What she actually going to do was go home and sulk around for a while, much like Barry had been doing at STAR Labs, and then crack open a bottle of red wine and down it in about 10 minutes. After it was empty, she would drunkenly fall asleep and then wake up the next morning with an awful hangover. Merry Christmas indeed.

As she reached for the doorknob, everything stood still. With his speed, Barry literally had all the time in the world to think. Apologizing wouldn't do any good, and hollow promises would probably make the situation worse. The speedster realized that the only thing he could do to make this better was to give her what she wanted for Christmas. It was time for him to show his dearest doctor what she really meant to him. He sped in front of her, making her shiver from the blast of air he created. Caitlin sighed and looked down, "I'm sorry, I-" It was Barry's turn to interrupt.

"I forgot to get everyone Christmas presents," Barry said randomly, the childish mischief returning to his face. Caitlin's melancholic expression was replaced by one of curiosity and confusion. "What kind of superhero would I be if I showed up to my family's Christmas party without any presents?" Caitlin crossed her arms and gave him a bemused expression.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked, attempting to remain stern, but failing quite miserably. Caitlin was tentative to accept his sudden change of heart, but she could tell he was trying to make up for what had happened. And, if he continued in this way, her charade was going to fall apart pretty quickly.

"Well I could just super-speed through all of the stores and have everyone's presents at the party in under a minute…"

"Or?" She asked, letting her hopefulness take over.

"Or I could take it slow with someone I've been neglecting for too long," Barry said with a grin. Caitlin's sternness was replaced with an awkward look and a slightly flush face. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking confused. After a few seconds, he realized how easily those words could be misinterpreted. "Er uh… The slow, uh I mean walking slow not the dating slow or the…" Caitlin grabbed his hand to stop his stuttering.

"Come on, Felicity, Let's go Christmas shopping," She said jokingly. She had given up the stern and grumpy act. The doctor wondered whether or not her hero had intentionally phrased it that way, as it was an incredibly awkward way to say 'I want to go Christmas shopping with you.' Granted, he was an incredibly awkward person, so she figured it was accidental.

Barry snapped out of his stupor and grinned. In a flash, Caitlin was swept off her feet and sped to the parking lot of the nearest mall. It was already dark out, the full moon barely visible through the clouds.

"I thought we were taking it slow," She teased, almost flirtatiously, as Barry set her down.

"I promise we will from this point forward," He responded jokingly, letting go of her hand. The two immediately missed each other's touch. As they began their slow stroll, Caitlin grabbed hold of Barry's hand again, this time interlocking their fingers.

"Maybe not quite so slow," She said in a definitely flirtatious tone. Caitlin was playing a dangerous game; What if Barry's sudden outburst of Christmas cheer was only temporary? What if he didn't feel the same way? What if this ruined their friendship? She decided to push those thoughts out of her mind, and simply enjoy how nice it felt in the moment. And did it feel nice. Walking hand-in-hand with him felt so indescribably perfect that the idea of living without it was simply horrid. Again, she brushed off the thoughts and leaned her head onto him.

Barry, on the other hand, was glad that it was cold out, because that meant Caitlin would not be able to distinguish between him having rosy cheeks and him blushing. Due to his lifelong affection for Iris, he had never really had a girlfriend, so holding Caitlin's was quite the experience. He brushed off his nervousness and held her closer, practically cradling her.

The automatic doors slid open as the couple entered the establishment. Despite it being early evening on Christmas Eve, many of the shops were still open. Luckily, the majority of people had decided to spend the holidays at home, meaning the place was quite deserted.

"Who first?" Caitlin asked, a smile still gracing her features. It felt good to smile again.

"Eddie, maybe?" Barry suggested, scanning the stores in the immediate area for a map of the building. "One second, let me find a map," He started, about to rush away to find out what stores were there. Before he could continue, Caitlin grasped his hand more firmly.

"Taking it slow, remember? Let's find the stores like normal people," She teased. In reality she simply didn't want to let go of him. She worried that if he left, even for a second, the Barry she knew and loved might be gone. Whoah, Caitlin, what? Love? I mean, sure, he's one of your best friends but… Do I love him? She decided it best to stop thinking about it.

"Alright," Barry said with a smirk. He was endlessly grateful that Caitlin had confronted him about his behavior. If she hadn't, he would still be in STAR Labs, sulking and running in a vain attempt to defeat the man in yellow. However, the speedster was still confused regarding the feelings he had for his friend.

On the one hand, Caitlin was still technically engaged to Ronnie, who they had only recently discovered was still alive in the form of a passive-aggressive man made of fire. On the other hand, there had been substantial romantic tension building for quite a while up to this point. The lingering eye contact, the uncontrollable smiles at the mention of each other's names, their tendency to work in close quarters when not entirely necessary; Heck, the fact that she had literally just said that she was beginning to fall for him. Barry knew he couldn't waste this opportunity to settle this.

"What should we get for Eddie?" Caitlin asked, interrupting Barry's train of thought. She had stopped them in front of the escalator. He thought for a couple of seconds, looking back and forth between the different stores.

"I don't really know… I guess we could go for the safe choice," He said, gently pulling Caitlin away from the escalator and walking back towards the entrance of the mall.

"The safe choice?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face. Barry smirked.

"Who doesn't like alcohol?" Caitlin giggled as the two made their way towards the wine store near the entrance.

zZz

After about 20 minutes of playful argument over what type of fine wine to buy Eddie, the pair decided that, to be safe, they should definitely buy several bottles. Needless to say, Eddie only received one bottle of red wine for Christmas.

"Cisco next?" Caitlin asked, one hand interlocked with Barry's (as it had been since they entered the mall) and the other clutching a bag filled with several bottles of wine.

"Yeah. This one'll be easy," He said with a grin.

"Maybe a little too easy," She said, knowing exactly what Barry was thinking. The two began walking towards the movie store, conveniently right next to the wine shop.

They walked in and immediately made their way to the sci-fi section.

"So we're getting him the Back to the Future box set right?" Barry said, more of a statement than a question, picking up the aforementioned box from the shelf. He figured that the two of them were on the same page. He figured incorrectly.

"Um, if by 'Back to the Future box set' you mean 'Star Wars box set,' then yes," Caitlin retaliated only half-playfully. She set down her bag of wine and picked up the opposing box set.

"But he likes Back to the Future so much more! He's always quoting it!" Barry exclaimed, still with a teasing grin on his face.

"Star Wars is a classic, though. It changed the face of cinema!" Caitlin retaliated with equal fervor.

"You read that on the back of the box, didn't you?" He responded, a grin forming on his face. She began stuttering excuses. "I thought so."

"Come on Barry, Star Wars is so much better!" Caitlin said, attempting to distract from the fact that she had, in fact, read that on the back of the box.

"Name one Star Wars quote that's better than 'Where we're going, we don't need roads,'" Barry challenged, a smug look on his face.

"Oh well the… The uh… Live long and prosper?" Caitlin said sheepishly. Barry's eyes widened, the smug expression was replaced with a look of shock.

"Oh my goodness," He paused, still trying to process the ludicrous information he had just received. "You've never seen Star Wars! How have you not seen Star Wars?"

"Well I… I mean, it never really seemed important," She responded awkwardly.

"But it changed the face of cinema!" Barry joked. Caitlin giggled slightly.

"Fine, we'll get Back to the Future," Caitlin said, putting the Star Wars box set back on the shelf and taking the aforementioned box from Barry. He grinned.

"No, we're getting Cisco Back to the Future," He said, taking the box back from a puzzled Caitlin. "We're going to buy you the Star Wars set," The speedster grabbed the box from the shelf, putting it in Caitlin's hands, and began walking towards the checkout.

"Oh come on, Barry, when am I going to find time to watch this? Life is so busy and we have work and we have to stop the man in yellow, and you said it yourself, the-" She began rambling, only half-caring whether or not they ended up getting the movies.

"It's Christmas eve, Caitlin. We've got all night to marathon," He said with a mischievous grin. Caitlin smiled. The prospect of spending all night snuggled up with Barry watching movies seemed incredibly appealing.

After paying for the box sets, the couple realized that their hands were full. That, they figured, was the only downside to holding hands the entire time.

"What do we do now? We can't show up to the party with only half of the presents," Caitlin said, momentarily putting down the bag of movies to brush her hair out of her eyes. Barry paused for a moment to think. After a few seconds, his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Joe's favorite jacket got ruined during a police investigation the other day; we could get him a new one and buy ourselves a bag to carry all the gifts!" He exclaimed brightly.

"Sounds like a plan," Caitlin responded with a grin picking up the presents again. Behind her small smile, the doctor was happier than her hero could even imagine.

The pair walked towards the retail store on the other side of the mall, only to find that it was closed.

"Oh no... Where are we going to get the stuff now?" Caitlin asked, frowning. She hoped this wouldn't deter Barry from his wonderful Christmas mission. She looked up at him and saw not a frown, but a smirk. "Barry…" She knew what he was thinking. He looked around to make sure nobody was watching, before vibrating the door until the lock broke. "Barry!" Caitlin scream-whispered at him.

"Shh; someone might hear you," He joked, opening the door slowly and tiptoeing inside, pulling her with him. Before Caitlin could protest, a blast of wind left her alone in the dark, the door shutting behind her. The entire store was pitch-black. The only light source visible was the lightning flying off of Barry as he ran around the walls. Whatever he was doing, Caitlin prayed he would be done with it quickly. The loss of his touch made her feel indescribably lonely. Luckily, being the fastest man alive, the speedster only left her for about 10 seconds, and he made up for his absence. He sped back to her, pulling her into a warm embrace, their faces so close that she could have kissed him if she moved a centimeter. She tried to say something, but the doctor was speechless as a kind smile graced Barry's face.

"Sorry; sometimes you have to take it a little fast," He said quietly. His breath warmed her face, and it smelled like peppermint. Caitlin again tried to stutter some response, and her hero's smile grew wider. He slowly turned her around, now holding her around the waist. She gratefully fell into his embrace, giving a contented sigh.

"Should we look for the presents now?" The doctor asked softly, cocking her head up to look at Barry. He smiled.

"Wait for it," He replied. She waited. After a couple of seconds, the darkness of the large retail store was replaced by a multi-colored light show. All of the Christmas ornaments were aglow. Every single decorative light was shining as brightly as the smile gracing Caitlin's features. To top all of it off, several strings of Christmas lights had been hung across the wall in the shape of the message "Merry Christmas from the Flash." A few seconds later, one of the radios in the store began playing Christmas songs. She was speechless.

"B-Barry…" Caitlin started, but he stopped her.

"Just a couple more seconds," She could hear the smile in his voice. She had no idea what else she could be waiting for; this was already so beautiful and perfect and- as soon as she thought this, it began snowing. Inside. She looked up at the ceiling, where she saw several artificial snow machines suspended by wires of some sort. They were producing the powdery substance everywhere. For a few wonderful moments, Caitlin was no longer inside a retail store. She was, quite ironically, considering the song that was playing, in a winter wonderland. "Merry Christmas, Cait," He said, planting a kiss atop her head. Despite the fact that she was wearing her hat (and that was essentially all his lips touched), her entire body shuddered with warmth. The most beautiful feeling in the world spread throughout all of her. Any doubts she had about her feelings for him were entirely erased. I love him… Oh my gosh I love him! She practically screamed inside. On the outside, she couldn't have even whispered if she'd wanted to. She was on the verge of tears, this was so beautiful.

"B-Barry… I… I don't know what to say," She admitted, still awestruck at the scene in front of her.

"Then don't say anything. Just come walking with me in a winter wonderland," He responded jokingly. Caitlin laughed, wiping the happy tears from her eyes as he released her from their embrace, pulling her along by the hand through the retail store. The couple began half-walking, half-dancing to the music.

Sleigh bells ring are you listening

In the lane snow is glistening

A beautiful sight oh we're happy tonight

Walking in a winter wonderland

Both of them were entirely inept when it came dancing, making the entire experience both horribly awkward and amazingly romantic. Barry would occasionally try to spin or twirl her, and he would usually either trip or knock her down. Whenever that happened, the pair would begin laughing hysterically, falling down together and making snow angels in the artificial powder.

"Barry," She said between laughs, "We should probably find the gifts now. We're gonna be late," He grinned.

"Good thing that's what I'm known for," The speedster joked, pulling her in the general direction of the baggage aisle, still attempting to swing and spin her to the rhythm of a random Christmas song. Caitlin couldn't help but laugh as she went along with it. Once they finally reached the correct aisle, the two began picking up and looking at different bags.

"Oh my gosh, where are the other presents?" Caitlin exclaimed after a few moments, realizing that she had let go of them at some point.

"You dropped them at the entrance after I finished decorating," He said with a smirk, winking. She blushed slightly, not used to this flirtatious side of her hero. "We'll pick them up as soon as we get the bag and the coat."

"Thank you so much, Barry," The doctor said, wiping the artificial snow off of her face, "for everything. This has been wonderful."

"Caitlin, if anything I should be thanking you. Without you I would still be running on that treadmill down in STAR Labs," He responded.

"If it weren't for you, I'd be at home downing a bottle of wine," She admitted. He grinned mischievously.

"That's kind of ironic, considering the amount of wine we have in those bags," The speedster joked. Caitlin giggled. Suddenly, Barry's eyes lit up, and he smiled like a kid opening his presents on Christmas morning. Caitlin was confused, until she noticed him moving. Her hero was swaying back and forth to the rhythm of The Christmas Song, which had started playing on a radio nearby.

"Caitlin Snow, may I have this dance?" The speedster asked playfully, letting go of her hand for a moment, only to offer it again as a cheesy romantic gesture.

"Barry Allen, you are such a dork," The doctor responded with a giggle, throwing her arms around his neck and resting her head on his chest. He smiled, planting another kiss atop her head, before settling into the embrace. Caitlin found herself lulled into a dreamlike trance by Barry's inhumanly fast, yet soothing heartbeat.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

Yuletide Carols being sung by a choir-

"And folks dressed up like eskimos," Caitlin realized that Barry had been singing along, and that he was far from a bad singer. She had almost started dozing off, feeling as if he was singing her a lullaby.

"Everybody knows… A turkey and some mistletoe," She began singing softly with him, getting louder as the song continued. Her voice made Barry's heart melt like a snowman in August. By the last chorus, both of them were belting the lyrics as passionately and happily as they could muster, with Caitlin even managing to throw in some harmony.

"-Merry Christmas to you…" They ended softly. After a few moments of silence, Caitlin looked up at Barry, something feeling different. The mood up until this point had been majorly flirtatious and playful, but after that incredibly romantic slow dance, both of them knew something had changed.

"Barry," She breathed softly, staring into his eyes. She figured now was as good a time as any to ask him the question that had been bugging her the whole evening. "Do you… Do you have feelings for me?" It may have seemed like a dumb question, considering what had just transpired, but Caitlin needed to be absolutely sure. She didn't want to jump headfirst into a relationship unless she was confident in it.

"Yes," he responded simply, feeling somewhat awkward for not having anything else to say.

"What about Iris? You've loved her since you were kids; how could I compete with that?" She asked, looking down slightly. Until she had asked the question, it hadn't completely dawned on her what the biggest obstacle in their potential relationship would be. What could Caitlin Snow, the quiet, sad, nerdy professor do to compete with Iris West, the person who Barry had hopelessly been in love with since his childhood? He was quiet for a few moments, carefully considering what to say next. Caitlin looked into his eyes, trying to decipher what he was thinking. She couldn't read him, and it scared her.

"Caitlin, I really want to be in a relationship with you, so I have to be totally honest," The doctor bit her lip as her heart beat erratically. She was terrified of what he was about to say. "I'm so confused… I've been trying to get over her since she and Eddie started dating, but there's still so many uncontrollable conflicting feelings, and I keep going back and forth on what to do," Caitlin's heart sunk slightly. She couldn't blame Barry, because what wasn't to love about Iris? "I mean, I was even debating whether or not I was going to tell her how I felt," As soon as those words had left his mouth Barry realized he probably should have worded that differently. Caitlin looked down, contemplating what to say next.

"Maybe… Maybe we should wait until you figure out how you feel," She said in defeat, beginning to let go of him.

"Wait, Caitlin… I'm sorry, that came out wrong," He apologized, gently pulling her towards him. Caitlin knew that Barry wouldn't hold her against her will, so if she really wanted to let go of him she could have. But the poor doctor knew that the last thing she wanted to do was let go of him. She had to give him a chance, for both of their sakes. She tentatively kept her arms around his neck, biting her lip even harder.

Barry felt awful, the emotional pain visible on his beloved doctor's face. He could tell that she wanted so badly to be with him, but she couldn't if his heart was with someone else. "What I was trying to say was that I have no idea how I feel about Iris. Half the time I think I'm in love with her and the other half I can barely look at her. But you… Caitlin I know exactly how I feel about you," She looked back up at him, staring into his eyes. She was still afraid, but the pained look on her face was replaced with a more hopeful one. "As Cisco would put it, I caught the feels hard for you," She couldn't help herself as a small smile formed on her face, and Barry felt her embrace become a firm one. "I tried to ignore it, because I thought trying to make a move would be betraying Ronnie, but it's too much for me to hide anymore, Caitlin. Every time I see you I get the worst butterflies in my stomach… Gosh I sound like I'm in high school again, sorry," The small smile on his doctor's face widened as she pulled him in for a hug. He returned the gesture happily.

"You don't need to apologize," She whispered, "that was so sweet," Barry paused, worried that he was about to go too far, but he needed to get this off of his chest.

"I'm sorry if this is too soon," he said softly, his breath tickling her ear, "but I honestly think I might…" As he paused Caitlin froze, her pulse increasing to a ridiculous speed, rivaling even his heartbeat. He's not… Is he… Does he love me? "Caitlin I l-"

"Who's in here?" A shout made both of them jump. Much to their mutual dismay, they separated and ducked down in the aisle. The couple heard footsteps nearby and saw a beam of light panning back and forth in the aisles in front of them. Evidently, a security guard had noticed the breach and had come to investigate, ruining the moment. The footsteps got louder and Caitlin began panicking.

"Barry!" Caitlin whisper-yelled, "We need to-" With a cold wind and a feeling of electricity, she was back in the parking lot alone. Despite her warm coat, Caitlin was freezing. She missed her hero.

The unpleasant chill turned to a bitter frost as the wind began blowing, and Doctor Snow felt incredibly lonely. It may seem melodramatic, but after what had just happened, and what had just been interrupted, Caitlin felt like she had every right to be a bit unhappy at her current situation. She thought about going inside to warm up, before realizing the mall had closed. Wait, closed? How long were we in there? She pondered, rubbing her gloved hands together in an attempt to warm up. It didn't help.

With every passing second she grew less hopeful, worrying that Barry had left her. What if he regrets it? What if he was just caught up in the moment? Caitlin thought. She sighed sadly, about to give up entirely when she saw a streak of lightning flying off of the roof. She smiled as it sped in her direction. Barry slowed down right in front of her, putting down a newly-"bought" bag filled with gifts they'd gotten for both their friends and for themselves. He smiled awkwardly, looking oddly nervous, but Caitlin shrugged it off. She was just glad he was back.

"You got the bag? I'm impressed," She joked, before seeing Barry's face. He wasn't looking her in the eyes, and his hands were twitching awkwardly. "Barry? Are you okay?" The speedster looked up at her and sighed. Now or never, he thought. He closed the distance between them, cupping her face as he kissed her. For a few seconds, she was frozen, completely unsure of how to react, and Barry freaked out, thinking he had overstepped his boundaries. He pulled away, beginning to stutter apologies.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry Caitlin I thought you… It just felt right and I didn't… I don't know why I-"

"Barry," She said calmly and gently. He stopped acting like Felicity and looked at her, listening in fear. "Please shut up, you adorable dork." It was her turn to surprise him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him fervently. Barry froze much like Caitlin had before, completely unsure of how to react. Luckily, he caught on much faster than she did, and he relaxed, pulling her even closer to him.

The freezing chill that Caitlin had felt in his absence was replaced by the most lovely, warm sensation. It spread from her lips all the way down to her toes, making the biting winter feel like a pleasantly warm summer. Nothing could have ruined this for her. If an earthquake had begun ripping apart the ground around them, she would not have reacted, and if a hailstorm began pelting them with frosty orbs she wouldn't have even felt it. Caitlin was in heaven. Unfortunately, the human body needed to breathe, and, no matter how wonderful this felt, oxygen was necessary for survival. The doctor gently pulled away him, resting her forehead on his and breathing heavily.

"I love you," He said after a few seconds, pulling his head back to look at Caitlin. Her hair was messy and covered in artificial snow, her cheeks were flush, and her makeup was a mess, but Barry thought she had never looked more beautiful.

"I love you too," She responded breathily, planting another small kiss on his lips, feeling the electricity that surged through his body surging through her too. He smiled as she pulled away.

"So where does this leave us?" He asked with an inquisitive look on his face. He wanted to make sure that there was no issue in communication, and that they were both sure of what their relationship meant. Caitlin's face lit up with a grin.

"Barry Allen?" She asked teasingly. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Will you be my boyfriend?" If actions speak louder than words, then Barry was practically shouting his answer. They kissed over and over between giggles, before Caitlin sadly had to stop it.

"As much as I would loveto stand here kissing you for a long time, we have a Christmas party to get to," She grabbed his hand, interlocking their fingers as she pulled away from his embrace. As the doctor made her way to the presents, she realized two things: "Oh my gosh, Barry! The security cameras! They saw-"

"Replaced them all with tapes of old Christmas movies," He interrupted with a smirk. "I also left money in the register to make up for the 'damages,' the bag and coat," he had quite the smug look on his face, and Caitlin smiled.

"I love you," She repeated, ecstatic that her Barry was most definitely back.

"I know," he responded teasingly. She gave him a confused look. "You'll get it when we watch Star Wars," She rolled her eyes. Her boyfriend was such a dork. She smiled to herself. He's my boyfriend now… Oh my gosh he is actually my boyfriend. She felt like a teenager, getting overly excited about some cute guy liking her. But this wasn't just some cute guy; this was Barry Allen, the savior of Central City. Before she lost herself in that train of thought, she remembered to tell Barry the second thing she had realized.

"We never got Iris anything," She said in a somewhat awkward tone.

"Oh don't worry, we exchanged gifts like a week ago; she was always really impatient when it came to Christmas," He said nonchalantly. Caitlin didn't know how to respond. He could tell she felt awkward talking about Iris, so he kissed her. He could feel her smile as she deepened the kiss. Just as she was starting to lose herself in the wonderful feeling, Barry pulled away suddenly. She nearly whimpered at the loss of his touch, but he grinned. "We have a Christmas party to get to," He teased. Before she could respond, he swept her off of her feet, grabbing the bag with all of the presents, as he began speeding towards the West residence.

Several seconds and a few kisses later, the pair knocked on the door, smiling widely. They heard footsteps and a few seconds later the door opened, revealing the face of Iris West.

"Barry! I didn't think you were gonna make it!" She yelled excitedly, throwing her arms around Barry's neck. He awkwardly put his arms around her back, unfortunately having to let go of Caitlin's hand. "Caitlin, I'm so glad you could come!" She exclaimed with equal fervor, letting go of Barry to give her friend a hug as well. When Iris had first opened the door, Caitlin felt awkward, feeling like at any moment she could steal Barry away from her. However, as she returned the hug, the doctor realized this was not some malicious, jealous person who wanted to steal her boyfriend; this was a good friend. "Come on in!"

As the couple entered, everyone began greeting them, raising their glasses and smiling.

"Sorry we took so long, we had to grab a couple of presents," Caitlin explained sheepishly, grasping Barry's hand again.

"Only 15 minutes late; you should spend more time with her, Allen," Eddie joked as Iris sat down next to him.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Barry said with a mischievous grin, stealing a glance at Caitlin. He could see her blushing and biting back a smile. As he looked back at Iris and Eddie, he saw the former raising her eyebrow in curiosity as the latter took of sip of his eggnog. Iris knew him too well to not notice something was different. As he saw Eddie give Iris a kiss, he realized something: The jealousy was gone. The only thing he felt when he saw the two embrace was happiness for them. Maybe he was surer of his feelings for Iris than he thought. Maybe he'd finally moved on.

"So are you two gonna just stand there all night or are you gonna give us our presents?" Cisco asked jokingly, taking a sip of the eggnog. Barry rolled his eyes, and the pair walked towards the chair next to Cisco, setting down the bag of gifts on the floor next to them. They looked at each other awkwardly, both trying to decide whether they should separate and keep their newfound relationship a secret, or simply reveal it. Barry raised his eyebrow in questioning, and after a few seconds his doctor responded with a nod. "Hello? Paging Doctor Snow and Mr. Allen?"

"So uh… We're kinda dating now," Barry said in the most awkward way he could have, scratching the back of his neck. Cisco gagged on his drink as Iris clapped in excitement.

"Oh my goodness, congratulations!" She shouted, standing up and wrapping her arms around both of them. They smiled and returned the embrace. As she stepped away and sat back down with Eddie, Cisco got up out of his seat and gave them a weird look.

"This is just like… A Christmas prank, right? There's no way you two have been secretly dating," He said with a confused face, wiping the recently gagged-on eggnog off of his horrid Christmas sweater.

"Well you're right… It kind of started a little while ago," Caitlin responded with a grin, moving slightly closer to Barry. Cisco gave up the interrogation and simply sat down and began chugging more of his alcoholic yuletide beverage.

"Congrats, guys," Eddie said, raising his drink, "To Barry and Caitlin," Iris and Cisco said the same as the aforementioned couple sat down together on the smaller seat. Barry sat down first, and then Caitlin sat on his lap. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, planting a kiss on her cheek. Just then, Joe walked into the room, having missed the entire announcement.

"Barry? I thought you were working late tonight. Is that… Lipstick on your face?" He asked, seeming to have not noticed the person he was cuddling with. Before Barry could awkwardly explain, Caitlin interjected.

"That would be mine," She responded cheekily, turning to give Barry yet another peck on the lips.

"Was I really in the bathroom that long?" Joe joked, plopping down on the sofa next to Cisco and pouring himself some of Grandma Esther's famous eggnog out of its Christmas-themed container. "But really, when did this happen?" He asked inquisitively.

"Uh, what time is it?" Barry asked jokingly and Caitlin giggled.

"7:51," Eddie interjected, checking his watch.

"Maybe half an hour ago?" Barry estimated. 7:20 was about the time they started dancing.

"Well I can't say I saw this coming, but I'm happy for you guys," Joe said, raising his drink slightly. The couple smiled.

"Alright, presents?" Cisco interrupted, looking jittery. He could be such a child sometimes, and it was quite amusing.

"Sure, Cisco. Now we didn't have time to pick up wrapping paper, so uh… Sorry?" Barry said awkwardly. He felt like he had a point at the beginning of that sentence, but as he was saying it, his train of thought defaulted to Caitlin Caitlin Caitlin Caitlin Caitlin. Caitlin rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's awkwardness, picking up the present bag and fishing through it to find Cisco's gift. She pulled out the Back to the Future box set and passed it to him. His eyes lit up and he grinned widely.

"Oh my gosh this was exactly what I wanted! Thanks, you guys!" He exclaimed, reading the back of the box intently.

"No problem, buddy," Barry said before whispering smugly in Caitlin's ear: "I told you." Caitlin turned, softly kissing him. Right as he was settling into the feeling, she pulled back, grinning.

"Now I know how to shut you up," She whispered jokingly, and he rolled his eyes.

"That's just unfair," He responded, faking a grumpy expression.

"Would you two lovebirds like to get a room while we open our presents?" Joe asked sarcastically. The pair jumped slightly, blushing. They had forgotten that they were in a room filled with other people.

"Sorry, uh… Here you go Eddie and Iris," Caitlin said sheepishly, getting up from Barry's lap and carrying one of the bottles of red wine to them.

"Thanks guys," Eddie said with a smile, taking the bottle and briefly reading the label.

"And finally, for Joe," Barry said, standing up as well, bringing his adoptive father a brand new coat.

"Oh thanks! I really needed a new one!" Joe said happily, slipping the new garment on. "Fits perfectly." Barry and Caitlin grinned. They had succeeded at literal last minute shopping. They were about to sit down on the small loveseat when Joe stopped them. "I know you want to be close together, but that looks cramped and uncomfortable. Here," he said, standing up and gesturing, "take my seat. Cisco can move too," He finished, giving the aforementioned engineer a pointed look. He responded by rolling his eyes and hesitantly getting up and moving to the chair next to Eddie and Iris.

"Thanks," The couple said, taking the sofa. Barry sat on the end, while Caitlin spread herself across the entire thing, resting her head on Barry's lap. The speedster began playing with her hair, and she didn't mind one bit.

"So uh… Sorry Caitlin, we didn't know you were coming, so we hadn't gotten you a gift yet," Iris admitted awkwardly. Caitlin smiled.

"It's fine; I got quite the Christmas gift this year," She joked, looking up at Barry, staring intently into his eyes. He smiled back at her. Their little romantic interaction was interrupted when the speedster was hit in the face with a small object that then fell into Caitlin's hair. Cisco had thrown the mistletoe at them.

"What the heck, man?" Barry asked, untangling the decoration from his girlfriend's hair and examining it.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me that you don't want another excuse to start sucking face," Cisco joked, and Caitlin glared at him. "Besides, you gotta seal the deal with mistletoe anyways. It's proven to be the most romantic gesture in the world."

"Proven? How could you possibly prove that?" Barry asked, cocking his head to the side and giving Cisco an incredulous look. Wow he's drunk.

"Oh shut up and kiss already," He responded, taking another huge gulp of the drink. Before Barry could make some snarky remark, Caitlin raised the mistletoe above his head and she leaned up and kissed him, deeply and passionately. Barry put his arms around her and pulled her closer.

*snap*

The couple pulled apart, confused at the noise. They saw Iris grinning and holding her camera.

"Sorry but that was too perfect not to take a picture," She defended, examining the image on the screen of her device. Barry and Caitlin laughed, completely fine with being able to look back on that moment. The doctor rested her head again on Barry's lap and he resumed playing with her hair. After that, the party continued as one would expect. Stories were told, jokes were made, and a large quantity of alcohol was consumed, until the only ones left at the house were Iris, Joe, Barry, and Caitlin.

"Dad, I think I'm gonna head out," Iris said, putting her winter coat on and giving Joe a hug. "Congrats again, guys!" She said to Barry and Caitlin.

"Thanks. Goodnight Iris," Barry said, giving her a hug. Caitlin smiled and waved from the couch and Iris returned the gesture, before walking outside and shutting the door.

"Well you two, I'm gonna hit the hay. I've had a long couple of days and some sleep sounds really nice right about now," He said, giving Barry a hug. "Feel free to stay the night, Caitlin."

"Oh, thank you for the offer, but I couldn't burden-" Caitlin started, standing up from the couch before Joe held up his hand and smiled.

"Trust me, you're not gonna be a burden. Especially to Barry," He said jokingly, patting his adopted son on the back. "Goodnight."

"Night, Joe," Barry responded, blushing slightly from Joe's comment. He made his way back to the couch, where Caitlin was sitting down, hands folded atop her lap. Barry sat down next to her awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. "So… Do you really not want to stay the night?" He asked, worried he was taking things too fast (no pun intended). She smiled.

"Of course I want to, I was just being polite," She said, standing up and walking over to their new bag. "Now, Mr. Allen, I believe we have some movies to watch and some wine to drink," Barry grinned as she put the disc in the movie player and walked back to the couch, a bottle of wine in hand.

"I love you," He said, quickly kissing her.

"I know," She joked and he laughed.

"That will be much funnier when you actually see the scene," He responded. And it was. When that scene finally played, they both burst out laughing, despite how serious the situation in the movie was. They almost managed to marathon all of Star Wars, even watching the horrendous prequels. The couple didn't end up drinking all of the wine, though. Caitlin decided that it would be unfair, since Barry couldn't actually get drunk, so they only downed a glass or two. In the end, the pair managed to watch all the movies except for Revenge of the Sith, when they finally dozed off. It was 6:00 AM after all.

Joe woke up at around 10:30 AM the next day, after getting a long night of sleep. He felt positively wonderful, smiling as he walked out of his bedroom and made his way to the living room. He was quite surprised to see Barry and Caitlin asleep together on the couch, with the TV still on the menu of the 3rd Star Wars prequel. The speedster had his arms wrapped protectively around her, and she held his hands. Joe grinned even wider, glad that his son had finally found someone who made him happy. He decided that it would just be plain wrong to ruin this moment, so he left the couple in peace and made his way back to his room.

About half an hour later, the peaceful couple awoke with a start, hearing Caitlin's phone beeping loudly on the table.

"Ugh… It's too early," Barry complained, squinting and trying to hide himself from the harsh morning light. Caitlin groaned, trying to reach for her phone. She couldn't quite grab it, so she attempted to pull away from Barry, but he tightened his grip. "Babe, please just five more minutes," He practically whimpered, planting kisses all on the back of her neck. She turned herself so they were face-to-face, giving him an inquisitive look and grinning.

"Did you just call me 'babe?'" She asked playfully, interlocking her right hand with his left hand.

"Um… I guess?" He responded, still in his early-morning stupor. "Sorry, it just kind of felt natural."

"It's fine, babe," Caitlin responded cheekily, giving him a peck on the lips. He smiled as she turned and moved into a sitting position on the couch, using him as a cushion. She managed to grab her elusive phone, checking to see what the notification was.

TURN ON THE NEWS! RIGHT NOW! WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU GUYS DOING LAST NIGHT?! -Cisco

Caitlin looked at her phone confusedly as Barry sat up next to her and put his arm around her.

"What's up?" He asked, running his hand through his hair in an attempt to fix his bedhead. She handed him the phone and he had pretty much the same reaction. "Well we should probably see what he's freaking out about," Barry said, picking up the remote and changing inputs. They flipped to local news to see a woman reporting in front of a retail store. Barry raised an eyebrow, scratching his head in confusion. What's so important about a retail store?

"-some have said it looks like a winter wonderland. Several snow machines were tied to the ceiling by wiring-" Both of their eyes widened, realization hitting them hard. "-finally, the message 'Merry Christmas from the Flash' was written in lights on the store's back wall. Who is this mysterious flash? Why-"

"Doctor Wells probably won't be too happy about this," Caitlin said somewhat nervously, setting her phone down. Barry shrugged.

"It's Christmas day. We don't see him until tomorrow, let's just enjoy ourselves," He responded, turning off the TV and standing up to stretch. Caitlin stood up with him, giggling slightly. "What?" She pointed at the ceiling, where a bit of previously unnoticed mistletoe hung. Barry smiled warmly at her. "Merry Christmas, Caitlin Snow."

"Merry Christmas, Barry Allen," She responded cheerfully, pulling him in for a kiss.