I do not own any characters, plots, or anything else pertaining to "The Flash", "Arrow", or "DC Comics". I ship Snowbarry and this will be my first fanfiction about them. I came up with the idea for this story after I watched the last scene between Iris and Caitlin in 4x05. This is how I'd like to see the rest of the episodes play out this season. Thanks for reading.

Opposing Forces

Chapter 1

Unanswered Questions

Caitlin unlocks the door to her apartment and quickly makes her way into the living room. She plops down on her couch, feeling more than a little exhausted from her night. Caitlin regrets not leaving town like she had decided to do, despite what Iris had said. Iris. She can't quite figure her out. One minute, she's blaming her for not being around for six months and the next, she's treating her as if their friends. Over the last two years, since Iris had joined the group, Caitlin has resigned to the idea that they're always going to be opposing forces. Not because she's the only other female in the group, but because of Barry. Caitlin figures that he's the reason why she asked her to be her Maid of Honor. While her and Iris are far from enemies, they definitely aren't friends, so where exactly does that leave them? Acquaintances, no, that's not exactly right. Maybe coworkers is more appropriate.

Whatever they are, Caitlin knows that they aren't close enough for her to be her Maid of Honor. When the words had come out of her mouth, Caitlin had been stunned. At first, she had found it strange that after one night of failed bonding, Iris had designated her as the coveted Maid of Honor. The first question that had flashed in her mind was why hadn't she picked Felicity? They seem close and their function in their respective groups are similar, so why pick her? It had only dawned on her, as the elevator descended, that Iris had picked her because she had wanted her to be there front and center at the wedding. Caitlin suspects that Iris knew that she wasn't going to show up and that she'd make the excuse that Central City was no longer safe because of their new foe. How Iris had anticipated her real reason for not attending the wedding is the question?

Caitlin wonders if she's really been that transparent when it comes to Barry. She thought that she was doing a good job at burying the truth, but maybe she had made a misstep somewhere along the way. Caitlin tries to think back over the last few weeks, attempting to figure out when she had slipped up. Maybe it had been her sudden return right before Barry had gotten out of the speed force or it possibly could have gone back further? Caitlin hadn't really considered what Iris thought about Barry coming to her rescue when she had first become Killer Frost. How had that scene looked to her? She had called Barry out for not giving a damn about anything else, but his newly found happy ending with Iris. At the time, she had wanted to break out of that prison and didn't care much about what she was saying, but maybe Iris had? Caitlin wonders if she had sounded jealous, even though Killer Frost had taken over.

Barry had stood there telling her that it wasn't her speaking, but maybe there was a grain of truth in Killer Frost's words. The two were of one conscious at the time, so why wouldn't she have been attuned to her feelings as Caitlin Snow? She sighs, as she gets up from the couch and makes her way into the kitchen. Caitlin feels like she needs a gallon of coffee after everything that's happened today, so she starts preparing a pot. She waits while it's brewing, leaning against her counter and remembering the moment, when Barry had held up the ice crystal to his heart. He had asked her to kill him and it had been a tense moment, and truthfully, one of the worst of her life. Barry had shown steadfast faith in her, when everyone else had practically written her off as a monster. He had locked eyes with her and her two halves had battled each other, to see who was stronger. Caitlin had fought hard to save him and was thankful, when she had dropped the ice crystal to the ground. She had desperately clung onto him, not caring about anyone else who could be watching. It was just her and Barry, the way that she had always wanted it to be between them.

The coffee finishes brewing, and Caitlin grabs a mug from her cabinet. She pours a cup and adds three spoons of sugar, before sitting down at the kitchen table. Caitlin knows that if she hadn't said yes to being Iris's Maid of Honor, the truth would have come out. She can't risk that happening because she knows that she'll never win over Iris, despite the apparent chemistry she has with Barry. They're a team and she wouldn't risk that friendship with him for the world. Caitlin takes a big sip of coffee and wishes these feelings for him would go away, that she could finally be free of them. She wants him to be happy, so she'll be front and center, where Iris wants her, even if it breaks her heart.