(The Flash) Frozen Flashpoint: Chapter 12 – Warming to the New Status

Chapter 12 – Warming to the New Status

Summary: Barry and Caitlin announce their engagment. Iris has some news for them. And Caitlin's talk with her mother. And... Wait? Who is this?

Once they finished kissing, the breach above them closed, the lightning streak began to fade, and the lights came back on.

Caitlin looked around and noticed that there was no one else around, which surprised her. She looked at Barry with a raised eyebrow and asked, “Why is there no one around?”

Barry rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile before replying, “Well, I had a little help with all of this.”

Caitlin giggled. She could guess so. Cisco for the breach, Jessie for the light show, Wally probably took care of the lights, and Joe most likely was the one to close off the area.

“Joe?” Caitlin asked, amused.

Barry nodded with his goofy smile. “Joe. Which reminds me, his price was for us to stop by straight after the date to deliver the news personally.”

Barry finished with a bit of sweat on his face, but Caitlin just giggled and nodded her acceptance. She felt far too giddy right now.

She stared at her ring for a moment. The silver band worked perfectly with her rather pale skin complexion. The blue stone in the middle was so clear it reminded her of a piece of fresh ice, while the rubies on either side of it, under the starlight, looked like they had trapped lightning inside.

The ring was perfect, and she felt as if it were a source of warmth that kept spreading over her entire body. ‘That ring is damn perfect. He obviously had all three of us in mind when he got it. Can’t wait for my turn to kiss all the heat out of that speedster,’ Frost’s voice cut through her giddy musing.

‘Don’t worry, Frost. Just as soon as we’re back at the loft, he’s yours for the night, and I’ll take him from tomorrow morning,’ Caitlin offered.

There was no hesitation in Frost’s response. ‘You have a deal, Caity.’

Their conversation was cut short when both her and Barry’s phones beeped. It wasn’t the meta-alert, so she wasn’t tense, but still, usually, when both of them got a message at the same time, it didn’t end well.

With a small amount of worry, she pulled out her phone and opened the notification app. The message was from the STAR Labs crew chat group and only had a picture attached to it.

The worry melted away into a giddy smile once she saw the picture. It was of a big banner with the word “Congratulations” written across it, with a snowflake replacing the O’s and a lightning bolt replacing the L. Cisco was standing with a huge smile on the right side, holding up the banner, while on the left, it was held by Wally. The young man was blushing madly, probably because his girlfriend was hugging him from behind and waving at the camera. Behind the banner, Harry’s head was visible, with a small smile on his face and a thumbs-up aimed at the camera.

She began to giggle, and she could hear Barry chuckling. She raised her eyes to him and commented, “Well, they seem to approve.”

Barry snorted and responded, “Considering everything they did for that moment, they’d better. But we’ll deal with them tomorrow.”

Caitlin nodded in agreement and said with a smile, “You’re right. It’s already late, and it wouldn’t do to keep Joe waiting.”

And with that, they began walking toward the West house. Barry could have sped them there, but Caitlin refused, not wanting to ruin the appearance she had worked all day to perfect, which made Barry concede the point.

FF FF FF FF FF

An hour later, Barry and Caitlin—his fiancée (he loved that word)—entered the West house.

When they stepped into the living room, they saw Joe sitting on the couch, watching TV with a beer in his hand.

Barry cleared his throat, and once Joe saw them, he immediately turned off the TV, dropped his bottle on the table, and stood up. All in the span of a second, which, even for a speedster, was impressive.

The older man stood with a wide smile on his face and said, “Do I even need to ask how it went?”

Barry could feel the goofy smile spreading on his face while Caitlin giggled and raised her left hand to show off the ring Barry had placed there.

Joe’s grin grew even wider as he rushed in to give Caitlin a bear hug. Without letting her go, he said in his deep voice, “Welcome to the family, Caitlin. I couldn’t hope for anyone better for Barry.”

Caitlin smiled kindly at Joe and said with genuine gratitude, “Thank you, Joe. It means a lot to me. Barry is the most important thing in the world to me. I’d love to be a part of your family.”

Joe let her go, and Caitlin suddenly had a hesitant look on her face, which worried Barry. Was she already regretting saying yes? Did Frost say something? But before he could ask, Caitlin called out meekly, “Joe?”

Still with a wide, welcoming smile, he answered encouragingly, “Yes, Caitlin?”

Caitlin looked at the floor as she spoke again. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but my dad won’t be at the wedding, and I was hoping that maybe you would agree to give me away.” She trailed off awkwardly at the end.

Joe’s eyes began to shine with unshed tears gathering in them. Without a moment of hesitation, he drew Caitlin back into a hug and answered softly, “Of course, dear. I would be more than honored.”

Caitlin hugged him back with shining eyes of her own.

The moment was broken when the sound of steps came from the stairs and a voice called, “Dad, what’s going on down here?”

A moment later, Iris stepped into the living room, her eyes scanning the scene in front of her. When she noticed Caitlin hugging Joe, she also noticed the ring on her left hand, and a small smile appeared on her face. She looked at Barry and told him sincerely, “Congratulations, Barr.”

Barry returned her genuine smile and said, “Thanks.”

After Joe released Caitlin from his hug, Caitlin took a step closer toward him and Iris and said with more confidence, “Hi, Iris. I was hoping you’d agree to be one of my bridesmaids. I’d love for us to get closer since we’re going to be family.”

Iris looked away and rubbed her arm awkwardly for a moment before speaking. “Well, actually, I wanted to speak to Barry about it tomorrow, but I might as well say it now... I won’t be around for a while.”

Caitlin frowned and asked hesitantly, “Is... is it because of me?”

Iris’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head quickly. “No, no, no. I got an offer from Coast City Daily and decided to take it. I... I still have a lot of issues to work through, and I think it would be better for me to do that there.”

Barry was shocked, but now he understood Iris’s odd behavior over the last month. Nonetheless, he said, “I’m happy for you, Iris. It’s a great opportunity for your career.”

Iris gave him a bright smile in return. Caitlin nodded along with Barry’s words and added, “I hope that when we set a date, you’ll come for the wedding. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Iris chuckled. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of missing your and Barry’s wedding.” Iris and Caitlin exchanged a short hug, as did Barry and Iris, before she turned back toward the stairs, saying, “Well, enjoy yourselves. I need to be up early tomorrow, so I’m going to tuck in.”

Once she left, they both turned to Joe, who smiled at them and faked a hurt voice. “How boring it’ll be, all alone in this big house.”

Barry’s smile turned into a smirk. If Joe wanted to tease him, Barry could return the favor. “You sure you’ll be alone? I talked with the captain, and he mentioned you and Ms. Horton seemed much closer in the past couple of months.”

Joe immediately averted his eyes and began coughing into his fist before trying to change the subject. “So when are you telling your mom, Caitlin?”

Caitlin’s surprised look was soon replaced by a stiff one as she answered without any emotion, “My mother won’t need to be informed. I doubt she would take part in the wedding even if she knew about it.”

Joe stared at her for a long moment before he sighed and said, “It’s your day and your decision, but I’d recommend you reconsider at least telling her about it. All I want is for the two of you to be as happy as possible.”

Caitlin’s cold attitude melted back into her usual warm smile, and she said, “I know, Joe. I’ll think about it. I promise.”

Joe gave her another smile and waved his hand as he said, “Now you kids go home. You’ve got better things to do tonight than talk with an old man.”

Both Caitlin and Barry laughed a little before leaving for their loft.

Once in the loft, Caitlin began to take off her heels and other accessories when she suddenly said, “Barry, I think Joe was right. Maybe I should go visit my mom tomorrow to tell her about the wedding.”

Barry was surprised by that. Caitlin didn’t talk about her mom much, and when she did, it wasn’t in a positive way. But he would support his fiancée no matter what. That woman couldn’t be worse than Thawne or Zoom, right? So, with a brave smile, he said, “If you want to, I’d love to join you.”

Caitlin gave him her largest smile, and after a small peck on his lips, responded, “I think that’d be a good idea. Thanks, Barr. We can deal with it tomorrow morning.”

Barry smiled at her before something he had been thinking about on the way back nagged him again. “Hey, Cait. What was all that about asking Joe to give you away and asking Iris to be your bridesmaid?”

Caitlin gave him a teasing smile and replied simply, “You weren’t the only one with plans for the future, Mr. Allen.”

Barry could only chuckle, his heart skipping a beat at the thought that Caitlin had also been dreaming of a shared future for a while.

Then her teasing smile became a smirk, and she said, “Well, I have to keep my end of the deal, so you two have fun.”

Barry was confused for a moment until Caitlin transformed into Frost—his fiancée as well. Frost kept the smirk on her face as she said in a commanding voice, “I have you for the rest of the night, Handsome, so get your ass in gear. I want to enjoy the celebration with my new fiancée for as long as possible.”

With that, she turned and went into their shared room. Barry had a smile on his face as he followed her as quickly as he could without using his powers.

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Barry and Caitlin were walking inside the lobby of Tannhauser Industries and stopped by the reception desk.

The receptionist didn’t even look up from his screen as he said, “Welcome to TI. How may I help you?”

Barry frowned at his attitude. He looked next to him at his fiancée, but for the first time in a long while, he didn’t enjoy what he was seeing. She was stiff and cold from the moment they had stepped into the building.

It reminded him of how she used to act when he first woke up from the coma. When she responded, her tone was dry. “I’m here to see Carla Tannhauser.”

Again, the man didn’t look up from his screen as he answered, “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but I’m sure she’ll make time.” The response was cold.

Finally, the man looked up from his screen at them, and his eyes widened a little. His tone became more respectful as he said, “Dr. Snow, I’m afraid if you haven’t made an appointment, your mother is too busy today.”

Wow, without even checking her schedule—just straight out dismissing the woman’s daughter. Caitlin’s voice was coated in ice and sharp as a knife. “Tell her I have important news, and she can either see me now or learn about it if the occasion arises again.”

When it looked like the man was about to give them another excuse, Barry stepped forward and said firmly, “Look, either call her, or we’ll just go inside and look for her ourselves.”

The receptionist scoffed before saying, “And who do you think you are?”

Caitlin’s voice somehow managed to get even colder, and the edge of it could make anyone bleed. “None of your business. Will you call my mother, or shall we leave? After all, she’s not the only one with a busy day.”

“Emmet! You and I are going to have a talk later,” came another cold voice, not so different from the one Caitlin had been using.

The man behind the desk lost all color in his face while Barry and Caitlin turned to see a mature woman in a pantsuit standing there. After another glare at her receptionist, she looked at Caitlin with the smallest smile Barry had ever seen and said, without any emotion, “Of course I’ll meet with you, Caitlin. Emmet, hold all my calls until I’ve finished talking with my daughter.”

The man with the pale face dared only to nod. Barry himself felt completely ignored by the woman, but a signal from Caitlin ensured he followed her into her mother’s office.

Barry couldn’t help but feel like he was part of a real business meeting between two associates, not a chat with his future mother-in-law.

Both women wore blank expressions. When Ms. Tannhauser spoke, it was in an emotionless voice. “So, Caitlin, what are the news that couldn’t wait?”

Caitlin matched her mother’s tone as she answered, “I thought you’d like to know that I’m engaged.”

The woman raised an eyebrow at her and simply asked, “Again?”

Barry could see the flinch Caitlin was trying to hide, and he was becoming very annoyed. But before he could say anything, Caitlin’s response was simple: “Yes. Life does tend to move on for some of us.”

This time, it was the mother who had to hide a flinch at the jab delivered at her. And for the first time, the woman acknowledged Barry. “And is this the man?”

Barry, deciding it was still better to be polite, forced his charming smile and offered his hand. “Yes, ma’am. My name is Barry Allen, and I’m the lucky man with the honor of marrying your wonderful daughter.”

Usually, a comment like that would cause Caitlin to blush and smile at him, but right now, she didn’t even look at him, keeping her blank stare on her mother.

After a moment, it was obvious she wasn’t going to shake his hand, so he quickly pulled it back while she asked in the same emotionless tone, “And what is it you do, Barry Allen?”

“Hopefully making your daughter happy,” he tried to joke, but all he got in return was silence from both women. He gulped a little before answering again. “I’m a CSI for the CCPD.”

Ms. Tannhauser showed her first emotion of the meeting by frowning a little, then she turned her gaze back to Caitlin and said something that completely shocked Barry. “Are you certain about this?”

Caitlin abruptly stood up and said coldly, “Consider yourself informed, Mother. We’ll show ourselves out.”

Barry could see that her mother was trying to hide her shock from Caitlin’s dismissal. Barry considered for a moment just standing up and walking away with Caitlin. After all, the woman had insulted him to his face and ignored him the rest of the time, so she didn’t gain any points in his book.

But when Caitlin turned to him, wondering why he wasn’t following her, he could see the pain behind her eyes—a pain reflected in her mother’s eyes as well.

Making one last brave choice, Barry stood up and called aloud, “Will you two just stop with the acting?!”

Neither woman could hide the shock from his declaration. Caitlin finally dropped her cold voice and asked, “Barry?”

Barry looked her in the eye with a pleading expression before saying, “Cait, I hate seeing you like this. I told you this when we met for the first time: you should always smile and never be so cold. You’ve come so far since then—don’t let anything push you back.”

Then Barry turned to the still-seated woman. “And you. You want to act all cold and professional even with your own daughter, so don’t be surprised when she finally moves on from you and walks away. If you want to fix it, do it now!”

Both women just stared at him, but their cold masks began to crack. With a heavy sigh, Barry decided to give it one last shot. “Look, trust me, this is something you need to do now because you don’t know if you’ll ever have the chance again. I’ll never have the chance to tell my parents about the wonderful girl I’m about to marry—they’ll never get to see me this happy. But the two of you do have this chance, right here and right now. You two are the ones who get to choose how it will play out. So think carefully about what you really want.”

With his piece said, Barry stood there in silence, waiting to see what the result would be and ready to leave if necessary.

But then Caitlin’s mask broke completely, and she looked at her mom with a hopeful gaze. The woman finally allowed a small, sad smile to spread across her lips, and she said softly, “Please, Caitlin, sit down. I’d love to hear more about your life and about your... fiancée.”

With a small smile of her own, Caitlin sat back down, ready for a real conversation. Barry still felt a little insulted and underappreciated, but at least the two of them were talking—and that was a good start.

FF FF FF FF FF

Barry came back into the Cortex, mentally exhausted. The start of their talk had quickly turned into a deep heart-to-heart and allowed both mother and daughter to take a large step toward reconciliation.

Caitlin entered behind him with a wide smile on her face. It looked like the rest of the team, including Joe, was waiting for them there.

To be fair, thanks to the deep talk Caitlin had with her mother, they were a couple of hours late. But before any of them could speak, an alarm sounded around the Cortex.

Cisco was quick to check the nearest screen before announcing nervously, “We have an incoming speedster!”

A moment later, an orange and ice-blue lightning-filled streak entered the room.