Within Seconds: Sylas & Allen

Fragile As A Dream

For the following weeks, the three stayed at Caitlin's place. Every night for a week straight after her passing, they did jello shots in her honor. Not a day went by where one of them didn't cry at the minor thought of her. 

Barry held the duty of telling her mother. He sat across from her and told her that her only daughter had gone. If watching her go wasn't enough, her mother's reaction did. It killed her. It killed him again. They were lucky her family was ignorant to Melody. The suffering of one was enough for her family.

When the three were mentally prepared, they faced the house together, as promised. Caitlin brought a few cardboard boxes, in case Barry wanted to pack a few things, despite his inconstancy against leaving their apartment.

"I just need some time to adjust," he had told them, "I can't leave this place."

Barry's arms were crossed tightly across his chest. He felt as though he was observing a life he had no part in. His belongings were scattered throughout the place, but he didn't feel at home there anymore. He was uncomfortable in their apartment. 

"Hey, I forgot about this," chuckled Cisco. He held a maroon button up with dark yellow lightning bolts scattered over it. "I wore this for Flash Day... She made fun of it. I never knew she took it."

"She's also got your dinosaurs, robots, and aliens shirt in the depths of the closet," muttered Barry, "listen, guys, if there's anything you want to take..."

"No," said Caitlin.

"We can't," said Cisco.

Barry shrugged. "She wouldn't mind," he told them. He went quiet as he popped open the drawer under the coffee table. He tossed a limited edition DVD set of both Star Wars and Star Trek to Cisco. "Always did say that these were yours, though."

Cisco held them to his chest. He smiled, for the first time in weeks. 

"What are the chances she left me anything?" asked Caitlin.

Barry went to the mantle above the fireplace, where terribly posed pictures of their families were displayed. He took down the framed photo of Caitlin, hidden between Cisco and Jesse's designated frames. He handed it to her. 

Caitlin was at a loss of words when her eyes landed on the picture. It was taken the night she and Parker cleaned the house, when she nicknamed her Strawberry Shortcake. Being nice, Caitlin had taken the bathroom, and she was shrieking disgustingly as she used the scrubber on the inside of the toilet. The silly girl had taken a picture of the experience. She went a step forward and framed it.

"Did she leave anything for you?" wondered Cisco. 

"I would hope," mumbled Barry. 

"Where would she leave it?" asked Caitlin.

"She practically left me the entire house."

"I would assume there's something she left for you, Barry, she knew for a while," said Cisco, "maybe if we just looked in some secret spots--"

"Cisco, I don't know," exhaled Barry.

He and Caitlin exchanged a look. 

Barry struggled to withhold his tears. "Just--Just hold on, okay?" he said, his lip quivering. He ran into their bedroom before he broke in front of them. 

He took a seat on their bed. He inhaled deep breaths and blinked wildly to calm himself. He was on a three day no cry streak. Breaking it would label him as more of  a failure than he already thought himself to be. 

Barry suddenly snapped his head to the door. Cisco had suggested she left him something in a secret spot in their apartment. In an instant, Barry tore through their bedroom. He scoured every crack and crevice. He didn't find anything  obvious. 

Frustrated, he threw a book at their bookcase. The grey fleece she hung on the corner of the case fell to the floor. Barry sighed. He picked it up from the floor. He was going to hang it up once more, but he stopped, when he felt something crinkle within her pocket. 

Baby, hi. It's me. I wear this jacket almost every day, as you know, so I'm assuming you'll come across this note one of the days after I'm gone. That's the only reason you would touch my coat. We both know you avoid laundry like the plague. Okay! So, back to the point: I did leave you something, of course. Finding it won't be easy. Here's your hint: on a special night at home, we danced to this song. Good luck(:

Barry stared at the letter in his hands. He racked his brain for an idea of what she meant. They danced together often, in many places, even if it was simple swaying. As far as he could remember, there was one time she went to great lengths to play music for them. He remembered, because he made fun of her for having the same some tattooed on her torso.

"'Don't Dream It's Over,'" he recited, "that's by... That's by...? Uh..."

Any books in the shelves belonged to him, excluding the three comic books she shoved in there to claim some space. The rest of the space was lined with her CD collection. Barry scanned the bookcase until he found the Crowded House album. He popped it open. 

A silver flash drive fell into his hands. 

That was it. That was her present to him.