Only Because I Need You

Learning To Trust

Iris was standing so close to Caitlin's side, that Caitlin could practically feel the heat from her body. The rest of team Flash, including Joe, were dotted around the cortex. Their faces were calm and hard, but Caitlin knew they were willing to listen, "let me get this straight," Barry cleared his throat, sitting forward in the seat he had taken next to the cortex's front desk, "you want us to go to a potentially dangerous club at night to see if we can see collect any information, and talk to regulars?" He raised his eyebrows.

Iris and Caitlin turned to one another, but it was Iris who's spoke, "exactly," she crossed her arms over her chest, staring down her husband, practically daring him to challenge her. How Caitlin admired that woman.

"Oh hell no," Cisco squeaked, he stood just behind Barry, his hands flew about him in a flurry of movement, "Johnning knows who we are. What if one of you ends up being abducted," he narrowed his eyes at Caitlin, "again,"

"Even better," Caitlin felt an amused smile cross her face. She had missed the way that Cisco's hands would flap around in the air when he was frustrated. If Caitlin was kidnapped at the club, then she could find out more whilst being held captive.

"No, no, definitely no," Harry scolded them, "it's too risky, it's too dangerous,"

"Baby, what happens if you get separated from Barry and Cisco, then you will be on your own, you could be seriously hurt," Joe's baritone carried across the room.

Iris rolled her eyes, "listen, talking to the manager of Twoot was a dud, this could be our only other chance at cracking the mystery,"

A somber silence possessed the group, she was right and they knew it, "but who would be here for Sonny, to look after him, what if he is attacked?" Cisco replied defensively, his tone sharpened.

"We could let Ethan take care of him," Caitlin piped in, her face lit up at the prospect. It would give Ethan a chance to prove himself as trustworthy. From the rare glimpses she got of him, she could tell he was suffering without his speed. That could be his chance to regain his abilities.

Cisco looked at her as though she had grown a second head, "you're kidding, right? You want Ethan as in the evil and twisted version of Barry from the future to help us? No, we would need to give him his speed back,"

"He used to be evil and twisted, but he is still Barry," she nodded to her friend, who had a troubled look on his face. The air in the room shifted. Harry appeared to be deep in thought, his eyes were glazed over and his breathing shallowed. Caitlin could tell he was leaning towards their side, she just needed to give him a final push.

"We can't leave Ethan alone with his speed, he is unpredictable," Barry shook his head sitting upright. Caitlin bit her lip. She understood why none of them trusted Ethan, but they needed to give him a chance. She was certain he would help with a little persuasion and it would double as a chance for him to prove himself.

"Okay then, Cisco can look after Sonny and Ethan can come with us," Iris added, Caitlin glanced at her from the corner of her eye. Iris seemed to want to trust Ethan, to put her faith in him and it warmed Caitlin's heart. She knew that the more people that trusted Ethan, the more likely he would be to not let them down. The only reason Barry had turned to Savitar, was because he had nothing left to loose and no one to rely on him. He had become an outcast.

"No... we just can't trust him Caitlin," Barry looked at her with rounded eyes. Caitlin prevented herself from getting angry. Barry had singled her out, when both her and Iris were presenting a front against him.

"Fine then, don't trust him. Trust me," she raised her eyebrows. If they refused her, then it would show her that they didn't trust her. Teams relied on trust to keep them functioning, and if there was no trust, then Caitlin might have had to think more deeply about her friendship with the team.

Ethan felt a small smile tug at his lips. He was settled into one of the armchairs in Caitlin's immaculately clean living room. She was comfortably sitting across from him, her large round eyes pleaded with him silently, "you want me to help you again?" He sighed, raising an eyebrow.

Caitlin pursed her lips, "I know it is a lot to ask, but I wouldn't have if I thought that you wouldn't help," she told him softly. Her petit features softened his resolve. There she went, putting her trust in him. He didn't understand why she felt as though she could rely on him, but she might have been the only person in the world that did. He felt a tug in his gut, he wanted to help her. He tried to smother that want desperately, but it just kept resurfacing.

He jutted his jaw out to the side, "couldn't Barry just keep an eye on you both? You're not the most difficult to keep track of," He felt the corners of his lips tug upwards as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Iris made that same point, but Barry was worried that we would get separated," she explained, her voice remained placid and cool. She began to fight with her slender fingers as she awaited his response, "We would also have to give you back your speed," she offered.

That caught his attention, a wicked smile slapped him in the face. The idea of having lightning crackling at his heels once more made his heart skip a beat. It had already been over a month since he had entered the speedforce, and just like an addict he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. He was always on edge and he could never stop moving. Time seemed to crawl by inch by inch, except when he was with Caitlin. She always seemed to be able to find ways to entertain him, "Fine," he replied, "but don't expect me to jump in front of a bullet for you," he informed her, raising his brows strictly.

"Why would jump in front of the bullet when you could just catch it?" A playful smirk tickled her cheeks and amusement lit up her eyes. Her hands were relaxed on her lap.

He opened his mouth to reply, before clamping his mouth shut. He narrowed his eyes at her, he hadn't meant it literally, but she was speaking the truth. He grumbled in defeat, "touché,"

A/N - Sorry, I lost track of when I published last. Typical me, some days I don't know the difference between Monday and Tuesday lol. Anyway, enjoy!