Description: Missing/AU scene from part 1 of Elseworlds.

...

Everything was wrong, completely and totally wrong.

Barry would've liked to have been able to say that his day had at least started out normal, but it hadn't. He had gone to bed as Barry Allen the previous day and had awoken to the next as Oliver Queen. Well, at least to the rest of the world, anyway. He (and the real  Oliver) still knew who he was, but nobody else did and that included his team.

Barry leaned heavily against one of the surfaces in the lab, rubbing his eyes and face in frustration. The others had dispersed a few minutes prior and Oliver had followed not long after, with the intent of trying to talk to Iris.

Truthfully, the whole situation was bothering him a lot more than he liked to admit. It wasn't like Barry hadn't dealt with the impossible before, he was just used to doing it with his friends by his side. But now they didn't even know him as the person he was, and they didn't believe him either.

Barry's thoughts were suddenly broken by the faint click of heels, his gaze immediately darting to the door. That seemed to be a bit of a side effect of his newfound skills, he found himself hearing and noticing things he hadn't before. The hitch of a breath, the crack of a joint, or even a change in a person's voice seemed to be enough to set off alarm bells in Barry's mind. Caitlin came into view a moment later, and Barry felt some of the previous adrenaline melt away. The doctor walked in slowly and calmly, now adorned in her white lab coat.

"Hey, do you mind if I run a few more tests," Caitlin inquired, an apprehension in her words. "I'd just like to take a DNA sample."

"Of course, anything you want," Barry assured, trying to make his own tone seem as open and relaxed as possible.

Caitlin nodded and began to move about the lab, collecting the supplies needed. There was a stiffness to her demeanor though, something about it left an odd twist in Barry's stomach. Maybe it was the way she seemed so unsure when she spoke, or the way she gave him such a wide berth as she moved around him.

She seemed calm, but not exactly comfortable, not like she usually was with him. Barry kinda hated it. She was as kind and courteous as always, but her guard was up in a way it had never been with him. Because to her, he was a friend and a guest at S.T.A.R. Labs. But he wasn't Barry, he wasn't her Barry.

The former speedster had been gifted (or rather cursed) with a perspective he had never had before. An outside one. Caitlin had never really had to ask him if she wanted to run a test, and she knew that. Even when he had been a comatose stranger, she hadn't even hesitated to ask for a urine sample. His health and his well being had just always been something she had taken care of, and Barry always found a strange comfort in that. But now it wasn't and it bothered him a lot more than it probably should've.

Caitlin soon approached him, slipping on her medical gloves and producing a cotton swab. Barry opened his mouth before she even had to say a word and the doctor quickly and efficiently swabbed the inside of his cheek. After that, she put it in a sterile tube and discarded her gloves. Caitlin slipped the sample safely in her pocket and gave him a quick 'thank you,' before heading for the door.

Barry would've been lying if he said he didn't feel his heart sink a little. He wanted to talk to her, he wanted her to help him make sense of the whole thing, to find out what had happened. He wasn't even sure he could do it without her help.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Barry spoke up, causing her to turn back.

The beat of silence that followed gave him the answer.

"I believe that you believe what you're telling us," she finally replied, not unkindly.

Barry let out a barely audible huff, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"But you have to understand," Caitlin continued, gravitating back towards him, "it would be like someone trying to tell you that the moon was actually the sun. I've known Barry for years, he's my friend. And having someone try and tell me that he's actually somebody else...it's just difficult for me to wrap my head around," she reasoned.

"But, I am a scientist. I can't rule anything out yet," Caitlin added, almost reassuringly. "I'm going to run your DNA against some samples we already have."

Barry nodded wordlessly, feeling a bit defeated. Caitlin gave him a pat on the shoulder and once again began to walk away.

He knew there was no physical evidence that would back up his claim, and the DNA results would be no different. The whole of reality had been altered around him, leaving behind no traces. Barry once again ran a hand over his face, feeling the tension collect in his shoulders and neck. He exhaled slowly and resolved to go find Oliver. However, his intentions were cut short by a single thought flickering through his mind. Barry felt a tiny spark of hope ignite within him.

There was no evidence, but there were still memories. And he knew of a memory in particular that really only Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow had shared. It would work, it had too. He quickly stood up straighter, moving forward a little as she moved away.

"Summer lovin', had me a blast," Barry sang, his voice low but audible.

Caitlin stopped in her tracks, suddenly going rigid. Barry tried in vain to stop the smirk that crept onto his features.

"What did you just say?" Caitlin said in a low tone, slowly turning back towards him.

"Well, I could continue, but as I recall, you make a much better Sandy" Barry replied, a teasing note to his tone.

Caitlin's eyes went wide at that.

"How?" She breathed out, bewildered and somewhat flustered. "How do you know about that," she questioned, firmly pointing a finger at him.

"Because I was there," Barry replied, taking a step towards her. "I was there when you got drunk and we sang a duet of Summer Nights."

"I was there when you threw up in the parking lot, and I was there when you asked me to stay with you until you fell asleep. Actually...you might not remember that," Barry backtracked, "you were pretty out of it..."

"I remember," she cut him off, visibly cringing, "I just wish I didn't."

"The point is, I have been here since day one," Barry continued, a sincerity in his eyes. "I was there every time you patched me up and told me everything was going to be okay. I was there when you lost Ronnie, and I was there when..." his voice faltered for a moment. "I was there when Zoom took you, and when you got your powers. All of it."

"It's me, Caitlin," Barry whispered, catching her gaze.

After that, he reached down and took her hand in both of his. She was apprehensive at first, but she allowed it.

"Just take a moment and close your eyes. Forget about everything else," he spoke softly, brushing his thumb against her knuckles.

Caitlin gave him a look, but she complied, taking a deep breath and allowing her eyes to flutter closed.

"Forget who you think I am, forget about what everybody else says. Forget all of it. Don't even think about any of it. Just...see me," he whispered, a hint of desperation in his words. "Please, Cait. See me."

After a few moments, she opened her eyes again. Then she looked at him, really looked at him, her gaze holding a familiar spark.

"Okay," she eventually spoke. "I believe you," Caitlin answered softly.

Barry let out a relieved breath, pulling her into a hug before he realized what he was doing. To his surprise, she hugged him back just as warmly as he always remembered.

"Now we just have to convince the others," she said as they pulled away.

"I think I have a few ideas for Cisco," Barry admitted as the two began to walk together, turning down the winding halls. "It involves movie quotes."

"That will work," Caitlin only smiled and shook her head.

They were both quiet for a while after that, the only sound being the echo of their footsteps.

"So, hey," Barry eventually spoke up, his voice a decibel too high for his liking, "do you really remember everything about that night?"

Caitlin paused in her steps, drawing in a fortifying breath. "Yes," she replied with a forced calm.

"Yeah, but I mean everything," he continued, feeling as if he was digging his own grave. "I mean the dress and the comment about your..." Barry swallowed thickly, gesturing vaguely to her...goods.

"YES," Caitlin answered a bit louder and more sheepishly, hints of red creeping onto her cheeks. "I didn't tell you because I was trying to spare us both some embarrassment," she added, crossing her arms over her chest.

Barry nodded rather vehemently, not quite trusting his voice at that moment.

"But now that it's out in the open, I want to make one thing perfectly clear," Caitlin began, a threat evident in her tone, "we never, ever speak of it again."

"Okay," Barry answered, unsure of whether to be amused or fearful.

Caitlin nodded in satisfaction and the two continued their walk in silence. However, it was broken only a few moments later as Barry took a chance and began to hum the tune of 'Summer Nights.'

"Don't you dare," she warned, a dangerous blue glint in her eyes.

Barry let out a genuine laugh, enjoying her reaction far too much for his own good.