⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
why does the guy thing have to
be so complicated?

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JULIET WALKED INTO Jitters the next day, her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Nerves bubbled in her stomach, wondering why Barry had wanted to meet her here to talk, but it kind of all went away when she saw him sitting at a table with a wide smile on his face, along with two coffee mugs and a plate with a muffin on it.

"Hey," Barry greeted excitedly.

"Hi," Juliet replied, taking off her jacket.

"One chocolate chip muffin and a vanilla latte, your favorite."

"My favorite," Juliet stated at the same time Barry said your favorite, making her momentarily freeze and look at him.

"Yeah, I know," Barry said. "I know you, J."

"Okay," Juliet voiced slowly. "Do you want to tell me why you're acting so strange?"

"Uh . . ." Barry trailed off, reaching across the table and taking Juliet's hand in his. "Do you believe in fate and destiny, Juliet?"

Fate and destiny. Juliet was suddenly transported back to that one morning, sitting in Oliver's Queen bed when they had broken up.

I don't believe a lot in fate and destiny, Juliet, Oliver had told her. But there's something telling me that you and I aren't meant to be together.

"I do," Juliet responded, her eyebrows knitting in concern. "How — how did you come up with that phrase?"

Barry squeezed her hand. "You."

Juliet got even more confused. "Barry, I — I never told you what Oliver and I talked about when we broke up, and I never told you about fate and destiny." She pulled her hand back from his, tears starting to shine in her eyes as slight anger rose up inside her. "You saw how sad I was after my breakup with Ollie. Why are you bringing it up?"

Barry's eyes slightly widened. "J, wait a sec—"

"No. I might be over Oliver, but it's not fair to spring all those painful emotions back on me. What kind of game is this?"

"Juliet, it's not a game—"

She shook her head and stood up. "I have to go."

Juliet pulled on her jacket and walked out of Jitters, wiping away a tear that had managed to fall down her cheek. She was over Oliver, she really was, but Barry bringing up their breakup with a phrase he claimed she told him about when she definitely hadn't was totally unfair.

She went back to her apartment and sat on her couch, eating some Oreos that she had in her pantry to make herself feel better. Juliet had thankfully not cried besides that one tear she had shed. Her knees were tucked into her chest as she watched some random show that she had pulled up on the TV.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Juliet looked over to see that it was Barry's contact. She rolled her eyes and instantly pressed the decline button, not really wanting to talk to him at all. However, he instantly called her again. Juliet sighed and answered the phone. She went to speak, but Barry beat her to it.

"Listen, I know you probably hate me right now, but Snart's back," Barry revealed. "Go to the Santini crime family's casino."

He then hung up.

Juliet left her apartment and Oreos behind, teleporting into her suit at S.T.A.R. Labs before teleporting away to the casino. When she got there, she saw multiple people hiding behind tables with guns, shooting at a knocked over poker table. There was even a statue of gold. A flash of yellow lightning ran through the casino, getting everyone out besides the people behind the knocked over poker table.

"For real, Snart?" Juliet asked as Barry sped to stand next to her. "How many more times are we going to go through this?"

Snart stood up and pointed his cold gun at her. "Until the best man wins!"

Juliet merely held her hand out, freezing Snart in place as red energy traveled up and down her arms. "Well, I'm a woman, so."

Barry then sped behind the poker table and grabbed a woman. He pointed a gold gun at her throat, holding her close.

"We both know you're not going to do anything to her," Snart stated, still being held in place by Juliet, who was starting to feel her head pound as she focused all of her concentration on him. "Oh, by the way, meet my baby sister. Lisa, Flash, Scarlet. Flash, Scarlet, Lisa. Cisco has been very, very busy. Unless you want me to mail small, frozen pieces of him back to his family, I'd take your hands off her and let me go."

Juliet turned and locked eyes with Barry. They had a mutual understanding — Cisco was more important. Juliet lowered her hand, letting her concentration off of Snart. Barry then let Lisa go, and the siblings met each other in the middle.

"Let him go, Snart," Barry ordered.

"I'll think about it," Snart replied.

He then turned around and walked away. Lisa looked at Barry and blew him a kiss before following after her brother. Juliet clenched her jaw and looked down at the ground, moving around a poker chip with her boot.

A little while later, they stood in the same casino, only this time it was a crime scene. Multiple officers milled around, looking for evidence and interviewing witnesses.

Joe walked up to the two. "Barr, Jules. Witnesses reported seeing the Flash and Scarlet. They said you both had Snart dead to rights, but you let him go? Why?"

Juliet glanced up at Barry for a moment. "Snart and his sister have Cisco."

"Oh, man. Okay. Get to S.T.A.R. Labs. I'll get there when I can."

Barry nodded. "All right."

Together, the two of them walked out of the casino.

"Juliet," Barry began when they got outside. "Hey, can we—"

"Not right now," Juliet pleaded. "We can deal with whatever happened later, but right now, we have to focus on Cisco."

With that, Juliet teleported away.

After explaining what happened, Juliet, Barry, and Dr. Wells all gathered in the cortex. Apparently, Lisa was the same girl that Cisco had met at the bar the previous night. They were reviewing footage from the security cameras at the bar.

"So there's Cisco getting into a car with Snart's sister," Dr. Wells announced. "And the license plate is iced over."

Barry then slammed his fist against the table in frustration. Juliet jumped and her eyes slightly widened from the sudden movement.

Dr. Wells looked up at Juliet. "Ms. St. James, would you mind giving Mr. Allen and me a moment?"

Juliet's eyes flickered in between Barry and Dr. Wells. "Uh . . . sure. I'll just go . . . take a walk."

She turned around and walked out of the cortex, feeling even more confused than she did before. Literally, for the past day, it had felt like her mind was in an endless spiral. Barry's weird behavior still hadn't been explained, and he had brought up a part of her past that she didn't know still pained her. And now Cisco was gone, and Snart was back.

Juliet paced around the elevators for a moment until one opened. She looked up to see that it was Caitlin, her face panicked. Out of all of them, she was the one who was closest to Cisco.

"Hi, Caitlin," Juliet said.

"Any luck?" Caitlin questioned, walking past Juliet to go to the cortex.

Juliet shrugged. "Not much."

Caitlin then entered the cortex, Juliet right behind her. "Did you guys find Cisco?"

Barry shook his head. Together, the four of them started to use all the resources they had at S.T.A.R. Labs to try and find Cisco. They all sat around one table, looking at their computer screens.

"There's nothing on the satellite thermography," Caitlin admitted.

"You were right," Barry voiced. "This is all my fault."

"How is this your fault?"

"Brave heart, Barry," Dr. Wells cut in. "We'll get Cisco back."

"I'm back," a familiar voice then announced.

Juliet's eyes widened and her head whipped around. Sure enough, standing there in the cortex was Cisco himself. She instantly stood up from her chair, walking over to him.

"Oh my God," Caitlin let out. "Are you okay? We were so worried."

"What happened?" Barry inquired as Caitlin pulled Cisco in for a hug.

"How did you escape?" Dr. Wells added.

"I didn't," Cisco answered.

Juliet blinked. "So you're saying that Snart just . . . let you go? Why?"

"He, um . . . he tortured my brother. And he said he was gonna kill him if I didn't . . . if I didn't tell him . . ."

"Tell him what?" Caitlin asked.

Cisco looked at Juliet and Barry, his eyes filled with regret. "Who the Flash and Scarlet really are."

Juliet felt like she just got punched in the stomach. There it was again, her mind spinning out of control. Well, shit.

"I, honestly, man, they . . . they could've killed me." Cisco started to get choked up. "But they were gonna kill my brother. I couldn't let him do that."

Juliet slowly approached Cisco, Barry right next to her. "Cisco."

"I'm sorry, JJ," Cisco cried. "I'm sorry, Barry."

"No," Barry protested.

"I'm so sorry."

Barry looked at Cisco intensely. "I put you in that position." He pulled Cisco in for a hug. "I'm the one who's sorry."

Juliet hugged Cisco once Barry let him go. "It's okay."

Cisco pulled away from her and started to walk out of the cortex.

"Where are you going?" Barry questioned.

Cisco stopped behind the computer desk. "I don't deserve to be here. I won't be the one to put you two in jeopardy. Not again. Never again."

Together, they watched as Cisco left the cortex. Juliet stared at the place where he had once stood in sadness.

While Dr. Wells went off to go get Cisco to stay, Juliet, Barry, and Caitlin got to work analyzing the fight at the casino and why Snart had gone there in the first place. They had reached a conclusion when Dr. Wells came back into the cortex with Cisco.

"The casino wasn't the target," Barry announced.

"Then why did he do it?" Cisco inquired.

"Casinos keep tons of cash on hand to cover their markers, not to mention the money that they make," Caitlin explained.

"But if somebody attacks the casino, the protocol is to relocate the money outside," Juliet added.

"So that was Snart's plan all along," Dr. Wells voiced. "To trigger the move."

"Okay, where is it now?" Cisco asked.

Juliet and Barry followed the tracker, which was on some distant road heading away from Central City. They got into their suits and went to the location. Barry had taken Juliet and ran with her instead of her teleporting by herself so they could talk to Snart together. Juliet could barely tell what was going on because she was moving so fast, but when Barry finally set her down, they were standing in the forest with the moonlight shining down through the trees.

Snart took off his helmet. "Good to see you . . . Barry and Juliet."

Juliet glanced up at Barry. He gave her a small, reassuring nod. Juliet then took off her mask and Barry took down his hood.

"We have to talk," Barry stated. "I know Cisco told you who we are."

"Can't really blame the kid for giving you two up," Snart responded. "The both of you or his brother? Come on. I put him in a tight spot. Same kind I got you two in right now. Can't really stop me now that I know who you are."

Juliet shrugged. "I could appear in front of you and teleport you to our own private prison where you'll never see light again."

"You could, but then I won't be around to stop my own private uplink that'll broadcast both of your identities to the world. So, the million dollar question. What to do with me now, Barry Allen and Juliet St. James?"

"We won't let you keep stealing whatever you want, whenever you feel like it," Barry insisted. "It needs to end."

"Can't do that," Snart argued. "It's what I do."

"You know, maybe you should find a new hobby," Juliet suggested. "Ever heard of knitting?"

"Don't want to."

"And why's that, huh?"

"The same reason you two keep running after guys like me," Snart revealed. "The adrenaline. The thrill of the chase. I love this game. And I'm very good at it."

"Then go play it somewhere else," Barry countered. "Leave Central City."

"Can't do that either. I love it here." He smelled the air. "This city is my home."

Juliet let out a quiet scoff and stepped forwards, Barry walking with her. "You've seen what Barry and I can do, Snart. We can stop you, and you know that. So if you want to keep pushing your luck, go right ahead, but no one else is dying from this point forward. You talk all the time about how you're so good, so prove it. Don't kill anyone to get what you want."

Snart stared at her for a second. "That's true."

Barry got extremely close to Snart. "And if you, or anyone in your rogues' gallery goes near any of my friends or family again, I don't care who you tell my or J's identity to. We're putting you away."

Snart paused for a moment. "I guess your secret's safe . . . Flash." He glanced behind Barry's shoulder to Juliet, who narrowed her eyes. "Scarlet. For now."

Juliet put her mask back on and Barry pulled his hood back up.

"Oh, I don't suppose you'd give me a ride back to town, would you?"

Barry then sped off in a flash of yellow lightning. Juliet gave Snart a two-fingered salute before teleporting away.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, it was only Juliet, Barry, and Dr. Wells in the cortex. Caitlin had gone home for the night and so did Cisco. They had all had a really long day.

"Do you think we made a mistake?" Barry questioned. "Letting Snart go?"

Dr. Wells turned to look at them. "I think you did what you felt was right in the moment. And really, Barry, Juliet, that's the best any of us can hope for."

"Oh, I keep forgetting. I've been meaning to ask you. It's about Simon—"

Juliet then set her eyes on the computer screen, which was playing the news. The headline read Reporter Mason Bridge Missing. Juliet's eyes widened and she tapped Barry's shoulder a couple of times. Barry's voice instantly died out once he saw what was wrong. Juliet suddenly got an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

"You were saying, Mr. Allen?" Dr. Wells urged.

"Uh," Barry said, turning off the computer. "Nothing. Sorry. Night, Dr. Wells."

"Good night, Barry. Good night, Juliet."

Barry clutched onto Juliet's arm, practically dragging her out of the cortex as he lowered his voice. "J, something's not right."

"Yeah, no shit," Juliet replied. "Iris' boss or whatever is missing."

"It's not just that. It's about Dr. Wells."

Her eyebrows knit in thought. "What about Dr. Wells?"

Barry glanced back in the direction of the cortex for a moment. "Hold on."

Before she knew it, Barry took her waist in his arms and sped with her away from S.T.A.R. Labs. In a couple of seconds, Juliet was set back down on her feet. She was now standing in her and Barry's lab at the CCPD.

Barry turned to look at her. "I think he might've been the one who caused Mason Bridge to disappear."

Juliet's eyes widened. "What?"

"Listen. Mason Bridge was writing this whole piece about how Dr. Wells might've had to do with something with Simon Stagg's disappearance, and now, Mason Bridge disappears."

Juliet felt her heart sink. "Is now a good time to tell you that I've been feeling uneasy about Dr. Wells since the whole Firestorm situation?"

Barry nodded. "Then you're on board." He walked over to their rolling bulletin board and lifted up the map, revealing the crime board of his mother's murder. "I think it goes way deeper than that."

Juliet's eyes flickered in between the board and Barry. "You think Dr. Wells had something to do with your mom's murder?"

"I do." He then pulled out his phone. "Hold on, we need to get Joe in on this. He was the one who had that thought in the first place."

Juliet stared at the crime board. The thought of Dr. Wells having something to do with Nora Allen's murder made her absolutely sick to her stomach. That meant he had been pretending and tricking them all along . . .

"Barr, Jules, what's up?" Joe inquired, and Juliet looked over to see him walking into the lab. "Why'd you want to meet up here so late?"

"I think that maybe you were right about Dr. Wells," Barry admitted.

"Which part?"

Barry turned to look at him, determination and anger in his eyes. "All of it."

〖   ϟ   〗

no guys I'm actually being serious this time when I say that there's two more chapters until they get together

JUST BARE WITH ME I'M TRYING MY BEST OUT HERE LOL

gif by zcndayas!