⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
juliet st. james, alterer of realities

⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

JULIET HAD ALREADY been stuck in a box with no way to get out on Earth-Two. She wasn't exactly happy to have the exact same thing happen to her on Earth-One — especially by her friends.

Truth be told, she didn't know how long her and Barry had been trapped for. It felt like an eternity, but a lot of it probably had to do with them not even speaking, just sitting there in silence basking in their own anger. So she continued to sit there, staring down at the ground, trying to control the energy in her veins that was screaming at her to do something.

Suddenly, after a while, Juliet heard the sound of the screen that controlled the Particle Accelerator beep. She picked her head up and shared a confused look with Barry as the door started to open. Juliet accepted Barry's hand, standing up with him as they both stared out of the glass. The doors to the cell opened, and the two walked out, only to see . . . Wally.

"Look," Wally began. "Everyone's gonna freak when they find out I did this, but I don't care. We need your guys' help, Barry and Juliet."

So, apparently, in a desperate attempt to stop Zolomon by themselves, Joe had been kidnapped to Earth-Two. Juliet kind of just wanted to show up and scream hey, look how you can't fight a super speedster alone? at them, but it didn't seem like the right time. Juliet let Wally finish telling them what happened before she latched onto his arm and Barry's arm, teleporting them up to the cortex where everyone was.

" . . . in their cell anymore," Jesse was saying.

"Wally!" Iris scolded.

"What?" Wally argued. "I wasn't just gonna stand here and let this happen."

"You let him take Joe?" Barry asked, walking to the desk to face Harry. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Allen, there was nothing we could do," Harry insisted.

"Nothing you could do without us, you mean," Juliet cut in.

Barry nodded. "You could've let me race him!"

"Allen!" Harry shouted. "You're not racing Zoom!"

"What are you gonna do? Are you gonna tranq J and I again?"

"Don't tempt me."

Juliet's eyes narrowed at him. "As if I'd let you catch me off guard again."

"Look, I know you guys made a pact to keep Zoom on Earth-Two, but you did that without me, without J, and without Wally," Barry said. "All right? You don't get to do that!"

"Barry, look at yourself right now," Cisco stated. "You're not okay."

"Cisco, my dad was just killed in front of me! Do you have any idea how that feels?"

"Watching someone you love die?" Caitlin interrupted. "Yes, I do."

"Cait—" Barry started to say before walking away, instantly gravitating to Juliet's side.

"Look, Barry. I — I know how cold and angry and distant that can make you. But when this happened to me, you were the one who kept me in check. You told me to stop and take a breath, and that's all we're telling you to do now."

"I'm telling you, I'm good."

"Really?" Harry replied. "You're good? Because it seems to me you want to do more than stop Zoom. It seems to me you want revenge. If that's why you're doing this, Allen, you will lose."

Barry shook his head. "Look, you guys. I — you may not think I can do this. You may think I'm too angry. But we're running out of time. I have to beat him, and I'm going to, whether I have your help or not. So which one is it?"

Juliet tilted her head slightly when he glanced back at her. "Right behind you, always."

Barry's insistence must have sparked some sense of urgency in the others, because even though they were so hellbent on having something like this not happen, they agreed. They all migrated downstairs, back in the same room they recreated the Particle Accelerator to communicate with Zolomon.

"So how does this work?" Barry questioned.

"It's the same way we took JJ into the Speed Force," Cisco answered. "Harry does his best Frankenstein, you hold my hand, and I vibe you there."

"All right, let's do it."

Cisco extended his hands out to the two superheroes. Juliet made momentary eye-contact with Barry before grabbing onto Cisco's hand. Flashing images that were too fast for her mind to register until she landed back in Zolomon's lair. Not her exact favorite place to be, especially considering Joe was chained up in the cell Jesse used to be in.

"I'll do it," Barry announced. "Say when and where. I'll be there."

"Cisco's learned how to bring people into his vibes," Zolomon commented.

"There's one condition. You bring Joe back. But if he's harmed in any way, it's off."

"I'll bring him, but I won't release him until after we race. Deal?"

Barry nodded. "Deal."

ϟ ···················· ϟ ···················· ϟ

ZOLOMON HAD TOLD them to meet them in Mercury Labs' site, which had the Magnetar that he had stolen to use as a pulsar. Juliet tucked her hands into the pockets of her suit jacket, staring up at the brightly lit circle.

"I tell you, Jay might be crazy pants, but he can pick a venue," Cisco admitted.

They suddenly heard a whoosh. Juliet glanced over, only to see Zolomon had sped in, holding Joe, who was handcuffed. Juliet glared at him harshly, her heart pounding against her chest.

"Brought the whole crew with you, huh?" Zolomon inquired. "Can't say I blame you."

Wally stepped forwards. "Dad."

"Wally," Iris called, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"It's gonna be one hell of a show," Zolomon told them.

"Let him go," Barry demanded.

"After we race."

"Cut the crap," Harry said, his gun pointed right at Zolomon. "We know your plan to power up the Magnetar so you can destroy the multiverse."

"Bravo, you figured it out . . ." Zolomon remarked. "Almost. I don't want to destroy all of it. This Earth is at the center of the Multiverse. It's the access point to every other Earth in existence. One trans-dimensional shockwave, and . . . poof."

"Leaving just our Earth," Cisco finished. "How generous of you."

"Need to have some place to hang my cowl." His eyes flickered to Juliet momentarily. "You might want to say your goodbyes . . . and no helping, Witch."

Juliet swallowed nervously, but she kept the composure on her face. Of course, going into this, she knew there was a possibility that Barry could end up dead. The fact that this race was here now was bringing that to the forefront of her mind. She remembered how she felt when Barry got sucked into the Speed Force, how heartbroken she was . . . but no. That wouldn't happen this time. That couldn't happen this time. Barry would win. He had to.

She snapped herself out of it. "It's Scarlet, and don't you fucking forget it."

Zolomon glared at her before speeding off with Joe in a flash of blue lightning.

Barry turned to face Iris and Wally. "Don't worry. I'm gonna save your dad."

"No," Wally stated. "You're gonna save our dad."

"Get back to S.T.A.R. Labs. It's safer."

"We're not going anywhere," Cisco refused. "We got eyes and ears right here."

"Either he goes, or we all die together," Caitlin added.

"We believe in you," Harry told him.

Juliet gave him a tiny smile. "Come home to me, will you?"

Barry leaned down and kissed her softly for a moment. "Always."

"Wait," Iris interjected before Barry walked away. "Barry . . . kick his ass."

Barry's lips slid into a smirk, and determination flashed in his eyes before he sped off to join Zolomon by the Magnetar. Juliet let out a deep breath, watching before her as the two talked. It was a bit too far away for her to hear, but she assumed that they were discussing the rules.

Even though she was still upset with her, Juliet couldn't stay away from Iris for long. That's just the way they had always been. So when Juliet reached over and linked her arm with Iris' for comfort, Iris merely held onto her tighter.

The two speedsters pulled on their hoods, and in a flash of blue and yellow lightning, they took off. All Juliet could see was a blur of light until white electricity hit the sphere right in the middle of the whole structure.

"He's powering up the Magentar," Harry stated.

"Come on, Barry," Cisco let out. "Catch up."

Juliet watched a white beam lift up into the sky before her eyes locked on Barry's color. "You got this."

A rift opened up. It was a bright light portal surrounded by red clouds, a lot like Cisco's breaches that he used to travel between dimensions. However, on the Magnetar, the singular flash of yellow lightning suddenly split into two.

"Which one's Barry?" Iris asked.

"Both of them," Harry responded. "He made a—"

"Time remnant," him and Cisco chorused.

One of the Barry's ran off of the track and let Joe out of his handcuffs. Zolomon then leaped off of the Magentar, catching the Barry who was on the ground while one of them kept running around. The sphere had a small electrical spark, making them all jump back in shock. As the rift got bigger and bigger, Barry and Zolomon sprinted off to the side and started fighting each other. Meanwhile, the other Barry started running circles around the main portion of the Magnetar on the ground.

"What's the time remnant doing?" Caitlin questioned.

"He's creating his own pulse," Cisco replied.

"Why would he do that?" Jesse added.

"Because, if that's out of phase, it'll counteract that one," Harry explained.

"Wait, his body can't handle that," Caitlin protested.

"Then what's gonna happen?" Jesse inquired.

"He'll die," Harry stated.

Juliet's breath hitched in her throat. She knew that Barry wasn't her Barry, but still. Same heroics. He was willing to die to save everyone.

The white beam of light suddenly turned yellow. Juliet watched as time remnant Barry faded out of existence, and all of the energy went into the center portion. A shockwave of yellow lightning followed the beam all the way up to the top, closing the rift for good. Juliet felt a smile creep onto her face. He had won.

But the speedsters weren't done. Barry chased Zolomon around for a few seconds before slamming him into a box. Zolomon, clearly dazed, let Barry punch him over and over. He sped off, but Barry was faster. He grabbed his legs, making Zolomon flip up into the air. Barry then slammed his arm down on Zolomon, and his figure crumpled to the ground. He ripped off Zolomon's mask and lifted a vibrating hand above him . . . just like Thawne. Juliet's eyes widened and she instantly teleported over to him.

"You're a hero, Barry," Zolomon let out. "You couldn't kill me before. You won't kill me now."

A screech was suddenly heard. Juliet's eyes widened further, and she jumped a bit. A little bit away from them, a swirling cloud had opened up, and two Time Wraiths flew out of it.

Barry pressed Zolomon's shoulders into the ground. "I don't have to."

He let Zolomon go and moved back to stand next to Juliet, who immediately grabbed his hand. Zolomon screamed as the Time Wraiths flew at him and started to circle him. Juliet watched before her very eyes as everything about him changed. His lightning faded to red, along with the backwards lightning symbol on his chest, and his skin turned cracked and dead. The Time Wraiths picked him up and flew him into the air, before disappearing back into their swirling cloud.

"Holy shit," Juliet commented.

Barry nodded in agreement. "Holy shit."

ϟ ···················· ϟ ···················· ϟ

"OKAY, SO YOU ran back in time and made a copy of yourself?" Wally asked.

The final fight had left everyone tired and a bit confused — especially Barry. So, they all gathered back in the cortex to debrief everything. Juliet had finally taken the time to change back into her regular clothes, and she leaned against the desk with her arms crossed, her eyes following Barry around the room.

"Well, uh, basically," Barry said. "Yeah."

"It's called a time remnant," Jesse stated.

"It's not something that I can do every day, but I needed a way to draw the Time Wraiths out of the Speed Force, hoping they'd be more upset at what Zoom had done than they'd be with me."

"Is that what I look like when they start talking about science?" Joe questioned, pointing to Wally's confused face.

Iris nodded, and Juliet let out a small laugh. "Pretty much."

"Don't worry, Wally. It'll get easier to understand."

"Well, how does that even work?" Wally inquired.

Barry shrugged. "Same way Zoom did it. I ran back in time moments before I left. It's the only way I can be in two places at once."

"Okay, so the time remnant, it's still you?"

"Yeah."

"But he died," Caitlin reminded him.

"Uh . . ." Barry trailed off. "He was willing to sacrifice himself for all of us."

"That's how much he loved us," Iris voiced.

Juliet smiled a little. "Classic Barry Allen."

"You know what?" Wally began. "We'll just — we'll forget about it. Uh, Barry, I'm glad you're okay."

Juliet then glanced over at the medbay. Remember, back when she was in Zoom's lair, how she promised she would come back for the man in the iron mask when this was all over? Well, she hadn't forgotten her promise, and she hadn't broken it, either. Cisco had breached them over back to Zoom's lair on Earth-Two so they could pick him up and bring him over to Earth-One. Currently, him and Harry were trying to get the mask off of him.

"You know what?" Harry let out. "In battle, choose your weapon wisely. All right? Some people choose a gun. I choose a Phillips-head screwdriver."

Cisco took the screwdriver from him. "Oh, oh, I'm sorry. You're so particular."

"Ramon, can you just please — have you ever worked with a tool before?"

"I'm working with one now."

Harry put his hand on the mask. "Are you ready? One, two, and . . ."

He twisted the back and the mask got unlocked. Juliet titled her head in confusion at how both Harry and Cisco seemed extremely shell-shocked when the lifted the mask up.

"I don't know what's more annoying, being in that thing or listening to you two arguing about it," the man complained, but he sounded oddly . . . familiar.

Juliet stood up a little straighter. The man came out of the medbay to reveal himself as the doppelganger of Henry Allen. Of course, with a beard and a mustache and old clothes, but he was Henry.

"Um . . ." Barry let out. "You're—"

"I'm Jay Garrick, the real Jay Garrick," he revealed. Jay looked around at all of their shocked expressions. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I — I'm sorry."

Barry, without another glance, completely left the cortex. Juliet watched after him, her heart sinking all the way down to her stomach. After watching Henry die, seeing him again but so different had to be awful.

Joe put a hand on Juliet's shoulder. "I got this one."

Juliet nodded. It id make sense, though, for one of Barry's dads to help him through this instead of her. He needed a fatherly figure. That was what Joe was for.

Harry and Cisco went to go help Jay. They got his suit, that Zolomon had stolen, and gave him time to clean up himself from the months that he had just been sitting there. In the meantime, Barry came back into the room, and Juliet frowned at the way his eyes were red and he was just staring at the floor. He slowed to a stop next to her and placed a hand on the small of her back.

Juliet rubbed his back softly. "You don't have to do this, you know." She glanced back at Jay, who now looked a lot better, especially in his suit. "Don't push yourself."

Barry shook his head. "I'll be fine."

Cisco walked up to Jay, holding the mask. "So the reason you didn't have your powers is because there was a dampener in the mask. You see?"

Jay took it. "I don't want to see this thing ever again."

He vibrated his hand. Instantly, the mask split in half, and metal clattered to the floor.

Cisco stared at the metal. "So your powers are back."

"I see Jay — excuse me — Hunter — stole your color scheme too," Joe noted, looking at his suit.

"He took a lot of things that were mine, except for that," Jay revealed, pointing to the winged hat. "That's, um — that's all him."

"He said it was his father's from the war," Iris told him.

Harry picked up the hat and gestured to Jesse with it. "Ironically, on my — on our Earth, this helmet stood for hope."

Jay eyed it. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe I can continue that sentiment." Jay took the hat from Harry. "Take something from him, for a change. Make it my own."

He put the hat on. And, Juliet had to be honest, it did fit him. Made him look more like a superhero.

"It suits you," Caitlin said.

"Thank you, all of you, for saving me from Zoom," Jay voiced. "Especially you, Scarlet."

Juliet smiled at him. "A promise is a promise. Good luck, Flash."

He tipped his hat to her, and she nodded to him in response.

"Now, all I have to do is find my way home," Jay announced.

"And where's that?" Wally asked.

"I think you would call it Earth-Three."

"Uh-huh," Cisco replied. "Well, I can get you to Earth-Two."

"My daughter and I can help you with the rest," Harry cut in.

Jesse blinked. "We can?"

"Yes, we can. We're going home."

As much as it hurt, Juliet knew that Harry and Jesse had to leave. This wasn't their Earth at all. The only reason they came over was to stop Zoom and seek refuge from his terror.

They all gathered downstairs in the main breach room. Harry then started to around, saying goodbye to Caitlin and Joe before moving onto Juliet and Barry.

"Hey," Barry greeted.

Harry hugged Barry first. "I'm a better man than I was when I got here." He let go of Barry and hugged Juliet. "And that's 'cause of you two."

Juliet grinned at him. "You've changed us for the better too, Harry."

They then stepped to the side to let Harry say goodbye to Cisco. She sighed a little. Even through all the heartbreak and terror, Harry and Jesse had become part of their family. Juliet would always be forever grateful for them.

Jesse looked around at all of them. "Thank you guys, seriously. For saving our home."

"Mm-hmm," Harry hummed in agreement.

Jay put his hat on. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Harry and Jesse chorused.

Jay stood in between them and grabbed onto them tightly. Cisco put on his goggles and extended his fist out, and the breach to Earth-Two opened up. Jay sped forwards, and in a flash of yellow lightning, the three of them entered the breach, which closed behind them.

It wasn't much of a celebration, nor was anybody in the celebrating mood, but they gathered back at the West house nevertheless. They sat together in the living room, watching the news, which was talking about how the Flash had finally defeated Zoom. Juliet was sitting on the arm of the couch next to Caitlin, laughing at something Cisco had said, until she heard the door close. She glanced back, only to see that Barry, who had been standing by the wall, was no longer there.

She frowned a little, standing up from her spot. Juliet walked out of the house and softly shut the door behind her. Barry was sitting on the top step, his back against the railing, seemingly lost in thought. She walked over, sitting in the same position opposite of them. No matter what, something always seemed to draw the two of them back to this porch. It was where they had their first kiss, where they talked about Henry, and now . . . well, Juliet would see.

"I can't stop thinking about my dad's doppelganger," Barry admitted. "Seeing him, knowing that he's out there, that should've made it easier. It doesn't. It just made me miss him even more."

"Nothing about this situation has ever been easy," Juliet stated. "But I can't even imagine how hard that was for you."

"We just won. We just beat Zoom. Why does it feel like I just lost?"

She gave him a sad smile. "Because he took so much. You've lost a lot." Juliet sat forwards, meeting his eyes. "But you haven't lost me."

Barry grinned back at her, although it didn't really reach his eyes. "You've always been my rock, even if I didn't realize it sooner. But right now . . . I just feel so hollowed out inside." His eyes instantly filled with tears, and Juliet tilted her head slightly, her heart shattering even more. "I feel more broken than I've ever felt in my life. I know I'm worth a lot to you, you've proven it time and time again, but I need to fix what's wrong with me. I need to find some — some peace." He sniffled. "Not a break up, because that would kill me, but just some . . . time. Or space."

"I've waited my entire life for you." Juliet reached over and grabbed his hand. "What's a little more, right? Do whatever you have to do and go wherever you need to go. Just . . ." She scrunched up her nose just a bit. "Come back to me, will you?"

He squeezed her hand. "Always. You're not my forever lover for nothing."

"I love you. Please remember that."

Barry immediately leaned forwards and kissed her gently for a moment before pulling back. "I love you more."

He squeezed her hand again before letting go. Juliet watched as he stood up and walked down the steps. Once he reached the bottom, he glanced back at her. Juliet gave him a tiny grin and a wave, and he gave a small smile back before speeding off.

She watched him race down the street, leaving nothing behind but a flash of yellow lightning and a gust of wind. Deep down, in her heart, she knew what he was going to do. She knew what he meant by finding peace. Juliet knew Barry better than anyone, anyways.

And, honestly, she couldn't blame him for it. After all the pain and heartbreak he went through, he needed some time away — a different life, some could say. Yet, Juliet could help with that. She had mastered her powers over the last two years, but there was one power that she hadn't tried at all. One that was told to her by Eobard Thawne when they found out Barry could run back in time. It was really now or never.

Juliet looked up at the sky, the stars twinkling back at her. She focused — really focused, energy sparking from her veins all the way down to her fingertips. The very familiar red energy moved between her fingers fluidly. Somehow, someway, she could feel the power inside of her reach all the way to space in the cosmos. Oliver always told her she was magic, and she never believed it, but this . . . this seemed like magic. The energy in her hands grew brighter, and her brain was slight with thought, telling her that whatever she wanted, it just had to be said.

And then she whispered it.

"Let Nora Allen live."

〖 ϟ 〗

𝓣𝓗𝓔 𝓔𝓝𝓓

hi guys 🥰 thank you so much for reading this book, it really means a lot to me <3 also season two was unmatched lol

I know some of y'all don't want to hear this, but I'm actually going to take a bit of a break from this story for a while. I've found myself losing interest a little bit, and plus these chapters take me pretty long to write as well. I think I just need some time to regather my thoughts and just chill for a little while. if and when I come back to it, I'll definitely let you know :)