⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘

CHAPTER ELEVEN
one they couldn't save

⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

JULIET HATED EVERYTHING.

After Joe's phone call and the conversation with Cisco, Barry had this brilliant idea to talk to Iris as their superhero personas to try and get her to stop writing her blog. Juliet didn't really like the plan, but Barry seemed pretty adamant about it, promising her that it would work.

Begrudgingly, Juliet agreed.

So there the two of them stood in a dark corner by Jitters, where the two of them knew Iris was, cleaning up the place after her shift. Juliet nervously shifted her feet and smoothed down the fabric of her red jacket. Her eyes were already tinted red and she was ready to put a blurring effect over her face with her powers — something that she had tried when Barry first suggested the plan — if needed.

"I don't like this plan," Juliet admitted.

"I know," Barry replied. "You've only told me, like, fifty times."

"Yeah, because there's a possibility that she can find out it's us."

Barry let out a sigh. "We'll be fine, J. Come on, we should probably start."

Juliet nodded and took a deep breath. Her and Barry approached the door, only to see Iris in a dimly lit Jitters, cleaning up plates and cups. Barry knocked at the door and Juliet flicked her hand, making the bell that signaled people were coming in chime.

"Sorry, we're closed," Iris called.

Barry and Juliet shared a quick glance. He then sped in, making napkins fly to the floor. Juliet teleported in right beside him, both of them staring at Iris, their faces slightly darkened by the lack of light.

"Oh my God, it's you," Iris breathed out, her eyes flickering between the two of them.

"Iris West, I hear you've been writing about us," Barry stated, his voice echoing due to him vibrating his vocal cords.

Iris stepped away at the counter, looking at the two in shock. "You two are real. I should, um, let me just clean up—"

Barry interrupted her by speeding forwards and collecting all of the plates and cups off the tables. Juliet then flicked her hand, red energy traveling between her fingers as she straightened the chairs. She then teleported back by Barry, who was standing by the door.

"We'll be on the roof," Juliet told her, her voice also different because she was also causing her vocal cords to vibrate with her powers. "You get a head start."

Iris, with a big smile on her face, turned around and started to run up the stairs. Meanwhile, Barry flashed away and Juliet teleported up to the roof, making it there before Iris. Barry sat on the roof and Juliet stood behind him, her hair flying in the wind. She stared out at the night lights of Central City before her when Iris arrived.

"I need you to stop writing about us," Barry voiced.

Iris turned around to look at them. "There are a lot of people who need someone like you two right now. To know that you're out there. I have so many questions. Where are you from?"

Juliet teleported down, standing right behind Iris, Barry following in suit. "We can't tell you that."

"Who are you?"

"We can't tell you that, either," Barry replied.

Juliet and Barry both then got back up on the roof.

"How can you do what you do?" Iris asked. When neither of them answered, Iris shook her head. "You're both terrible interviews."

Juliet teleported back down on the ground by Iris, blurring her face with her powers, causing red energy to travel between her fingers. "You won't understand all of it, trust me. There's way more to it. So, trust us. We need you to stop writing your blog."

"Can you stop? Running into buildings and rescuing people without them even knowing that you're there?"

"We don't do this for the glory," Barry responded, speeding up to stand beside Juliet.

"So why do you?" Iris urged. The two of them then moved to stand by each other behind Iris, and Iris paused for a moment. "Look, I have this friend, and he had something terrible happen to him when he was a kid. His whole life, he's been telling stories about this impossible thing. And people laughed at him, and shrinks analyzed him, and he's been searching for an explanation ever since. Nobody believed what he said was true except for out other best friend and she's been helping him search. But now, suddenly, it's like they've lost their faith. But you two — you two are proof that they weren't crazy." Iris then turned to the two. "Help me save my friends."

"He's a lucky guy," Barry said before running away.

Juliet, through her disguise of blurring her face, smiled slightly. "And she's a lucky girl."

With that, Juliet teleported away, a sinking feeling in her heart. Iris was doing this for her and Barry — how were they supposed to tell her to give it up when that was the case?

After a sleepless night — where the two of them just sat on Juliet's couch in silence while eating their feelings in ice cream — Barry and Juliet returned to S.T.A.R. Labs. When they walked in, they saw Bette, Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells all sitting in the med bay. All of them had solemn looks on their faces. Juliet and Barry shared a concerned glance before walking further into the room.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Barry began. "Did Eiling find out you're here?"

"No," Bette answered. "Caitlin was about to give me the not-so-good news."

"The shrapnel in your body has merged with you on a cellular level," Caitlin announced.

"Ant the technology required to unsplice your DNA . . . it hasn't been invented yet," Dr. Wells revealed.

Bette, with tears in her eyes, nodded in response. Juliet immediately frowned, her heart breaking for the poor woman.

Barry was the first one to break the silence. "Bette—"

"It's okay," she interrupted. "Roger that. I — I just need a minute. Don't worry. Pretty sure I can cry without blowing stuff up."

Juliet watched as she left the cortex completely. She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned her head against the wall. This was a whole lot to take in. She could only imagine how Bette was feeling.

"What now?" Cisco inquired.

"She joins us," Barry suggested. "Becomes a part of the team."

"Barry, you and Juliet have amazing abilities to help people," Caitlin replied. "She makes things explode."

He stared at her incredulously. "She's not the first Metahuman not hell-bent on destroying this city."

"It's too dangerous," Dr. Wells stated.

Juliet spoke up. "We can't just put her in the pipeline, though."

"I'm not suggesting she go in the pipeline, but were she to remain at S.T.A.R. Labs, it would put all of us at risk."

"From who?" Barry asked. "Eiling?"

"Eiling is a dangerous man, Barry," Dr. Wells said. "We do not want him as an enemy."

"After the lightning bolt, what if you hadn't found J and I? It could've been us. Hunted, on the run, cut off from everyone we know and care about. You guys saved us."

"And I want to save her just as bad as you do, Barry," Caitlin argued. "We all do."

That comment was left hanging in the air. None of them knew what to do, and that was the scary part.

It was time for Juliet and Barry to get back to work for the day, though. The two of them knew that they had a lot of evidence for cases to catch up on, and that plus the future of Bette was hanging over them like a storm cloud.

The entire day, Juliet and Barry didn't really talk much. They went about their normal routine and did their job. Barry then suggested that the two of them get dinner together, so they went to a small café near CCPD. The two of them only spoke of what they did for their respective cases — since they distributed the work load — and didn't mention Bette. That was only because the two of them could understand what each other was feeling about the whole situation. Guilt, sadness . . . right now, Juliet and Barry's feelings were hand-in-hand.

Finally, after about an hour, they returned back to their lab. Juliet was sipping on her hot chocolate in the to-go cup, walking in comfortable silence with Barry. The two of them then noticed a familiar figure sitting on Barry's desk, looking through a case file and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Joe, what are you doing here?" Barry questioned.

"Going over the materials in your mom's case," Joe answered. "How's it going with you two?"

"Well, we made friends with a human bomb who we promised we could help, but it turns out we actually can't," Juliet said. "And we finally figured out why Iris is writing about the Streak and the Materializing Figure." She glanced at Barry for a moment. "She's doing it for us, Joe. More so for Barry, but a little bit for me. She wants to prove that the impossible is actually possible."

"How do you know that?"

Juliet waved Barry on. "Go on. Tell him about your brilliant plan."

Barry rolled his eyes at her, yet hesitated for a second. "The Streak and the Materializing Figure may have talked to her."

Joe stared at them. "Barry, Juliet, don't you think Iris would recognize your voices?"

"No, I can do this cool thing with my vocal cords, where I vibrate them so I sound like this," Barry voiced, his voice echoing. "Juliet can do it too."

Juliet focused on moving her vocal chords and then spoke in a monotone voice, her voice also echoing. "Woo-hoo."

Joe started to laugh at them.

Barry nodded with a smile. "I know. It's cool, it's cool."

"Woah," Joe commented before he finished laughing. "Well, you put that out there now, so. I — I want to keep her safe."

Juliet sighed. "We all know that the real way to get her to stop is to tell her the truth, Joe."

"Man, you two really want to tell her."

"She's our best friend," Juliet continued. "We tell her everything."

Joe shook his head, his gaze straight on Barry. "Mmm . . . not everything."

His look then morphed into something else — a knowing expression. Barry didn't seem to understand at first, but he soon got it. Juliet crossed her arms, ignoring the way her heart was breaking as she watched Barry go through many stages of grief. She placed a fake smile on her face and laughed a little.

"Is it that obvious?" Barry inquired.

"Painfully," Juliet responded. "But not to her, though."

"But how long have you known for?" Barry asked Joe.

Joe let out a small laugh. "I have watched you be in love with Iris since you were old enough to know what love is. And I've been waiting years for you to tell her. But you haven't."

Barry shook his head. "Guess I was too slow. Now she's happy and with someone else, so . . ."

"When the universe wants to make something happen, whether it be giving a young man lightning speed or a young girl crazy powers or putting two people together, it has a way of figuring those things out." Joe then stood up. "And I got to get home."

Joe held out his arms. Barry then gave Joe a tight hug.

"Thanks," Barry said.

Juliet then went into Joe's embrace, savoring the way he hugged her tightly. She offered him a small smile before Joe left their lab completely. Juliet took his place on Barry's desk while Barry sat in the chair next to her.

"You know, if Iris ever breaks up with Eddie, you should go for it," Juliet announced, completely disregarding her own feelings — for the greater good.

Barry looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Juliet confirmed, grinning softly at him as she tried to stop her heart from shattering completely. "You know, best friends to lovers has always been my favorite trope."

"I know. You wouldn't shut up about Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson for years."

"Yeah, because they literally invented soulmates and have the ultimate love story. Why would I not shut up about them?"

"Fair point." Barry then hesitated for a moment. "Do you really think Iris and I could make it if we were ever a couple?"

Juliet nodded. "I think so. She knows you better than anyone else—"

"That's not true," Barry interjected.

Her eyebrows knit in confusion. "What?"

"There's someone that happens to know me a lot better than Iris. It's you, J."

Juliet's mouth felt dry. "Me?"

"Yeah, you." Barry shrugged. "We've always connected on a deeper level, I think. You're my best friend, and it means a lot that you believe Iris and I could make it."

Juliet smiled at him, holding out her pinky. "I'll love you forever, Barr."

"I love you too, J."

Barry then lifted up his arm and put it around her hips while Juliet extended her arm and put hers around his shoulder. They gave each other a tight side hug, Barry's head resting against the side of her stomach.

Juliet savored the hug. However, she couldn't help but hate that Barry was playing with her feelings without realizing he was even doing it.

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

WHEN JULIET WALKED into S.T.A.R. Labs the next day with Barry, the two of them couldn't help but notice that a certain person was missing. Caitlin also had her hand resting on top of Cisco's, who looked utterly sad.

Barry decided to ask the question him and Juliet were wondering. "Where's Bette?"

"She left," Cisco responded.

Juliet's eyebrows knit in confusion. "What do you mean she left? To go where?"

"She didn't say," Dr. Wells added.

"Well, where the hell could she be?" Barry asked.

Juliet had a sinking feeling in her stomach, an inkling in mind of what Bette could possibly be doing after the news of her being a human bomb forever. Cisco then began to type on the computer, and a map of Central City showed up. There was a ping at a specific location.

"I got back on the military feed," Cisco admitted. "Looks like they've gone to the waterfront to rendezvous with Bette. She's turning herself in."

"She's not turning herself in," Barry stated.

He looked down at Juliet. She gave him a small nod. The two of them got into their suits quickly before making their way to the waterfront. When they got there, they saw multiple soldiers on the ground and the remnants of multiple explosions. Juliet and Barry stopped in front of Bette, who was walking towards Eiling with her hand extended.

"What are you both doing here?" Bette demanded.

Barry shook his head. "Being a solider doesn't mean you're a murderer. Don't become one now."

However, a gunshot fired, and Bette fell to the ground with a shriek. Juliet's eyes widened and she dropped to her knees next to Bette. She glanced back, only to see Eiling with a gun in his hand. He then fully passed out.

Juliet ripped her mask off of her face and looked down as blood started to stain Bette's shirt. "Oh my God, we didn't see him. Oh Bette, we're so sorry."

"Don't be," Bette reassured them. "It's not your fault. I'm glad you two stopped me."

"We're gonna get you back to S.T.A.R. Labs," Barry told her.

"Barry — Dr. Wells, he — he . . ."

However, before she could finish her sentence, her breathing gave out and her eyes closed. Juliet sunk back on her feet, her hand reaching up to her mouth in shock as tears began to fall down her face. However, through her tears, she saw that Bette's skin was starting to turn purple. She sniffled and her eyes widened.

Barry pulled the hood of his suit back up and pressed on his ear. "We have a problem."

"Is Bette okay?" Cisco questioned.

"No. Eiling killed her."

"But she's glowing purple," Juliet revealed, her voice choked up due to her crying. "She's going to explode."

"Oh my God, a mass that size, the explosion, it would be—" Caitlin began.

"Devastating," Dr. Wells finished.

"Barry, Juliet, you have to get her away from the city."

He shook his head. "But there's no time."

"Let me take her," Juliet offered. "I can go anywhere in a second."

"But you're crying," Barry countered. "Do your emotions affect your powers?"

"I don't care at the moment," Juliet said, harshly wiping away at the tears on her face.

Barry looked at her. "Let me come with you."

She met his gaze. "Barry—"

"I'm not leaving you when you're like this. I told you last night, we're best friends."

"You have to outrun or outteleport the blast, or you'll both die too," Cisco explained.

Juliet sniffled a bit before nodding, placing her mask back on. She grabbed Bette's limp hand and Barry's hand before closing her eyes. Juliet pictured a spot underwater away from the rest of the city, where she knew the explosion wouldn't be as catastrophic. A tingling feeling spread throughout her body, and when she opened her eyes, she was actually underwater with everyone. Juliet allowed Bette's glowing body to sink before swimming to the surface. She gasped for air and held her hand out to Barry, who was also at the surface. He took it, and she teleported them back to the spot where they were before.

Dripping wet from the water, Juliet's eyes flew open and she began to breathe heavily. Out in the water, she saw a large wave move through the water, most likely from Bette's explosion.

The news finally hit her. Bette was gone.

Juliet let out a sob, turning to Barry and throwing her arms around him. Barry put his arms around her and pulled her in close, hugging her tight as she cried into his shoulder. He placed a hand on the back of her head and allowed her to cry into him for as long as she needed.

About two minutes later when they heard police sirens, Juliet pulled herself together. She pulled away from Barry and sniffled, wiping the remnants of her tears off of her face. They went back to S.T.A.R. Labs and gave Cisco their suits since he insisted on dry cleaning them himself. Juliet got back into her normal clothes, tying her semi-wet hair into a side braid. Her, Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells all gathered around the TV to see Eiling, now conscious, giving a news report in the back of an ambulance.

"Nothing out of the ordinary occurred," Eiling announced. "The Military was simply conducting an underwater weapons test. There is no need for panic or alarm. Central City is safe, I guarantee you."

Barry's face was as hard as steel, his arm around Juliet, keeping her close since she was still visibly upset. "He murdered Bette right in front of J and I. And there's nothing we can do to him?"

"Powerful men have a way of avoiding consequences," Dr. Wells responded.

Caitlin looked at the two heroes. "You gonna be okay?"

Juliet nodded, feeling slightly numb. "Eventually."

"Come on," Barry told her quietly. "I'll get you a hot chocolate."

Barry did indeed get Juliet a hot chocolate. Her face was still blotchy after crying and anyone could visibly tell that something was wrong, so Barry didn't push her. He just stayed by her side and made sure she was okay, which Juliet greatly appreciated.

The two of them then decided that it was probably time to talk to Iris after her outburst on them. They walked into the West household to see Iris typing on her laptop at the table, a teapot and teacup in front of her.

Iris glanced over at the two of them. "If you came to do laundry, I already have a load in."

"Uh, no," Barry began. "We — we came to talk."

Iris looked up as Juliet sat across the table from her, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. "Are you all right?"

Juliet shook her head. "Barry and I were working on a case that had to do with someone we could really help befriend." She then sniffled, willing herself not to cry again. "But they died."

Iris reached across the table and took her hand. "Jules, Barry, I'm really sorry."

"We didn't know her that well, but it still hurts," Barry added. "And as bad as we feel right now, I know how much worse it is to lose someone who's family. Iris . . . writing about this stuff, putting your name out there, it's dangerous. So we're asking you one last time, please, stop."

"And I am asking you two one last time to tell me what is really going on with you both." Iris let go of Juliet's hand. "Why am I the only one of us who's interested in this?"

Barry let out a sigh and paused for a long moment. "I guess, just, all this stuff with my family, I finally just put it behind me. I'm asking you to also."

Juliet frowned at the sight of tears in Barry's eyes. She placed her hand on his forearm and gave it a squeeze.

Iris shook her head. "That may have been how this started, but it's about something more than that for me now. Whoever this Streak and Materializing Figure are, where they come from, I am not stopping until the rest of the world believes in them.

"Okay," Juliet whispered. "Clearly we have totally different views on this, so maybe we need some time to ourselves to reevaluate."

"We've never stayed separated from each other for that long," Iris replied.

Juliet stood up from her chair, tears filling her eyes. "But until you realize that this whole thing could make you end up like our friend in that case, I can't be around someone who basically has a death wish."

With that, she left the house. She could feel Barry following behind her. Juliet paused in the front yard, wiping away her tears with her hands for what felt like the millionth time today.

"Tough day, huh?" Barry voiced.

"You could say that again," Juliet said. She rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on. "God, I could use a drink."

And that's how Barry and Juliet found themselves back at the bar. Juliet had only taken one shot but was now sipping on a vodka cranberry. Meanwhile, Barry was just drinking club sodas, not able to get drunk anymore.

Juliet then felt a presence besides her. She looked over to see that it was Caitlin. Cisco, on the other hand, was standing next to Barry.

"Hey," Cisco greeted.

Barry straightened up. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

"We thought we should have a toast," Caitlin revealed.

"Doesn't work on me, remember?"

"Barry Allen, you of all people should know that nothing is impossible." She placed a test tube of something in front of him. "I distilled a highly fermented, potent suspension. It's basically five-hundred proof. I figured if anybody could use a drink tonight, it was you. And Jules, but she can still get drunk."

Juliet then called over the bartender. She asked for three shots, and he gave it to them. Juliet then took one.

Caitlin raised her shot glass. "To Bette."

"Bette," Barry repeated.

All four of them clinked their glasses together before taking their respective shots. Juliet slightly winced at the strong taste before looking to Barry. He was also wincing and had started to cough from the liquid he had drank.

"Woah, oh," Barry commented, his voice slightly strained. "That hit too quick."

"Are you buzzed?" Caitlin inquired, looking excited.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm buzzed for sure. Woah. Woah, that is good stuff." He then paused. "And it's gone."

Caitlin shrugged. "Work in progress."

And finally, for the first time basically that night, Juliet smiled.

〖 ϟ 〗

the way this book gets the most reads per chapter out of all my books I'm updating rn . . . y'all really love barry allen as much as I do huh

as we should <3 love that for us