⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥

CHAPTER ONE
mosaic broken hearts

⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

JULIET ST. JAMES remembered the ache in her muscles, the raging headache, and how exhausted she was as she fell onto her knees on that rooftop, watching the singularity that had almost ceased their entire existence disappear. She remembered how she barely had enough energy to teleport back down to the ground, but she did, only to basically collapse on the ground next to her also exhausted boyfriend.

She remembered only seeing Professor Stein and no Ronnie Raymond, and she remembered the cries that Caitlin Snow had let out after realizing she lost her husband once again, for good this time.

It seemed like a long stretch of months always had a way of flipping Juliet's life upside down. Last time, she had been in a coma for nine months and woke up with extraordinary powers. This time, the singularity had been stopped six months ago, and everything had changed.

Barry Allen was incredibly stubborn. This was a known fact — at times it could be endearing, but in this specific case, it was driving Juliet up the fucking wall. He had decided that all of this was his fault — Eddie Thawne's death (who sacrificed himself so that Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash, would never exist), Ronnie's death (who sacrificed himself to save the city), the singularity that happened because he never fully went back in time to save his mother. And by taking the blame, he fully separated himself from everyone — Joe West, Iris West, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin.

(Except for Juliet. For some reason, he could not just let her go. Maybe it's because she was also stubborn.)

That meant that Team Flash and Scarlet was disbanded. Barry had basically driven all of them to go their separate ways, even though it didn't work for Juliet because they worked the same job. However, when there were Metahumans that popped up, Barry never gave Juliet a heads-up and always went by himself, so that the iconic superhero duo was reduced to solo, no matter how hard Juliet tried to fight it.

Juliet, on the other hand, always tended to lean on her friends when things got tough. That was just the way she was. So even though Barry started to pull away, Juliet found herself always spending time with Joe, Iris, and Cisco. Not much Caitlin — she had also secluded herself due to the death of Ronnie, unlike Iris, who clung to Juliet tighter due to the death of Eddie.

She really just wanted Barry to understand that she felt everything he felt, too. It was hard, because his stubbornness made him not want to listen. Of course Juliet felt guilty. The stress weighed on her, and many nights were left sleepless. Yet every time she tried to talk to Barry about it, he just shut her down.

As she had said before, it had been six months since the singularity, and Central City was holding a big celebration for the two heroes to thank them — conveniently titled Flash and Scarlet Day. Banners were hung up all over the city, sporting their symbols — Juliet's M-shaped one she had on her earbuds that connected her to comms, and Barry's lightning bolt that he wore on his chest. She glanced up at them around her, a soft smile on her face as she walked onto the next crime scene.

She had gotten a text from Joe, saying there was a new dead body. And sure enough, after she had flashed her badge to get in, she spotted it. None other than Barry was kneeling next to it, already gathering his evidence. Juliet let out a small sigh and walked up to him, holding onto the strap of her case. Usually, they wouldn't start until both of them were there — that was Captain Singh's rules.

"Hey," Juliet greeted to get his attention. "Starting without me?"

Barry peered at the dead body a little closer. "Sorry."

"No good morning?"

Barry glanced at her for a second. "Good morning, my beautiful girl."

She squinted at him. "If this is you trying to sweet talk me so I'm not mad at waking up in the middle of the night alone again, it's not working."

See, there was another thing. Since Barry continued blaming himself, he was continuously getting up in the middle of the night while staying over Juliet's apartment, rebuilding shops and homes in the city that had been destroyed by the singularity. Selfless, and utterly heroic, but he never told Juliet that he was going, which made her feel extremely bad about not helping and also sent her in a state of panic that he was just gone.

"Sorry," Barry repeated.

"You've been saying that to me every single time," Juliet pointed out. "When are you going to let me help?"

"You would hate me for waking you up in the middle of the night."

"Well, I already do every time I notice you're missing." Juliet gave him a knowing look. "Come on, just take me with you next time. I may not have super speed, but I can do something."

"How's it going?" Joe asked, walking up to the two of them, ultimately stopping their conversation.

Barry looked up at him. "Hey. Uh, good. How you doing?"

"Good."

Juliet winced. This was awkward.

"So, the victim," Joe continued. "His name is Al Rothstein. He's a welder here at the nuclear plant. Co-worker found him this morning. So, what do you got?"

"Uh, petechiae on his face and the whites of his eyes, and this bruising around his neck," Barry answered.

"Oh, so he was strangled."

"Mm-hmm. By someone very strong and very large."

"Or something?" Joe suggested.

Barry shook his head. "This wasn't Grodd."

"Oh, thank God."

Barry started to snap up his case. "Look, I'll let you know when I find more."

"So, this Flash and Scarlet Day thing," Joe cut in. "I'm hoping you two are planning on making an appearance."

"I'll be there," Juliet replied. She then sent a pointed look to her boyfriend. "Will you?"

"I . . . I haven't decided," Barry admitted.

"Bar, I heard the Mayor's trying to give you and Jules keys to the city," Joe revealed.

"Yeah, I don't need an award."

"You love getting awards. Like all those science trophies you got in high school?"

"Those I deserved," Barry insisted.

Juliet frowned and tilted her head a little at him. "Baby—"

"Joe, I'll let you know what I find, all right?" He then leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to the top of Juliet's head. "See you later."

Joe watched him leave. "All right." He then looked at Juliet. "No luck convincing him?"

Juliet sighed. "A girl can only do so much."

Considering evidence was all done, Juliet went back to her lab. Barry was sitting at his desk and mumbled a small hey when she walked in the room, clearly caught up in whatever work he was doing. She walked up to her own desk and set her case down before settling in her chair.

The two of them worked in silence for a couple minutes, occasionally exchanging things or asking questions or greeting people who passed by the lab. Juliet was in the middle of typing something when Barry spoke up again for the first time in a couple of minutes.

"Hey, J, can you run this downstairs?" Barry questioned, his eyes on his computer as his other hand held a case file of evidence.

Juliet stood up. "Yeah, sure." She walked up to him and took it before hitting the top of his head gently with the folder. "A please would be nice, though."

Barry looked up at her, his eyes big — which made her insides feel all fluttery. "Please?"

"Of course." She bent down and planted a kiss to his temple. "Be right back."

She left their lab and walked down the stairs, absentmindedly flipping through the results of what Barry had found. Juliet looked up when she got into the precinct, looking for Joe, only to see him with Iris and Cisco, who had joined the police force to stop Metahumans. She closed the file and walked up to the group.

Juliet handed Joe the file. "Evidence about the case." She then noticed everyone staring at her. "What's with the looks?"

Iris gave her an innocent smile. "Wanna try and convince Barry to come to the rally?"

"You don't think I've already tried?"

"Try harder," Cisco suggested.

Juliet summoned a very miniscule amount of red energy to her fingertips and placed it next to his hand, making Cisco jump and yelp from being shocked. "Thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind."

"If he'll listen to anyone, he'll listen to you," Joe insisted.

She sighed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'll give it another shot. I can't promise anything except that I'll be there."

Joe patted her shoulder. "Good luck, Jules."

Juliet waited until night time to strike, knowing that Barry would evidently be alone. He hadn't stayed at her apartment that night, probably due to her telling him that she didn't like waking up by herself anymore. So Juliet pushed through her tiredness, and in the middle of the night, she went to the first place she could think of where Barry could possibly be.

One of Central City's most iconic shops — Jitters — had notably been destroyed by the singularity and had slowly been getting repaired. However, that was one of the spots that Barry hadn't hit yet, so Juliet decided to go there first. And sure enough, when she teleported outside in the shadows, she was met with the sounds of construction.

Juliet opened the door once she saw Barry's figure stand out the counter, raising her eyebrows in impressment. "You know, I should've known you'd be good in construction. You always killed it building your science projects."

Barry turned to her, and against his own will, a smile appeared on his face at the sight of his forever lover. "Hi, baby."

"What a shame I didn't get an invite." Juliet crossed her arms and looked at one of the giant lights on the floor. "Could've helped you put that up."

"I can tell you didn't just come here to bug me about helping rebuild local businesses." Barry took a pause to take a sip from his water bottle. "What's your ulterior motive, J?"

"My ulterior motive is telling you to come with me tomorrow," Juliet voiced. She looked up at him, making her eyes big and tilting her head slightly. "Please?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't give me that look. You know what you're doing."

"Is it working?"

". . . a little."

Juliet took a step closer to him. "I know why you're hesitant, and it's because you believe that we're not the ones who truly saved Central City all those months ago. And you're right, we're not. That title belongs to Eddie and Ronnie. But, babe, they've never actually seen us in person. Sure, maybe they've read some articles or saw a flash of yellow lightning or saw a girl materialize into thin air, but this is a chance to show people that we're real, and that they have someone to put their faith into. People want to thank us." She paused for a second. "Thank you."

Barry rubbed a hand across his face tiredly. "Juliet—"

"I know. That day . . . the flashbacks, they haunt me, too. But I bet all those people coming to the rally are haunted by that singularity — maybe not nearly as much as us, but a good amount. Just like they believed in us to stop the singularity, they believe in us now." She got even closer to him, so much that she had to incline her head to look at him. "And I think you already know that I believe in you. Like, a ridiculous amount."

He looked down at her. "I know you do. And I—"

"Believe in me. Yes, I know." Juliet placed one hand on his cheek and pressed up onto her toes, planting a kiss on his other cheek. "Just think about it, okay? I love you."

"I love you more."

Juliet then walked out of Jitters, hoping that Oliver Queen was right and that she did have magic, enough to convince Barry to miraculously come with her to the rally.

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ALL JULIET SAW was a sea of red.

Flash and Scarlet Day was being held at one of the larger parks in Central City. The banners displaying both Juliet and Barry's symbols were large and surrounded by red balloons and streamers. There was a large stage where the mayor was standing, along with food vendors and shops where people could buy Flash and Scarlet merchendise. Juliet stood hidden on top of a nearby building in her suit, smiling down at the crowd below. This was insane. It looked like the whole city came.

Well, shit. Now she was nervous. God, she hoped Barry showed up — he hadn't told her that he was coming at all after her little speech last night.

The mayor then stepped up to the podium, living out the applause everyone got for him. "Good morning, Central City! A year ago, our world changed. Our city became ground zero for . . . some pretty weird stuff. We got a new breed of criminal. Men and women who defied not only our laws, but physics and reason. But we got something else, too. We got the Flash and Scarlet!" More applause, one that warmed Juliet's heart. "Our wounds run deep, and I know many of you are afraid of what threats tomorrow may bring. But the Flash and Scarlet don't just protect us, they restore hope where it was lost. That's why I'm honored to present two keys to the heroes who saved Central City — the Flash and Scarlet!"

He held up two golden keys and looked around expectantly. Juliet let out a sigh — well, at least she would be there.

You got this, Jules.

She immediately teleported down to the stage. At the sight of her, the crowd went completely wild, and the mayor gave her a wide grin. She smiled back and waved at the crowd, who had started to chant Scarlet over and over again.

And then suddenly, her wish came true.

A flash of yellow lightning appeared, and Juliet felt her hair fly up. She immediately turned her head, only to see Barry standing next to her in his Flash suit. A bright smile immediately overtook her features, one that was shining more than the sun. The crowd went even wilder, if that was possible, and within the chants of Scarlet, there started to be chants of Flash.

The mayor addressed the two of them, holding the keys out. "The doors to Central City will forever be open for you, Flash and Scarlet."

Juliet nodded to him and went to take her key. However, a woman suddenly screamed from somewhere. Juliet whipped around, only to see a vendor cart flying straight through the air at the stage. She immediately lifted her hand up and concentrated on it, red energy traveling from her fingertips all the way up her arm. The cart stopped in midair, also surrounded by red energy, and Juliet lowered it to the ground.

However, the panic it caused made the crowd start to disperse. Juliet looked around, only to see a figure in all black standing far away, staring at them. She nudged Barry's side to get his attention and nodded her head over to him. Barry took her waist in his arms and sped them over to him, keeping some distance.

The figure started to approach them while pulling their hood down, their voice deep. "The heroes who saved Central City, hate to rain on your parade."

Barry, being the dumb idiot he was, immediately sped at them. With ease, the figure slammed his fist into Barry. Barry immediately went flying into the air, and Juliet's eyes widened as she watched him crash into a police car.

Juliet blinked. "Oh." She lifted up her own hand. "All right, enough."

She narrowed her eyes at him and focused on him. The figure stopped for a second, but for some fucking reason, he shook off her energy and started to walk towards her. Juliet looked from him to her hand in confusion. What? Usually, her concentration and her mind control would just click. Why wasn't it doing it now? How did he break free like that?

Her confusion rendered her totally off balance, and before he knew it, the figure slammed his own fist into her. Juliet vaguely felt her own figure fly through the air before her back slammed against something hard. She groaned in pain, her head throbbing impossibly hard. Juliet tried to open her eyes, but all she saw was black spots in her vision.

"Jesus Christ," she complained, sitting up and trying to regain her senses. Juliet turned, only to see that the figure had gotten significantly larger. "Oh, fuck me."

She slid off the police car, which was the something hard she had landed on. Juliet saw Cisco run away from Joe, and she slightly stepped in front of him, even though she knew her powers wouldn't work right now, which she still didn't understand. Barry suddenly sped up next to them, holding two tanks of propane.

Joe stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm throwing, you two are shooting," Barry explained.

Juliet summoned a red ball of energy in her hand. "Joe, I got left. You get right."

Barry threw the two tanks of propane at the larger figure. Joe pulled out his gun and immediately started to shoot at the right tank of propane as it flew through the air. Juliet wound her hand back and threw her energy ball at the left one. Once the bullets and Juliet's energy hit the tanks really close to the figure, there was a large fiery explosion.

Juliet suddenly felt her body get pushed back and onto the ground. She landed next to Joe and Barry, and Juliet assumed that Barry had sped them back to get away from the explosion. Barry suddenly let out a cry of pain, and she looked down, only to see a sharp piece from the tank embedded in his skin.

Before she could dwell on it too much, the large figure started to roar in pain. Their helmet disappeared, only to reveal a man who looked very angry. However, Juliet's eyes widened, and she slightly straightened up once her eyes set on him.

Joe pointed at him, speaking her thoughts. "That's Al Rothstein. It's the body we found at the nuclear plant, he's alive."

"That can't be possible," Juliet protested.

Rothstein's helmet went back over his face and walked off. And all Juliet had left to wonder was what the fuck had just happened.

〖 ϟ 〗

HI MY BABIES WELCOME TO FOREVER WINTER <3

congrats to those who got the title right . . . which were NONE of you bahahahahaha but THANK YOU FOR GUESSING ILY

I'm VERY excited to write this book because season two of the flash is so top tier and I have SO many ideas for my forever lovers :D

also if you're wondering why juliet can't hold atom smasher in place, it's because he vibrates at a different frequency because he's from earth two! it's kind of like how barry can't phase through that glass when he's trapped in zoom's lair :) more will be explained later, but baby jules will learn how to better her powers in this book because thawne isn't here to stop her anymore !