Chapter 59 – "The Firestorm That Burned Bridges"
The Cortex hadn't felt this alive in weeks.
The monitors were dimmed. The alarms were quiet. The tension that had hovered like a ghost since Dante's collapse was gone—for now.
Tonight, there was laughter.
A small party. Nothing fancy. Just Team Flash.
Barry.
Cisco.
Joe.
Wells
Caitlin.
And Dante.
There was soda and snacks.
Joe even brought out something special—something very special.
A pack of expensive, smooth, hand-rolled cigarettes he'd been saving since the early 2000s.
Dante's eyes widened like a kid at Christmas.
Joe handed him one with a grin.
Dante lit it, took one drag, exhaled slowly, then grabbed Joe's face and mock-kissed him on the lips.
"Oh my god, Joe," Dante said dramatically. "Marry me."
The room exploded in laughter.
Cisco nearly choked on his drink. Caitlin actually snorted. Barry bent over wheezing. Even Wells gave a rare, quiet chuckle.
For a moment, everything was good.
Later, after the noise quieted and everyone was cleaning up, Dante slipped away.
He stood just outside the Cortex, leaning against the railing on the upper floor, looking out through the windows at the night sky.
The city shimmered below. Stars above.
He smoked slowly, holding the cigarette between his fingers like it was gold.
The door opened behind him.
Barry walked out.
They didn't speak at first. Just stood side by side, watching the sky like it had answers neither of them could quite reach.
Then Dante broke the silence.
"I didn't see Ronnie tonight."
Barry blinked. Exhaled a breath that wasn't made of air—but of tension.
He stared down at the city.
Then spoke quietly.
"It's not really my place to tell you…but someone has to. And if I don't, no one will."
Dante turned slightly, curious.
Barry continued.
"After you… went into the coma, Caitlin stayed by your side. Every day. Almost every hour. She barely left your room."
Dante said nothing.
He just listened.
"a few days ago, the Legends came back. They wanted Firestorm for a mission—Ronnie and Professor Stein. Just one ride-along. Something easy."
Barry looked away.
"They liked it. The missions. The time travel. The freedom. They stayed."
Dante looked down at the cigarette.
Smoked again.
"I see," he said softly.
Barry nodded.
"But Caitlin… she didn't."
Dante frowned slightly. Looked at him.
"She called Ronnie," Barry went on. "Asked him to come home. She missed him. She needed him."
Barry's voice dropped.
"And he came. But not the way she hoped."
Dante narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Barry hesitated.
Then finally said it.
"They fought."
Dante's expression didn't change, but Barry saw it—something dark passing behind his red eyes.
Barry continued.
"He… said some things. Things that weren't fair. Things that hurt her."
Dante turned fully now.
"What did he say?"
Barry's lips thinned.
He didn't want to repeat it.
But he did.
"He told her… she doesn't love him anymore. That she's in love with you. That she's a liar. A cheating wife."
Silence fell again.
Heavier this time.
Even the hum of the lab seemed to retreat.
Dante stared at Barry.
No twitch of the lip.
No furrow of the brow.
Just… silence.
Then his eyes began to glow.
That soft, familiar, void-red.
Not blazing.
Not violent.
But cold.
Steady.
Like a storm forming over still waters.
His voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
"In what time is he now?"
Barry blinked. "What?"
Dante's eyes locked onto him.
Calm.
Unmoving.
"Ronnie. What time stream did the Legends take him to?"
Barry hesitated. "Dante…"
"Answer me."
The red in his eyes pulsed.
Barry swallowed.
"Somewhere in 2047. Chronos-related mission. They're tracking a time-displaced warlord. Should be back in a few days."
Dante nodded.
Then turned back to the city.
"Good," he said softly. "Gives me time to think."
Barry stepped closer, cautious.
"Don't do something you'll regret."
"I'm not going to hurt him," Dante replied.
"Then what are you going to do?"
Dante took one final drag of the cigarette. Let the smoke curl from his lips.
Then he whispered:
"I'm going to show him what truth really looks like."
Back inside the Cortex, the rest of the team was still talking. Laughing. Cleaning up.
Caitlin sat by herself on a stool, watching the stars through the glass.
She smiled when she saw Dante and Barry up there.
But that smile faded when she saw the glow in Dante's eyes.
She knew that look.
Not rage.
Not madness.
Something worse.
Resolve.
She stood slowly.
Something inside her twisted.
He was awake.
Alive.
But the war in his heart had just begun.
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