A pair of hazel eyes snapped open just as the alarm clock on the nightstand began showing 2:13. He had been asleep for just over an hour, and as unbelievable as it sounds, this was the first time in months Hunter Zolomon had gotten this much sleep.

Ever since he crossed through the breach into this new Earth, he started functioning for several days on thirty minute long naps. Not because he couldn't find the time to rest properly, oh no, he had all the time in the world while the Flash was trying to get faster and Wells constantly hit dead ends while searching for his daughter. No, the reason he never slept was because it was risky. Every moment he spent with his eyes closed was a moment of weakness. He was a light sleeper of course, and with his speed, the moment his body sensed any type of danger, he could speed himself to safety or better yet - burst the attacker's heart before they knew what hit them.

Hunter despised sleep not because he feared an assault, but because he feared waking up to the empty darkness. Sometimes when he slept, he dreamt. He dreamt of his beautiful, loving mother's warm embrace. And sometimes he had nightmares involving his heartless father, a dark orphanage, or the insane asylum where he was routinely tortured under the title 'therapy'. Hunter knew better, he knew that the shock therapy showed no improvement in his 'condition', yet the doctors continued simply because they were just as sadistic and crazy as they accused him of being.

Despite this, the images Hunter's subconscious projected weren't why he avoided being unconscious either. He knew that those images were not real, and what's not real couldn't hurt him. What caused his pain was when he woke up. He woke up to the darkness that he grew fond of, but that darkness was as lonely as it was silent. He hated the feeling that he had felt ever since his father murdered his mother right in front of his eyes.

As Hunter attempted to get up, with his mind still not quite in place due to the unusually long rest he had taken, something next to him shifted. Or rather, someone.

When Hunter first passed through the breach, he created a brilliant plan to find a cure for himself and get even faster without the use of Velocity 6. He was going to steal the Flash's speed. In order to do that, the Flash had to become much faster, and Hunter was going to ensure that. His initial plan was to disguise himself as Jay Garrick; his world's original Flash, and to pretend that he had lost his speed to the monster Zoom. He watched the S.T.A.R. Labs team for months, learned just what they needed, learned their weaknesses and emotional gaps and needs. He forged himself into the Jay Garrick who would fill in those gaps perfectly, just like a puzzle piece.

And he did; Barry Allen needed a tutor, a speedster to teach him and to fix the mistrust Eobard Thawne left wheb he revealed himself to be Barry's mother's killer. Cisco Ramon, Vibe as he called himself; Reverb on his Earth, needed someone to encourage him to unlock his powers. Caitlin Snow, she had the simplest gap to fill. She had a hole in her heart after losing her lover for the second time. She had a tragic story, loss of her dearest father and growing up with a cold, lying mother. All this combined with the darkness in her heart which did not exist within hear teammates, were supposed to make her the easiest to manipulate.

And at first she was. A little bit of innocent flirting, mentioning the similarity of their losses and voilà, she had asked him to stay. But there was a miscalculation. Hunter never took into account that the doctor would end up caring for him so much that she would discover his sickness, and do her best to find a cure. And in fact she did, she managed to do what Hunter himself couldn't; finding a cure, even if it was a temporary one.

Caitlin had been there for Jay, she had shown that she cared. She had opened her heart to him despite knowing how much it would hurt if it was broken again. She knew the risk but she took it for him. Hunter didn't remember what it felt like to have someone's affection, to be cared for and perhaps even loved, until she entered his life. More importantly, he had never known that he was capable of returning the feelings.

Caitlin was a miscalculation because Hunter had started developing feelings for her that he had always believed he wasn't capable of. She was a risk beyond the point of elimination. He cared for her, he loved her too much to hurt, let alone kill now. And just for that reason she could easily be used against him.

A soft moan disrupted his thoughts as Caitlin shifted slightly next to him. Moonlight leaking from between the creaked curtains illuminated her soft, smooth, naked skin. Her beauty glowed, almost radiating light. She placed her head on Jay's chest, with a small smile of comfort on her face, making her beautiful features stand out even more. Her silky hair tickled his bare chest and he held her closer, one muscular arm wrapped around her waist; the other hesitantly stroking her hair.

She was too beautiful to touch, he feared she would break like glass if he made the slightest move. As if sensing his uncertainty, Caitlin's eyes creaked open, and she gave him a lazy smile, "Hey."

"Hey," Hunter whispered back, not hiding the affection in his eyes as he gazed into hers. They were just as beautiful as she was; despite her young age, they glimmered with the power which overcame the pain and loss of years. Despite the suffering and feeling of betrayal, they had never lost the warmth and care which came from deep beneath, just the opposite of her Earth 2 doppelgänger's cold, icy stare, spare the pun.

Hunter couldn't help but wonder for a split second, whether it would've been much more beneficial for him to have fallen for the heartless murderer rather than the tender woman in his arms. Perhaps it would; Killer Frost did appreciate his work after all, and was more than willing to help. It also would've been much easier to end her had she started going against or worse; use him. Still his mind was going against common sense and insisting on loving this particular version of Caitlin Snow. Figuring out the logic behind love was the hardest thing he'd ever attempted.

"Can't sleep?" Caitlin asked with a soft voice. She looked mostly sleepy but also slightly worried. Hunter could understand why; she deeply feared losing the person she loved. She feared that he was going to leave her, metaphorically or literally.

Hunter shook his head, "Just don't want to." It wasn't a lie, as much as he enjoyed being able to dream without waking up to a nightmare, his thoughts about how his love put her at risk made him want to stay awake to watch over, keep her safe.

A frown formed on her face as she opened her mouth in silent protest, but he hushed her with a gentle stroke on her cheek. "Why sleep when I should be taking in this beautiful view?"

Her smile reappeared. She normally would've regretted doing this in the very bed Ronnie and her shared, but it's been more than a year since his demise, and before he left, Dr. Stein had given a lecture about her having to move on and Mr. Garrick being the perfect candidate to heal her wounds.

Closing her eyes, Caitlin placed her head back on his muscular chest; falling back into her peaceful slumber to his heartbeat. Hunter held her closer this time, certain that there was one thing he wanted more than power. He wanted her to love him, not just the facade he had been using to fool the Flash but all of him; from a traumatised child to the ruthless monster.

Hunter knew his time on this Earth as Jay was coming to end, but that moment he set up his mind. He was not going to lose her.

He was never going to be alone again.

A/N: Hello! Thanks for making it this far, guys!

By now I'm guessing (if you've read my other stories) you know that I can write Caitlin with everyone despite me being a sucker for Snowbarry. However, this is a Hunter Zolomon story; ever since the reveal, he's my favorite villain!

I'm planning on writing a full-on story on him, so this was kind if like a warm up. Be on the watchout for a Hunter Zolomon/Zoom story, my name will probably be slapped next to it. :)

Hope you enjoyed!

Aquixia