Path 8 - Seeing Double

"Caitlin," Hunter said, setting down his fork. He'd pushed around his uneaten food for long enough. "I need to tell you something."

She smiled. "Are you finally going to tell me what's been bothering you?"

He stared at her. His lips parted.

"You've been sitting there for the past ten minutes in your own world. A gloomy one, by the looks of it." She pushed away her plate and leaned forward. "I'm here for you, Jay. No matter what."

He breathed out and returned her smile. Though, it slipped out of place as he considered her reaction to his confession.

Grabbing his hand with both of hers, she said, "I'm serious."

Her cool fingertips sent delightful tingles up his arms. "I know you mean that now, Cait, but promise me you'll listen to everything I say before you pass judgement."

She drew her brows together. "Of course."

After glancing around at all the patrons eating and talking, at the waiters hustling around the busy cafe, and at the harsh sunlight streaming in through the windows, he looked at Caitlin and had to swallow. Her gaze was so open and warm, so trusting.

He shook his head and pulled his hand back. "Maybe we should go for a walk."

"Sure. If that's what you want."

Standing, he tossed the money for their meal on the table and gestured to the exit. She followed him out, a step behind his quick pace. He didn't slow until they were across the street.

"Were we racing?" she asked, slightly out of breath. "Because even without your speed, you're still fast."

"I'm sorry." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "It was just too loud in there, too crowded."

Their arms brushed as they continued down the street in silence.

He'd gone over his speech a hundred times. He'd practiced it in the mirror. He'd written it all down before burning the papers to ash. The words should've flowed from his mouth like honey on a greased spoon. Instead, they sat there, clogging his throat, choking him.

Caitlin tugged him to a stop. "You're scaring me, Jay."

A breeze fluttered the ends of her hair about. He smoothed back the strands from her face with a gentle hand and tucked them behind the smooth shell of her ear. His heart constricted.

"Remember the day you saw my doppelgänger reading in the park?" he asked.

She nodded.

That was me, he thought. Just say it. Say it.

Her phone rang the STAR labs emergency tune. She fumbled through her purse for it while apologizing for the poor timing.

The fist grasping his lungs lessened.

She answered the call and quickly hung up. "We have to get back. There's a new meta-human terrorizing the city."

They hailed a cab and rushed back to the team. Cisco sat behind the console, fingers flying over the keyboard while Iris relayed information Joe gave her over the phone. Wells kept Barry updated over the comms as the speedster raced to the crisis.

Multiple gunshots sounded out through the speakers.

"What's happened?" Hunter asked.

"Bank robbery," Iris answered. "He's deflecting the bullets."

Harry stared at the tv showing news footage of the robbery. "Can anyone get a visual on the meta?"

The person looked like a blur. He doubted anyone would get a clear visual.

"I can't wait. He's going to get away," Barry called before speeding to the thief.

His fiery orange streak zipped to the blur, then was flung away. He crashed into the side of a building. Everyone stared at the screen as the news footage zoomed in on the rubble before shifting to focus on the blur.

Caitlin dashed over to her monitors. Hunter was right behind her. The screens showing his vitals were non responsive, as if they weren't connected to anything. Or had flatlined.

"Barry?" Her voice was high and carried a slight tremor. "Barry, are you okay?"

The comms were silent.

Iris stood immobilized, still holding her phone to ear, gaze fixed on the tv. She covered her mouth with a hand.

"He's alright," Cisco said. "His suit must be damaged."

The camera moved back to the building as Barry climbed out. Dust coated his red suit. He wobbled, but then ran, circling the meta several times before throwing a lightning bolt at him. It ricocheted into another building. Sparks flew in every direction.

The Flash shook his head and made his way back to the line of police cars surrounding the bank.

Iris spun around. "He's on the phone."

"Patching him through." Harry worked next to Cisco. The two were a seamless team, even if they argued constantly.

Barry's voice came in over the speakers. "He's spinning too fast for me or anything else to touch."

"Spinning?" Cisco grinned. "Like a top?"

"Ramon," Harry warned.

Hunter walked to the tv. "What direction is he spinning?"

"You're right," Barry said. "Running in the opposite direction will slow him down enough for me to take him out."

"Got it," Cisco announced. "The Top"—he winked at everyone—"is going clockwise."

One second there was a blur and an electric red streak. The next, they were gone.

A rush of wind alerted everyone to Barry's sudden arrival. "He's in a cell."

Harry flopped back into his chair. "That was surprisingly easy."

"Don't jinx it," Cisco said under his breath.

Caitlin came to Hunter's side, smiling. "What would we do with out you?"

He hoped he wouldn't have to find out, but it might be a very real possibility after he told them the truth.

"You should be happy." Barry clapped him on the back as he moved to Iris. "The city is safe again."

Harry scoffed. "For now."

Because of Zoom. Because of him.

Hunter stepped away from Caitlin to better see everyone. He cleared his throat. "Have any of you kept track of my doppelgänger?"

"You found him?" Barry asked Caitlin. "I thought it was a dead end."

"It was, until Jay explained why." She looked at him, as did everyone else. He tried not to think about their curious gazes turning into one of betrayal.

"I didn't think I had to keep track of him," she answered Hunter's question. "What's this about?"

"I'm the doppelgänger."

No one responded.

"Zoom killed my father," Hunter clarified, "and threatened my mother's life to make me pose as Earth Two Jay Garrick. As him."

"Him?" Harry slammed his desk as he stood. "Earth Two Jay Garrick is Zoom?"

"Jay is a lie. My real name is Hunter Zolomon."

"Which means his is too," Cisco exclaimed.

"But," Caitlin cut in. He couldn't bring himself to see her response. "How?"

"He had you test my blood to convince everyone he wasn't a speedster. I was here whenever he couldn't be. For the most part, I've been the one working with you all."

"I've talked with him?" Barry asked, his hands clenching into fists. "Worked with him? Confided in him?"

He didn't get a chance to answer.

Barry ran out the room to wherever, probably halfway around the world to scream his frustration, before zipping back in. He snatched up Hunter's jacket and backed him into the wall. Electricity sparked around him.

Iris called for him to stop.

Not Caitlin, Hunter noted. His insides twisted into knots.

"Why are you telling us this?" the Flash demanded.

"I had to."

"Why?" Barry shoved him against the wall.

Hunter's head bounced off the hard surface. The arcing pain was nothing compared to the ache in his chest. "I can't lie anymore. Not to you. Not to Caitlin."

He risked a glance at her.

She stared at him, face blank, arms hanging at her sides.

Harry walked next to her. "What did you hope to gain by revealing Zoom's secret?"

Peace. Friendship based on truth. Caitlin. Instead, he answered, "My soul."

He wasn't a criminal. He'd never harmed anyone and held no desire to do so. He wasn't a liar either. Each time Zoom made him pretend to be him, he lost a piece of himself. "I want to help stop him."

Barry's nostrils flared, but he released him. "How?"

"He won't be expecting anyone to know the truth. You can catch him off-guard and finally use the speed dampening dart and the Boot. Use everything you have against him. You'll only have one chance."

"Okay," Cisco finally spoke up, "but how do we distract him?"

He looked at the beautiful woman whose intelligence and kindness had captivated him from the moment they'd met. "Caitlin."

"Why me?" The question was practically a whisper.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. He tried to swallow but found it impossible. "Because we love you."

Cisco choked on something. "Zoom loves Caitlin?"

"Yes." He watched her every move to understand what she was thinking, but she only blinked at him. "It's a twisted version of love, but it's real enough to him."

"Look at this," Harry said while tapping his watch. The tv screen changed to show a police booking photo of a bearded, long-haired unkempt man. "On Earth Two, Hunter Zolomon murdered 23 people before he was convicted. When he was eleven, his father killed his mother in front of him. He grew up in the foster care system."

Everyone's gaze darted to Hunter. "My father was abusive to my mother. She took me and left. Last I heard, he'd been in and out of jail. That is, until Zoom killed him." He gazed at her, pleading for her understanding. "I had to protect my mother."

The room was quiet for many long seconds.

"I say we work with him," Iris said.

Cisco voiced his agreement, while Harry nodded his.

"How do we know who's who?" Barry asked.

"I'll announce myself the moment I come in," Hunter replied. "But if this is going to work, we shouldn't wait long. He can't suspect you're on to him."

As everyone went into planning mode, Caitlin moved to him. "Is this what you were going to tell me earlier?"

"Yes." As much as he wanted to drink her in, his shame barely allowed him to look at her. "I've wanted to tell you many times."

She stepped closer to him, demanding his attention. Despite her lowered brows, her eyes were still open and warm. "About Zoom or that you love me?"

"Both."

She took a breath. "Besides your name, has anything else been a lie?"

"I had to keep up with the charade, but my feelings for you are true." His gaze drifted around the room, at the suspicious looks thrown his way. "Though I suppose that doesn't mean much anymore."

"Jay—" She shook her head. "Hunter, while I'll need to know exactly who I've been with so I can sort everything out in my mind, I meant what I'd said." She smiled reassuringly. "I'm here for you."

An ember of hope ignited within him. Maybe he would find peace and friendship, maybe even reciprocated love.

Author's Note: this was a request from Justafan on Ao3. I couldn't make the time remnant thing work in my head, lol. So I'm pretending that his doppelgänger was in on it with him, and he only killed his remnants. Hopefully, that made sense. I thought the request was a sweet take on Snowhunter, which is nice after Zoom killed practically everyone in the last chapter.

I have to be honest with you, I don't know how many more of these I'm going to do, if any at all. I feel like I'm running it into the ground. It's been fun though!