Looking down on her free hands, Caitlin scanned her wrists for bruises. The handcuffs had carved into her wrists slightly, drawing blood and swelling on her right hand. She was surprised when Zoom, Hunter, had let her go free. Stepping away nonchalantly, she heard him address a league of meta-humans. Trapped in fear, Caitlin refused to move until she saw a streak of blue, the remnant of Hunter leaving the police department. Standing up after a few cautious minutes, Caitlin checked behind her shoulders and walked forward to where Hunter had previously stood. A handful of meta-humans lingered, filtering themselves out the doors and into the streets. She'd heard Hunter's pledge of torture, and knew that they were on their way to wreak havoc on the city. Caitlin frowned and crossed her arms, remembering his words before releasing her from crippling handcuffs. If she left him, he'd show her as much mercy as he would show Barry or anyone else in Star Labs. She felt the honesty in his words, if he met her again and she was on the wrong side, he'd kill her. Despite his affection, Hunter was a psychopath. She believed that he truly loved her, but his lust for blood outweighed his warmth by tenfold. She had faith in Barry and Cisco, Harrison and Joe, even Iris. But Zoom was the fastest man alive, and Barry didn't have his powers. Caitlin was smart enough to realize that the Flash in the streets was no more than hologram; Central City was powerless to Zoom's hand, and if he truly wanted to kill every citizen, he could.

If she went back to Star Labs? She'd be with her friends, maybe they could beat Zoom. However, if they failed, she and all her friends would be slaughtered. Weighing the possibility, Caitlin considered staying with Hunter… if Star Labs failed to bring down Hunter, Caitlin would still have her life. Maybe she could convince him to spare a few of her colleagues. If Zoom fell, she could say she had tried to escape. They would never know that she had been given the option to leave. Her knowledge and medical skills could only abound so far when it came to defeating someone inhuman, she considered if her presence in Star Labs would even be beneficial if she did return. Was she truly considering staying with Hunter Zolomon, the serial killer?

Maybe she was reminding herself of Jay Garrick, the hero.

Nibbling at her nails, Caitlin built stress from all the potential options. One thing that she did know, however, was that the grumbling in her stomach did little to help her thought process. Deciding that Zoom wouldn't kill her for getting a burger, Caitlin cautiously went down the stairs and through the front door of the precinct. Seeing a fire in the distance, she turned around quickly to avoid the confrontation. She was suddenly surrounded by a group of Earth-2 meta-humans, scary individuals, one with glowing eyes.

"Look what we have here,' one began, twisting a knife between his fingers. His fingers morphed into sharp dagger-like structures, his bones mirroring the blade.

"She's a nice one, I can't wait to sink my teeth in her." Vampire witch-thing. A necklace of teeth hung low around her neck, she lunged at Caitlin.

Backing up, Caitlin watched the group wearily as they closed in on her. Building courage, she spoke finally. Confidently, bucking up her chest, she stood tall. "Don't you know who I am?" The group looked amongst each other, shrugging, furrowing their eyebrows.

"I am Zoom's…' she trailed, not finding an appropriate word for her relationship with Hunter. Friend? Girlfriend? Kidnapee? Raising an eyebrow, she continued, "If you even lay a finger on me, you'll die."

"Killer Frost?" One of them asked, lowering their weapon.

Laughing, Caitlin tilted her head, "Move." The crowd parted ways as Caitlin walked through them, head held high. She looked over her shoulder once before scurrying quickly around the precinct and out of their view. Releasing a heavy sigh, she clutched her chest and walked to the closest diner she could find. While on the way, she chuckled to herself. Cisco and Barry would have been delighted by the scene… Jay would have as well. She wondered where he was, what trouble he was up to. Had he seen the incident in the street?

Danny's Delicatessen was still open, Caitlin could tell it was late. She knew she had maybe ten or twenty dollars shoved in her bra, but she had no phone. She didn't know how to get in contact with anyone from Star Labs nor how late it actually was. She had minimum contact with the outside world, except for a TV Hunter kept in the room. The television was perpetually turned to the news, more than likely so that she might be impressed with the rising death toll.

Opening the door to Danny's, Caitlin was greeted by the first warm face in a long time.

"Welcome to Danny's,' an older waitress said, flagging Caitlin over.

Smiling gently, Caitlin walked over to the counter weakly. She sat on the stool and open a thin menu.

"Baby, you look like you've been through hell and back. Are you fine?"

Caitlin nodded, "Something like that."

"Tell me when you're ready." She said, her nametag reading 'Lacie'.

Lacie walked to the kitchen, leaving Caitlin alone in the bar. She wanted to ask her to stay there with her, she wasn't comfortable enough to be alone yet. How could she ever be comfortable with someone who was fast and powerful to find her in any universe? There was nowhere she could get away from Zoom. Looking over her shoulder again, Caitlin shivered in nervousness and studied the menu. She decided on a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of tomato soup. Her eyes wandered to the milkshake side of the menu, licking her lips at the idea of a thick, creamy beverage with a cherry on top. She urged Lacie back.

"Um, Lacie…?" Caitlin began, shifting her head to get a glance of the kitchen.

The short waitress popped back into the front-of-the-house quickly, taking a pen and notepad out of her apron. "Sorry, bout' that. What do you want, sweetheart?"

"Just a number four, please. And a vanilla milkshake… I can pay now?"

Lacie scribbled into the notepad and ripped the sheet off the front. Looking back at the young woman seated in front of her, her gaze fixated on something behind Caitlin.

"D'ya see that?' she asked slowly, pointing a tentative finger to the shop's class. Caitlin turned around to look at whatever Lacie was pointing to, but was met by a fast streak of blue pass the window.

"Oh-my-God, I have to go,' Caitlin began, standing. Lacie grabbed onto the young woman's hand and shook her head.

"You look like you're having a rough time. I'll let you eat for free, just stay here." Lacie hurried to the kitchen again to drop off the order, but returned quickly. Caitlin was running her thin fingers through her hair, hyperventilating.

"What was that now? I just looked up and saw a man in black staring right at me. Looked like a demon, are you right with God?"

Caitlin looked up to the woman in a grimace, shaking her head. "He's not a demon, more like a monster. But very human."

"Oh,' Lacie nodded, understanding. "One of them meta-humans? You don't want them on your bad side."

Caitlin nodded, looking over at the woman. "I hate to be rude, but can you please not talk? I can't bare to carry on a conversation, I just need to think."

Lacie raised her hands in surrender, moving to return to the kitchen. Caitlin grabbed for her hand quickly, summoning the woman back.

"Please don't leave,' Caitlin pleaded.

The waitress nodded again, sitting beside Caitlin and rubbing her back in a circular motion. Shaking, Caitlin considered the inevitable. She was shallow and broken, Hunter had taken everything from her. There was no way she'd ever be or feel safe; the soon placed tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich barely helping her reconnect with herself. The cold glass filled with vanilla numbed her fingers and the soup burned her tongue, but none was enough to make her feel human. Fear was the only emotion left. No matter where she looked she saw Zoom, she saw dark eyes and sharp claws. She had to force the food down rather than make herself sick.

One notable feeling was the one she'd achieved when scaring the meta-humans in front of the police department, it had thrilled her to the core. The look of terror in their eyes, she had been in power. It was a dangerous thing to grip command where once it had been stolen; Caitlin slid out of Lacie's comforting grasp. At the bottom of the bowl of tomato soup, she threw the crusts of the sandwich into the bowl, and pulled the cherry from the untouched glass. Sticking the stem between her teeth, she fished for the twenty dollar bill in her bra.

"I told you, you don't need to pay."

Caitlin shook her head, placing the bill on the counter. "I won't be needing it, thank you." She finished the cherry, placed the stem on the plate, and left the deli. The street smelled of rain and ash, Caitlin clutched her hands underneath her arms as she walked slowly down the street. Realization burrowed like hollowness in her chest; she knew her only choice. She, in a very literal sense, only had the option to be ruled by fear. She could live the rest of her life worrying if Zoom was over her shoulder, when or where he would kill her. Or she could live with him, play along with his rules, and be loved by the most powerful man in the universe. Both options were pitiful. Caitlin even considered, temporarily, jumping over the bridge she crossed on her trek. Something in her knew that Hunter would save her before the life went from her body. If he had to, he'd go back in time and change the circumstance. There was no use, no surcease from sorrow. In every universe, she was his.

She walked silently, her heart beating in shallow gasps. Passing Star Labs, Caitlin looked at the massive building, frowning from across the street. Her chest began to heave in dry sobs; she thought of what was happening on the inside of the building. If only things were different. What if she had never met Harrison Wells? What if Ronnie hadn't died? What if she had known there was a problem when Jay Garrick showed up to Star Labs? How could she have changed her fate?

Why was she so unlucky in love?

Shuddering and wiping her moist eyes, Caitlin passed Star Labs and continued for home. She wanted to shower, wash her hair, change her clothes. She didn't have her apartment key, but she kept a spare one underneath the mat. Walking in, she got a whiff of a familiar smell: home. Caitlin trailed her fingers over her furniture, looked emptily into her refrigerator. Checked every room to make sure everything was still intact, adjusted frames on walls.

Retiring to her room, Caitlin sat on her bed for the first time in what felt like forever. Frowning, she reminded herself that it may be the last time she ever felt the bed again. An outfit lay on the bed untouched, one she had prepared for her next day of work over a week ago. A long-sleeved black shirt and high-waisted black pants, a pair of tan boots and a colorful square scarf. She smiled while fingering the scarf, but kept her eyes locked on the floor. Before long, she had stripped herself of her dirty clothes and slinked into her bathtub. She washed the dirt off her pale body, and turned the showerhead on temporarily to clean her hair. The clock in the bathroom read shortly after midnight as she yawned and dried herself off. Caitlin put on her undergarments and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She needed to get back to the precinct before Hunter thought she was gone for good. Her bed decided otherwise, engulfing her quietly, and promising sleep.

Waking up when patient light infiltrated her eyes, Caitlin arose in a panic, putting on the preset outfit quickly. She pulled her hair out of the loose ponytail quickly and put a splash of water on her face. Negating make-up, she hurried to the kitchen and picked out a bottle of water and a granola bar. Caitlin ate the bar quickly, taking sips from the water bottle. She guessed it was possible that Hunter would feed her better now that he knew she had chosen him. She was doing it to save her friends, to save herself, but maybe he'd mistake it for love.

Tossing on a black leather jacket, Caitlin took one more look over her apartment, and closed the door. She walked back to the police department, her car still at Star Labs, along with her purse and most of her personal belongings. The walk between Main St. and her apartment was a decent length; the night before the time had flown, she had lost herself. But in the daylight, she worried about each moment that passed. A return of some emotion was evident, but Caitlin was not the same person she had been the day before. Her heart was damaged.

Meta-humans in the streets avoided her gaze, the rumor of her allegiance clearly having had surged through the ranks. The doors of the precinct were open, Caitlin looking around for Hunter as she took the staircase up. She saw him first, sitting on the desk where she was once handcuffed, his head in his hand. His mask lay on the table, but he looked troubled. Walking to the room's opening, Caitlin watched him seriously, waiting until he looked up.

"Caitlin,' Hunter said, looking up with bright eyes.

Caitlin sighed, but smiled finally, "Hi."

She could not live without him. That was definite.

Do we like? Do we hate? I really like this ship, I think it has potential, but it's potent to not forget Caitlin is damaged, Hunter is damaged, he's crazy! But favorite, follow, and review. xx (And if you want to see some more Caitlin/Hunter, or some Jay/Iris, OR Sara Lance/Rip Hunter one-shots, follow me.)