Chapter 1

Stringfellow Hawke woke to the sun coming up and peeking through the curtains in his bedroom loft. He opened his eyes and stared at the pretty redhead that was asleep beside him. For once he felt like all was right in the world. He had Caitlin by his side and he had gotten her engagement ring back. That meant that someday she'd be his wife. He loved the thought of that. He hadn't let himself dream of having a wife for a long time. Now, it seemed to all be coming true. To top it all off, he had his brother back and he still got to keep Airwolf. That was the dangerous part of his life but somehow he was learning to keep it all balanced.

He pulled her close to him and kissed her neck. It had become a traditional wake up for her and he loved it. She loved it too.

Caitlin smiled, "Good morning," she said quietly. "You're up early for having such a late night playing cards with Saint John."

"Actually, I bailed on them right after you did," he replied. "I realized right away that he and Ami wanted some alone time together."

"Oh, I see," she replied. "They seem to be getting pretty serious."

String sighed. "Yeah, he really likes her," he said. "I don't recall ever seeing him this happy."

Caitlin lay quiet as String pulled her closer and hugged her tightly. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You've been pretty tired lately and you were sound asleep before I even made it up here last night."

"I'm fine," she replied. "I guess all that work at Santini Air yesterday and then our little gathering last night took all my energy."

"Well, if you'd like," String said while kissing her neck again. "I'll go down and make breakfast and you can stay in bed a little longer."

Caitlin turned and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Thank you," she said. "That would be wonderful. But, where did Saint John and Ami go?"

"Oh, I think they slept out by the lake," he said giving her wink as he got up out of bed and put on his sweat pants. "I'm sure they'll be in anytime now and will want to join us for breakfast."

Before he headed downstairs, Caitlin sat up for a moment and stopped him. "String?" she asked. "What do you think of Ami?"

"Oh, I don't know," he replied. "I think she's really nice and definitely a pretty lady."

String noticed the concern in her face. "Why?" he asked. "Don't you like her?"

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so," she replied. "I don't know what it is but sometimes something just doesn't feel right when I'm around her. Maybe it's just me. Please don't say anything to Saint John."

String walked back over to the bed and kissed her again. "I won't," he said. "Besides, Saint John has never said anything negative about you so I'm not about to say a word about his girlfriend."

Caitlin laughed. "Hey, there's nothing negative to say about me!" she said. "I'm perfect."

String smiled. "Yes you are," he said as he left and went downstairs.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Caitlin went back to sleep while String began cooking breakfast. A few minutes later Saint John and Ami came into the cabin laughing and grinning.

"Well, looks like you two had a good night," said String. "Breakfast is almost ready."

"Great," said Ami. "I'm starving."

The two took a seat at the bar. Saint John took her hand and held it tight as they waited for breakfast.

"String," he said. "I have some great news."

Saint John looked at Ami and then back at String before continuing. "Ami and I are engaged."

String was shocked by his brother's announcement. The two had only been dating for just over two weeks. Still, he was happy for him. "That's great," he said. "Congratulations."

"I'm so excited," said Ami. "Saint John is taking me ring shopping this afternoon. I can't wait."

String walked over and gave his brother a hug. "I'm really happy for you," he said. "I wonder which one of us will make it down the aisle first?"

"I will," said Saint John with a grin. "We don't want a long engagement like you two. We're getting married in two months when her parents get back from Europe."

"Speaking of family," said Ami. "I need to check in on my younger brother. Do you have a phone I can use?"

"Sure," replied String. "You can use the one in the back bedroom if you'd like."

Ami thanked him and walked back to the spare bedroom and closed the door. She picked up the phone and dialed the number she had written down on a piece of paper. She carefully watched the door as the person on the other end answered.

"Hey, it's me," she said. "I've got good news. We've got our next payday. This one's asked me to marry him."

"Is he wealthy?" asked the man on the other end.

"Shoot yeah," she said. "You should see the paintings that he and his brother have. The paintings alone could keep us going for a long time."

"Then I'm in," said the man. "What do you need me to do?"

"Right now, nothing," she replied. "My only concern is his brother's girlfriend. For some reason I think I might know her from somewhere. I just can't figure out where. I might need you to handle her later on."

"You got it baby," replied the man. "I'll do whatever you want."