Hawke looked at his watch. 3:00. He tossed his pen down and looked at the paper strewn desk in the office at Santini Air. He let out a sigh. The 'office' side of flying had never appealed to him. He knew he had to take his turn just like Cait while Dom was on vacation though. She was much better at it then either he or Dom and his secret wish was that she'd just take it over completely. She never would he knew. She liked flying almost as much as he did. He stretched his back before getting up and heading for the locker room to get his jacket.
"Just where do you think you're going?" Cait confronted him when he emerged into the main hangar and headed for his motorcycle. She planted herself directly in his path. "I know you're not finished in there." She pointed in the direction of the office. "And, you always duck out on at least part of the paperwork. Well, I'm not picking up the slack this time Mister." She jabbed him with a pointed finger. "I've got a date tonight and need to leave on time so I can get ready."
A mischievous grin tugged at Hawke's mouth. With a twinkle in his eyes he said, "Too bad the guy doesn't like you just the way you are."
"He likes me plenty just the way I are," she said back to him as he grabbed the offending finger. "Besides, every Friday for the last three months you've been leaving early. What gives?"
Hawke looked a little sheepish. He was guilty. He had been ducking out on Fridays and always seemed to leave the bulk of the paperwork undone when it was his turn.
"I have an appointment."
"Every Friday?" Cait looked at him pointedly demanding an answer. His absences had started right after they'd all returned from Hawaii. Her twin sister Maggie had been kidnapped by arms dealers who had stepped up to trading in secrets. Secrets Lt. Maggie Poole knew about a certain Admiral on a certain Committee who happened to be the grandfather of her late husband. She'd been asked by Archangel to pretend to be Lt. Poole to give him enough time to track the kidnappers and hopefully rescue her sister. Hawke and Dom had the Dealer's warehouse under surveillance when the buyers showed for the munitions. Maggie barely made it out of the warehouse when it was blown by one of Airwolf's missiles. She hadn't clarified that it was her sister and not herself that Hawke had desperately flown to the nearby Naval Air Station hospital.
He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her lightly hoping to stop any further discussion. It had worked in the first few weeks after they'd spent that weekend at the cabin. The weekend in which they'd finally broken the just friends barrier. It hadn't progressed beyond casual affection other than that affection was now out in the open. He wanted to take it slow. Didn't want to screw it up. He didn't want it to blaze out because he jumped the gun and went too fast. But silencing Cait with a kiss had quickly become one of his guilty pleasures. Not the least bit because he could tell she knew that was the purpose and usually acquiesced anyway. Usually.
"That's not going to work this time, Cowboy," she quickly recovered. Hawke's kisses seemed to take her breath away now that there was more than just friendship behind them. "I won't be late for my date. I'm waiting." She pinned him with a glare that Hawke grudgingly admitted was better than one of his own.
"Maybe I just wanted to get things ready for that date," he tried as he moved his hands to her shoulders. He gave her his disarming smile trying to charm his way out of answering.
"I'd buy that if it wasn't conveniently the same time you leave every Friday."
They were finally going to have a real date. Hawke had nervously asked her out at the beginning of the week. It had taken her a moment to realize that the invitation was for a date rather than just another shared evening meal. She was so glad he was finally taking another step that she'd called her sister in Hawaii just to talk about it. His slowness frustrated her, but with his track record she understood. Every time he'd rushed into something in the past it not only ended, but more often than not ended badly. She wanted this to last and fervidly hoped he did as well. He'd have to take the steps in his own time. Pressing the issue would only push him away. He was trying to distract her. What was happening every Friday after three?
Hawke recognized the look that was plastered on Cait's face. She was like a dog with a bone. Calling the first three hundred S. Hawkes in the phone book just to find him after they first met showed him just how very tenacious she could be. He wished he was going to get things ready for their date. In truth, he still didn't have a clue as to what to do for it. He knew she wouldn't let him leave until he gave her some kind of answer. He also knew she'd spot a lie for what it was.
"I've been visiting the VA and if I don't leave now I'll be late," he said quickly as he kissed her on the forehead and sidestepped her to finally mount his motorcycle and drive away. A half truth was better than a lie if you had a speedy exit, he decided.
Cait knew there was more to it than that. She figured she'd try again when he picked her up later. She didn't even know what to wear. He hadn't told her if it would be formal or casual. Just that he would pick her up at seven. She decided if she just cleaned up the hangar, and at least put the papers Hawke had left out in neat piles now, she could knock off early and do a little last minute shopping before getting ready.
Hawke used the hour long drive to think about his date. He'd finally decided they needed a real one after Dom had made some comment to the effect and hinted that his vacation would be the perfect opportunity for them to be alone. Even at that he hadn't made a move the first week and only did so now because he knew Dom would be back on Monday expecting him to have already taken Cait out. Dom had been thrilled that Hawke had finally gone past friends and succumbed to the deeper feelings he knew String had. In the past few days, he'd thought long and hard on what to do. The problem was that it wasn't your usual first date. He wasn't trying to get to know her. Wasn't trying to see if their feelings were mutual. He already knew the answers to the questions a usual first date was meant to satisfy. He already knew her favorite color, favorite food, favorite flower even. Hell, he even knew what she looked like when she first woke up in the morning, beautiful. His thoughts drifted back to the one time they'd shared his bed. She had comforted him after a nightmare. She'd tried to leave him to sleep alone, but he'd held on. After he'd woke in the morning with the sight and feel of her in his bed he wanted to repeat the experience for the rest of his life. It shook him to the core. The awkward breakfast they'd had that day made him wary about what to do next. Now, it was down to a date. He wanted, no needed it to be perfect. He couldn't screw it up. He needed a plan. He'd thought of one scenario after another before discarding each one. Dinner and dancing, too much like Connors. A movie, too much like teenagers. The theater, too formal. The beach, too casual. His cabin...mmmm...that had possibilities. He'd usually only taken a woman there on a date for its romantic allure, rustic charm, and toss in the hay. He didn't want Cait to think he was in this just for that. Besides, she'd been there so often in the friend context that he didn't want to confuse things. So here he was. T-minus three hours and counting. And, he still had no idea what to do.
After the delay with Cait and traffic Hawke walked into the open room at the VA hospital just as the meeting was getting underway. Nine men sat in hard metal chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing a tenth. Hawke took the one remaining chair. It wasn't comfortable. It reminded him that they weren't going to be comfortable for the next two hours. He hated these meetings and from the looks on the other faces in the room he wasn't the only one. But, he'd made a promise. Hawke always kept his promises. He knew the stories the others had to tell. They were his stories too. He'd lived the battles, seen the destruction, lost the friends. The difference was, that was all behind the other men in the room. He on the other hand still faced situations that brought it all back. Still dipped into the deep end of the adrenalin pool. The other guys had their sources. One guy did motor-cross, another, skydiving, someone else bungee jumping or hang gliding. One guy even did something called base jumping. But their fixes were nothing like running missions for Michael. Nothing like flying Airwolf. He knew he was the only one still involved in any real action. After the sessions, he'd head up to his cabin and write in his journal. He did the things they told him to. He guessed it helped. He was at least better able to get along with the clients at Santini Air. He could even have a little patience with Michael when he made his mission requests then parceled out critical information like it were drops of water in the desert. When it was his turn to talk, he talked about being a stunt pilot. Let them think that was where he got his fix. The only part that really seemed to help was being around others who knew what it was like. Knew how easy it was to be caught up in the moment. And, knew that the tiniest slip of focus could mean life or death. Although to them it was themselves they put at risk. He, on the other hand, was responsible for the lives of others. He supposed he was making progress. He had been a little more precise in his use of Airwolf's arsenal. Dom had even commented about having ammunition left over for a change. Giving Hawke the perfect excuse to take Caitlin out for a little target practice the next day. So, every Friday he showed up. He just didn't think Cait and Dom needed to know about it. And, he figured he got about as much as he was going to get out of it. This was going to be his last meeting. The other guys knew it and had all shown up to give him a proper send off. That they left the seat of shame, as he liked to call it, for him at the start of the meeting seemed appropriate. He pulled out his journal and began reading aloud the letter he'd written for the occasion.