Brother Against Brother

Disclaimer – Don't own anything. Bellisario does, or maybe Universal. Just taking the characters out for a long-overdue playdate

Summary—A long-awaited reunion between String and Saint John is not what it seems to be

Hawke's Cabin

"Penny for your thoughts, lover?" Caitlin Hawke asked as she caught her husband staring at a photo on the mantle.

"Just thinking, about Saint John. Wondering if we'll ever know what really happened to him. I mean, every lead I've gotten in the past year has turned up nothing. I'm starting to think he really is dead, somewhere."

"String," Caitlin said, worriedly, "don't think like that." She turned him to face her, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "You've never given up on anything since I've known you, and that includes the two years since we've been married. So, don't give up on your brother."

"Okay, Caitlin, I'll try not to."

"No. Don't just try, String. Do it. Promise me, you won't give up on Saint John, unless we hear something conclusive."

"All right, Caitlin, I promise. I won't give up."

"Good." She smiled at String before drawing him closer and kissing him with everything she had in her.

Meanwhile…

"Hey, good-looking," the blond woman said as she slid into the seat at the bar. She glanced at the man who had just ordered a beer, trying not to show the excitement she felt. "What's a nice guy like you doin' in a joint like this?"

"Now, how do you know I'm a nice guy?" the man demanded.

"I-I don't," the woman stammered, "I-I just assumed that—well, I'm sorry to bother you." She turned to leave, but felt the man's hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Wait. I'm sorry for snapping at you like that, but I-I just have a lot of things on my mind. Work, missing my family, things like that. Anyway, can we start over?"

"I'd like that," the woman said, smiling as she glanced at the hand on her arm. No ring, she thought, so what does this guy mean by 'missing my family?' And why does he look so familiar?

"So," the man said as he turned to admire the beautiful blond sitting next to him, "I don't believe I caught your name."

"Well, I don't believe I dropped it. But, since you asked, my name's Angie. Angie Hughes. What's your name, handsome?"

"Saint John. Saint John Hawke." The woman caught her breath at the name she'd just heard. Saint John Hawke! String's brother? I-I can't believe it! After everything String once told me he went through to find Saint John, I'm the one who found him, completely by accident! Daddy is so going to want to know about this!

"Nice to meet you, Saint John. I-I knew your brother String for a while. We dated a couple of times, but he always seemed to be preoccupied about something. Now, I remember what it was—he was so busy lookin' for you."

"Well, maybe we should think about goin' back and seeing String, and Dom. I've been doing some special ops work with the Army ever since I got busted out of a POW camp in 'Nam, but that's over now, and I'm finally a free man."

"That's good," Angelica Horn said, almost breathless. "That's very good."

"Are you okay, Angie?"

"Yes, Saint John, I'm-I'm fine. I just got excited there for a minute." In more ways than one, she thought, trying to keep her emotions from breaking through on her face. I can't believe that I found Hawke's older brother, completely by accident! "Will you excuse me, Saint John? I-I need to go make a phone call."

"I'll be waiting, Angie," Saint John replied. Angelica smiled at him and hurried off to a phone, entering a series of codes after dialing a number. A few moments later, she heard John Bradford Horn's voice. "Hello?"

"Daddy, it's Angelica. You're never going to believe this. I found him."

"Who? Who did you find, Angelica?"

"Saint John. Saint John Hawke—String's brother. You remember me tellin' you about how String was searching for his older brother all these years? Well, I found him."

"Excellent, Angelica dear. Excellent. I may have use for Saint John Hawke, in more ways than one. Do you think you could bring him back to the States, and to me?"

"No problem, Daddy. He told me he's a free man, and he wants to get home to see Stringfellow and that other man, Dom, I think his name was. So I'll try and bring him back, very soon."

"This is wonderful news, Angelica, and a stroke of good luck. I look forward to seeing you soon, and to meeting the elusive Saint John Hawke."

"All right, Daddy. I'll talk to you soon. I-I better get back, though."

"Fine, darling. Keep me posted."

"I will. I love you, Daddy."

"And I love you, Angelica." John Bradford Horn smiled as he heard the line disconnect. Saint John Hawke, in my power! I will have revenge on Stringfellow Hawke for what he did to me, and his own brother will be the instrument of that revenge! Saint John will steal Airwolf for me, and when Stringfellow tries to get it back, I will have my revenge! Smiling, Horn leaned back in his chair and lit a cigar in triumph.

"Everything okay?" Saint John asked as Angie walked back to him.

"Yeah, I just needed to call my father. He is so overprotective. I had to beg for days to convince him to let me come here," Angelica lied.

"Your father must have a lot of money, for you to be able to visit a place like West Germany," Saint John replied.

"Yes, Daddy is part of Hughes Aircraft," Angelica lied again, "so money is never a problem."

"Okay. Hey, listen, do you want to get outta here? I-I think I'd like to get to know you better."

"That's a wonderful idea, Saint John," Angelica said, smiling and offering him her hand. "I think this trip just got a lot more exciting." In more ways than one, she thought as Saint John took her hand and led her from the bar. In more ways than one.