Running Partners
An Airwolf/Hunter Crossover
By: Sirius
Disclaimer: No one you recognize belongs to me. I'm just playing with them, since their owners have left them on the shelf for far too long. The non-Airwolf Zeus and Apollo (you'll know them when you see them) do belong to me. Others may borrow them if they ask first.
Rating: M, for sensitive topics (rape and child abuse)
Summary: Cait and DeeDee are neighbors... What, exactly, will this mean to the Airwolf crew... and to the LAPD Homicide Division?
A/N: I have absolutely no idea where this is going. Feel free to blame Hulu for having episodes of Hunter available and me noticing that Hunter and McCall are LAPD. Of course, then my mind went, "I wonder what would happen if..." However, I haven't re-watched a lot of the episodes, so there may be some things that don't quite work with the "Hunter" timeline. Let's just put this near the beginning of Season Two for both shows (even though Season Two of Hunter actually matches up with Season Three of Airwolf, according to episode airdates) and hope it works, since I don't particularly want to deal with the aftermath of the Hunter episode "Rape & Revenge" at the same time that I'm trying to deal with the chaos left in the wake of the Airwolf episode "Horn of Plenty." That said, the story will start before "Rape & Revenge" in the Hunter timeline, but most of the story will take place after that episode, so there will be many discussions of a sensitive nature. If you're bothered by these, please feel free to avoid reading this story (sometimes, I'm not all that certain I'm sane for having written it in the first place). Also, I've given Cait yet another alternative background (her background will probably be different for each one of my stories).
A/N 2: I'm still working on all of my other stories, but my muses are easily distracted by shiny things and like to hold stories hostage until I feed the new plot-bunnies – malicious little critters, those muses.
Running Partners~~~Running Partners~~~Running Partners
Prologue: A Chance Meeting
It was the puppy that first caught Dee Dee McCall's attention. Well, to be fair, she didn't think the German Shepherd was really young, but he certainly wasn't full-grown, yet. He was practically dancing at the side of a woman McCall presumed to be his owner, a slim redhead who looked to be the same height as Dee Dee herself – which means next to Hunter, she'd look downright short, same as I do. The redhead seemed to have her hands full, even though the puppy was... remarkably well-behaved.
The woman's left hand held the dog's leash, but it was the cat-carrier in her right hand that seemed to be giving her the most trouble. That is not a happy kitty. The angry yowls and snarls coming from the carrier would have been noticeable two blocks away. The woman stopped – the dog immediately sitting at a perfect heel position – and lifted the carrier up so she could look into it.
"Now, you stop that, Zeus, you hear me?" The look on the redhead's face was unmistakably annoyed, and Dee Dee struggled to hold back a laugh. "I'll let you out once we're inside, but you know you don't get to ride loose in the car, and that's all there is to it, ya old grump."
There was more than a hint of Texas in that voice, and McCall just let her eyes follow as the woman and her furred friends walked up to the front entrance of the house next to Dee Dee's own. A house – she suddenly realized – that no longer had a "For Sale" sign in front of it. Detective, you need to work on your observational skills, if it took you this long to realize that place was off the market. How long ago did she move in?
Dee Dee saw the other woman set the cat-carrier down and reach into her purse – presumably for her keys – and decided this would be as good a time as any to introduce herself to the woman who appeared to be her new neighbor. She stood from her previously-comfortable seat on the steps of her sun-washed front porch and crossed her yard to her neighbor's door with a few swift strides.
Long before she got there, she was noticed by both the woman and the dog. The Shepherd went on instant alert, the redhead only a second behind, and it was obvious to the detective that both had been the recipients of some serious training. The stare she was receiving from the Shepherd told her she'd best stay away until his person – or is she his partner? - said it was okay to come closer. Having worked around police canines before, McCall knew better than to test him. She stayed where she was to avoid coming across as a threat, and called out a friendly greeting.
"Hope you don't mind me stopping by for a chat. I live next door, Sergeant Dee Dee McCall, LAPD. Must have put in more overtime than I thought, because I never noticed you move in." She was subjected to another assessing look from woman and canine, before the redhead smiled at her and told the dog to stand down.
"Caitlin O'Shannessy," she said, introducing herself. "The angry tom in the carrier is Zeus. My boy here is Apollo – young, but utterly devoted. My cousin's boy is a huge fan of Magnum, P.I., and he insisted on naming rights, even though neither of them is a Doberman, and Zeus isn't even a dog."
McCall laughed and followed her neighbor into the house, which she noted with a few quick glances was just as clean as her own, with an equally homey feel. Cait opened the door to the carrier, and McCall couldn't believe the cat that exited like the proverbial bat outta Hell. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure he really was a cat, at all. He had short, gray fur, scars all over, was missing an ear and half a tail, and had to weigh at least fifteen pounds. In short, he looked less like a cat, and more like destruction on four legs. He was, in fact, probably the polar opposite to the gorgeous Shepherd – who, Dee Dee noticed, was still leashed.
"Apollo still not too sure of me?"
"Oh, no, he's fine, Sergeant McCall, but introductions are best made while he's on-lead if he's already alerted to someone. It's not mandatory, but it is recommended, just to make sure he's okay with you before I let him loose." Cait motioned Dee Dee to a seat on the couch, and then took the one right next to her, invited Apollo over for a quick sniff of the Detective's hand, while she said "Friend" in what McCall thought to be a practiced command tone. One thirty-second introduction later, Cait unclipped the lead from his collar, and he bounded off after Zeus, trained K9 disappearing to be replaced by the playful puppy underneath.
McCall smiled, watching the two chase each other, and then turned to her new neighbor. "Please, call me Dee Dee or McCall. You wouldn't happen to be former military, would you?"
"Cait, then... and former cop, actually," Cait answered with a smile. "Texas Highway Patrol, Aerial Division."
"Not K9?"
"No. Apollo's a gift from my cousin, who – for quite a long while – trained military workin' dogs out of Lackland Air Force Base in San Antone. He's only eight months old, little more than a puppy, but I could hardly ask for a better friend, most days... or a better runnin' partner, for that matter."
McCall knew there was quite a bit Caitlin wasn't mentioning, including why she was no longer a cop, but the detective didn't expect to hear any of that today; after all, the two women had only just met. Still, she was more than a little curious about this neighbor of hers, and thought she might be someone worth knowing.
"You run with him in the morning?"
"Morning and whenever else I have a chance," Cait answered with a grin.
"Might if I join you?" McCall questioned. "I run most mornings myself... though, usually on my own. My partner on the force is in excellent shape, but early morning runs are not his favorite things, and we definitely wouldn't be running at the same pace. There's a bit of a height difference."
"Sure. I'm usually out the door for my runs by five, so I can still get to work on time. Any day you want to join in, feel free."
TBC...