Close, But No Cigar
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, or anybody, except for a couple of OC's.
Summary: Caitlin nearly loses her life when her house explodes. Who did it? And why?
Chapter 1
Caitlin O'Shannessy couldn't remember the last time she felt this good as she pulled her car into the driveway in front of her house. Things couldn't be going better with Hawke, and the two of them had talked about spending more time together, alone, up at his cabin. I can't wait, Caitlin thought as she got out of her car and walked up to her front door.
Caitlin immediately felt something wasn't right as she walked up to the front door. Ah, it's probably just my imagination, she thought. Either that or I've been hangin' around String too long. She sighed as she put her key in the lock of her front door. She heard something click just before she turned her key, and instinctively, she turned and started to run from the house.
KA-BOOM! A huge explosion threw Caitlin several feet forward, and she landed awkwardly on her stomach in her front yard. She looked up to see her house completely engulfed in flames. What the hell? She thought, fearfully. She scrambled up off the front lawn, then ran to her next door neighbor's house, noticing with relief that her neighbor had opened the front door.
"Caitlin, you okay?"
"What?" Caitlin asked.
Her neighbor, a former battlefield medic in Vietnam, recognized the situation. He leaned in closer to Caitlin and said, more loudly, "Are you okay?"
"Aside from the ringin' in my ears, and the fact that my house is on fire, I'm fine," Caitlin replied.
"Well, I've called the fire department, and they'll be here in a few minutes," her neighbor said. "Is there anybody else you need me to call?"
"Yeah. Call Santini Air and see if Stringfellow Hawke is still there. If he is, tell him to get out here, fast." Her neighbor nodded and went back inside the house.
Caitlin, meanwhile, stood and watched as the firefighters began battling the flames that were quickly engulfing her home. She noticed a tall man in a turnout coat and white fireman's hat walking over. "Miss O'Shannessy, I'm Chief Anderson," the man said, but Caitlin shook her head, and pointed to her ears.
"I'm sorry, you'll have to speak up! I'm a little hard of hearing!" She shouted.
"Sorry! I was going to ask you what happened?" Chief Anderson shouted back.
"I put my key in the lock on the front door, and the next thing I knew, the whole house blew sky-high," Caitlin replied. "I went to my neighbor to call you guys, and to call the men I work with out at the airfield." She paused as she saw a Santini Air jeep headed toward them. Thank goodness, she thought. "Here comes one of them, now," she said, relieved.
"Cait! Are you okay?" Stringfellow Hawke demanded as he took Caitlin into his arms. Caitlin's neighbor had told him that she was hard of hearing, so Hawke moved in as close as he dared before he said a word.
"Aside from bein' a little hard of hearing, not to mention scared out of my wits, I'm fine. Guess I'll need to get a hotel room, or somethin', tonight."
"No, Cait," Hawke replied. "I'll take you up to the cabin, like we talked about before. Guess we'll be spendin' a lot more time together up there."
In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Caitlin smiled. "I'd like that, String, only I'll need to get a few things to wear. That overnight bag I left up there a couple of weeks ago doesn't have much in it."
"That's fine, Cait. We can go to the store after we get you checked out at Kensington Memorial. Is that all right, Chief?"
"That's fine," Chief Anderson said. "Arson investigators will be in touch. It's a standard procedure in a case like this."
"I understand," Hawke replied. He led Caitlin over to the jeep, and a few minutes later, they arrived at Kensington Memorial Hospital. As they drove away, no one noticed the man hiding behind a street pole, watching Caitlin's house burn. Darn it, she got away, just like happened before. Well, he thought as he turned and walked away from the scene, hoping the firemen didn't stop him, I'll get her next time.
Once they arrived at the hospital, Caitlin was quickly led into an examination room, and Dom and Hawke sat in the waiting room, both visibly upset.
"Who would do something like that, String? Blow up Cait's house like that?"
"I can think of several people, Dom," Hawke said, "all connected with you-know-what, in one form or another." Since they weren't at Foxbridge, the FIRM clinic, Hawke didn't want to bring Airwolf up in public.
"I know," Dom said, shaking his head. Just then, the doctor came out of the examination room.
"How's Cait doing?" Hawke asked worriedly.
"Aside from the hearing loss, which should be gone in a few hours, she's fine. A few cuts and bruises, but no permanent damage. What happened, anyway?" Hawke and Dom both sighed with relief.
"Someone blew up her house," Hawke said angrily. Of course, they didn't know that for certain, but Hawke knew that Caitlin was too fastidious in her routines before she left the house to come to the hangar to have left anything on or plugged in that could have caused an explosion. The doctor nodded his understanding.
"Well, if she hadn't turned so that the explosion could throw her away from the house the way it did, though, my news might not be quite so good. Someone was looking out for her, I have a funny feeling. You can go see her now, and she's free to leave whenever she wishes," the doctor said, and Hawke nodded thanks to him. As he approached Caitlin, he saw her shaking, and quickly took her in his arms again.
"Who the heck would blow up my house, String? And why?"
Hawke pulled her far enough in front of him so that she could read his lips. "I don't know, Cait, but I promise you, we're going to find out. And like I told you, I'll take you up to the cabin, where you can be safe."
"Thanks, String."
"You know I'll do anything for you, right, Cait?"
"Yeah. I do know that. Now, can we get outta here? Please?"
"Sure." Hawke led Caitlin out of the examination room to the front desk, where he helped organize the insurance information, and then the three of them headed to the mall so Caitlin could pick up some clothes. An hour later, they were headed back to the hangar.
"These ought to hold me for a while," Caitlin said, glancing at the four bags of clothes, shoes, and personal items she'd purchased, some with Dom's help.
"And if you need anything else, Cait, don't worry about it," Dom said. "I'll help you get whatever you need."
"So will I," Hawke promised her.
"Thanks, fellas. Are–are you gonna be callin' Michael?"
"As soon as we get to the cabin." Caitlin looked at Hawke and recognized the look in his eyes. Whoever did this is gonna be in big trouble, when Hawke finds them, she thought. She laid her hand on top of his, and said, "Thanks, String. For everything."
"Cait, it's like I said before," Hawke said, making sure she could see his face to read his lips, "I'll do anything for you, because I love you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I do know that," Caitlin said, sighing with relief as they approached the hangar. With friends like String and Dom on my side, she thought a few minutes later as they were headed toward the cabin, I'm perfectly safe. And, I think my hearing's already getting better. I heard String a lot better a few minutes ago, she thought happily. A little while later, they landed on the dock outside Hawke's cabin.
"Dom gave us a couple days off, Cait, and he told me that we can use this helicopter to get back and forth once we decide to come back," Hawke said as they walked toward the cabin after Hawke had helped Caitlin get the things she had bought out of the helicopter's storage compartment.
"That's good," Caitlin said, surprising Hawke, since she wasn't looking at his face.
"Cait? Can you?"—
"Not perfect, but it's gettin' better, String," Caitlin said as they went inside. She surprised Hawke by taking her bags straight up to the sleeping loft. When she came back down, Hawke said, "You know, Cait, we did put that addition on not long ago for just this kind of situation."
"Forget about the addition, String," Caitlin said as she threw her arms around his neck. "I'm staying with you, period. End of sentence, end of story. Who knows? This arrangement might become permanent." Which wouldn't bother me in the least, she thought.
"Fine. Then I'll take the spare room, Cait."
"Like hell you will! In case you've forgotten already, Stringfellow Hawke, I love you. And I've actually been hopin' we'd spend some quality time up here, just the two of us. I wish like heck it hadn't taken my house getting blasted to smithereens to make it happen, but it did, and I can't change anything. But, I know one thing, String—I will be most disappointed if you're not lyin' next to me tonight." And if something happens, it happens, she thought.
"Okay, Cait," Hawke said as he moved over to the satellite phone. A moment later, he heard Michael's voice. "Something I can do for you, Hawke?"
"Yeah. Caitlin's house was blown up earlier today. I need you to help with the investigation. A Chief Anderson from the fire department talked to her before we got there."
Michael was stunned. "What? Is Cait all right?" He demanded.
"She's fine, Michael, other than being a little hard of hearing. We're both at the cabin, and we'll probably be staying here for the foreseeable future."
"All right, Hawke. I think I know Chief Anderson, so I'll get hold of him and offer whatever help I can. I'll be in touch soon."
"Thank you, Michael." Hawke hung up the satellite phone and closed the briefcase as Caitlin moved into his arms again.
"Thanks, String," she said, smiling up at him.
"I told you I'd be calling Michael. He said he'd talk to Chief Anderson, and he'll let us know as soon as he finds out anything."
"I sure hope it doesn't take long. By the way, String, thanks again. I know I said it before, but I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you and Dom are doin' for me."
"It's because Dom and I both love you, in our own ways. Of course, I love you a lot differently than Dom, and"—
"I know, String. And I'm real glad I've got both you guys in my life, especially right now." Caitlin smiled at him before she drew him close to her and kissed him. With my guys and the Lady on my side, I've got nothing to worry about, she thought happily.
"Now," Caitlin said after they released one another, "what can we do for somethin' to eat around here?"
"I'll throw some spaghetti on," Hawke said. "It won't be quite the same as when Dom does it, but I think it'll be okay."
"I know, String." Caitlin smiled at him as they went into the kitchen to fix dinner.
"Y'know, String," Caitlin said later, "you really shouldn't sell yourself short. That was a wonderful meal."
"Guess I learned well from Dom," Hawke replied, modestly as he brought Caitlin a glass of wine, smiling when he saw her curled up against one end of the sofa, Tet's head in her lap.
"You look right at home," he said, handing her the glass.
"Thanks, String. I feel at home, too." She smiled as Hawke sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I could stay here, forever."
That wouldn't bother me in the least, he thought. "Well, let's take things one day at a time, okay?"
"Fine by me, String." Caitlin sighed as she snuggled closer to him, feeling more content than she could ever recall feeling.
Meanwhile...
I can't believe that didn't work. Well, I know another trick that'll definitely scare the crap right out of that bitch. I remember it worked once before, and it'll work again. The mysterious man walked over to the phone and made a quick phone call, smiling when he hung up. The next time she goes to that hangar, that little bitch will have a BIG surprise waiting for her, he thought.