Long Author's Note to give background: This story is set in modern times and has some differences from the 1980s version. ln my mind it's still the same cast just…set in today's time. Maybe a little younger than the 1st season though to make fit my timeline better. String is 33 born 1984 (yes, the year the original show premiered) spent 8 years in military, came home without his beloved brother Saint John or Sinjin who went MIA/POW in 2004 Afghanistan. Also changed his dog's name to Scout because it wouldn't fit to have it named Tet in 2017.
Sinjin is 35 born 1982 went MIA in 2004 – 6 months POW – Special Operations rescue, joined the group – has tried many times to get messages to family via several sources. Some messages get thru partially giving Hawke hopes that his brother is still alive. Sinjin himself looks like a taller, blonder JMV with maybe a more rounded jaw, giving them both the look of brothers but still enough difference. I'm sorry but Barry Van Dyke just…no. So, my Sinjin looks more like his brother.
Cait is 28 born 1989 – she came to Santini Air the same way as in the original show, she's been there about a year and a half.
Dom is 66 went to Vietnam in 1969-1975 – best friends with Sarah and Jameson Hawke the boy's parents. Sarah and Jameson Hawke died in 1994 in the Northridge earthquake figured it was convenient to use an actual natural disaster that perfectly fit the timeline than just some boating accident. Always thought it was weird for Hawke to live at the place his parents died.
Sinjin joined army in 2000 at age 18 String joined 2002 as soon as he turned 18, changing his career choice after 9/11/01. He'd planned on college but only attended a short time before 9/11 occurred and left to join Army.
One major difference is, Hawke doesn't feel cursed as much as feeling responsible for losing his brother and focused and determined to find him, disregarding his own personal life. So, he keeps people at a distance because he is so focused on finding Sinjin.
The FIRM is an off shoot of the National Reconnaissance Office (a real agency declassified in 1992) – Hawke never needed to steal Airwolf, he works for the NRO and the FIRM. So, no Moffett or Gabrielle. Because of too many attempts at stealing Airwolf Michael arranged with Hawke to keep its location secret and keep the FIRM and NRO projects/missions only going thru him and his trusted team. Dom and Cait are part of that team.
Michael is a Desert Storm veteran and FIRM agent for the NRO and Hawke's "handler" his injuries come from an IED in Desert Storm.
I am not much of an action writer, so if you are looking for amazing aerial battles and espionage…this may not be the story for you. I tried to do what I could on the military research but I have never served, my dad is a Vietnam vet but he was Navy not Army so I hope I get everything right. I commend those who have and appreciate their service. If I get things wrong, do know I tried to do my research.
Disclaimer: Obviously, this is written for fun, relaxation and makes no money. The characters and original premise belong to Donald Bellisario and CBS Television. I was a huge fan as a kid and JMV was my first crush. In fact, on my 12th birthday my cousin gave me an Airwolf poster with JMV and Airwolf on it. My aunt and mom were standing there when I opened it, and my mom said, "Hmm, I sure wouldn't mind his shoes under my bed." She didn't know dad was behind her and he blurted out, "Not while I'm in it by God!" haha So, my mom thought JMV was a good-looking man too.
Luck of the Draw – Chapter 1
Caitlin O'Shannessy had never visited Egypt before so when the chance came up for her and Kevin to fly a private charter jet to Cairo with University of Southern California students going to the American Research Center in Egypt she leapt at it gratefully.
Her boss Dominic Santini was unable to take the trip as he had too many things going on and the other senior pilot, Stringfellow Hawke was committed to a film stunt that he couldn't rearrange. So, the charter had fallen to the two youngest pilots at Santini Air.
Caitlin had far more flight hours than Kevin but he was her backup for the flight.
It was a routine charter but she'd never had the chance to fly in this part of the world on a charter flight plus get the chance to spend a few days in Egypt! It was such an awesome thing that she hardly even thought of it as work it was like an all-expenses paid vacation. She'd only be there a couple of days to wait on one of the professors to wrap things up at research center and then fly him and a few other returning students back to California but two days in Cairo for free? She'd take it.
She was enjoying the stay in Egypt more than Kevin who just wanted to get home to his girlfriend, they had just moved in together so they were in a sort of honeymoon phase. Caitlin had gotten a chance to visit a few museums, one she dragged Kevin to but the second day he just wanted to stick close to his hotel room. He wasn't all that into the whole experience and spent most of the time on his phone texting of using Facetime with his girlfriend, Cindy.
Caitlin wished that Hawke had been able to come. He would have been interested in the museums and art at least plus, she always loved spending time with the handsome pilot who had saved her life more than once in the last year and a half.
She put on a headscarf, even though it wasn't needed it made it easier for her to feel as if she could blend in since bright strawberry red hair wasn't common in Egypt. She also wore a long sleeved loose oatmeal colored linen shirt and comfortable khaki pants with comfortable shoes because she knew it would just make things easier. She didn't want to draw attention to herself, especially since Kevin didn't want to go out with her today. Not having him with her, Caitlin knew it would be easier to try to blend in and just not be noticed. She put on a pair of sunglasses and headed out to check out the other museum she wanted to visit.
Things were going just fine, she'd stopped in the open-air market to buy a few souvenirs and a snack. Then she was off to the museum but something made her pause, she felt as if she was being watched or more accurately followed. It could be someone targeting her as a tourist to steal money at least she hoped so. She made sure to weave through the crowd hoping to throw them off and then slipped down an ally that wound back around to the museum she was headed to.
Caitlin didn't have a weapon on her and wished she'd thought to grab hers from her flight bag. She did have her cell phone though, and she pulled up Kevin's contact info onto the screen ready to dial if she had to.
When she arrived at the museum, Caitlin figured it was safe enough, it had a crowd and security so hopefully she would be okay and let her guard down a little. Maybe the thief would find a different target now amongst the other tourists.
She walked around a corner in the museum to look at the next display and walked smack into the broad chest of a man. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly and tried to back pedal but the man grabbed her arm as if to balance her.
"That's okay," an American accent said making her feel a little more at ease.
She looked up but there wasn't much she could tell about the man. Blonde streaked light brown hair, full beard, sunglasses though they were inside and a tan baseball cap. She tugged her arm back a little and the man grinned at her.
"Are you Caitlin O'Shannessy?" he asked.
Caitlin took another step back from him trying to pull her arm away from the firm but not painful grip, that he finally released. "How do you know my name?"
"I don't mean to scare you, I've been looking for you. I need to speak with you about Stringfellow Hawke and Dominic Santini," he said.
"What do you want?" she asked warily. Worried this was going to end up a play for Airwolf…again.
"Just to talk. I need you to deliver them something for me. Can…can we go back to your hotel to talk? This isn't exactly the best place for this," the man said looking around.
"Listen bud, I have no clue who you are and I am not going to take some strange man back to my hotel room, just how stupid do you think I am?," she said with her hands settling on her hips.
The man had the gall to smile at her. The thing was the smile seemed familiar for some reason. He took off his sunglasses then and Caitlin gasped. She knew those eyes anywhere, those gorgeous baby blue eyes she fell for in Pope County stared out at her from a vaguely familiar face under all that beard and hair anyway. The click in her head from photos she'd seen was almost painful.
"Sinjin?" she whispered.
"Now, will you take me back to your hotel to talk? I don't have too much time," Sinjin said as he put the shades back on.
"Oh, my Lord, yeah…yeah. You're whose been following me, aren't you?"
"You knew?"
"I felt it, yeah. I used to be a cop," she said with a shrug.
"Yeah, I know," he almost cringed at the look she sent his way at that answer. "Come on, I'll explain everything when we're in a private place," Sinjin said then as they fell into step together.
Caitlin didn't know what to think, Hawke had been looking for his brother for 12 years and now this. He obviously wasn't a POW but she knew this was him. No one could possibly have those same eyes. He was taller than his younger brother by a few inches with slightly broader shoulders to fit his height but he had a very similar walk and the same smile and those same eyes. It was Saint John Hawke, there wasn't any doubt of that in her mind.
When they entered her hotel room, Caitlin stripped off the scarf over her hair and threw it on the dresser along with her sunglasses as she turned to face the man.
"You've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do, you know that, right? Your brother has been looking for you for twelve years, do you know how hard it has been on him? Then you show up, following me around claiming you need to tell me something? I'm not the one you should be talkin' to, buddy!" Caitlin said angrily with her hands on her hips, her blue-green eyes flashing. This man had caused the man she loved incredible pain and heartache and she wasn't going to let him off easy.
"Whoa there, Red," Sinjin said throwing his hands up, "I said I'd explain and I plan to if you'll give me half the chance!"
"Fine. But I'm telling you right now, Saint John Hawke that you have hurt two of the best men I know, Dom and String have been shattered thinkin' you are still a POW in Afghanistan so you better have a damn good explanation. String thinks it's HIS fault that you got captured you know!" Caitlin was angry now she'd had time to think on their walk back to her room and she wasn't able to keep from saying the words. She loved Stringfellow Hawke and Dominic Santini and she didn't care if Sinjin was their family, he didn't have a right to hurt them.
To his credit, Sinjin did recoil and frown deeply when the little redheaded spitfire lit into him. She really did care about String and Dom and she wasn't afraid to let him have it. Part of him was grateful that his family had such a loyal friend in Caitlin.
"Look, I know I deserved all that but will you give me the opportunity to explain?"
"Then start talkin'!" Caitlin said in a huff, her Texas twang a bit more pronounced when she was angry. Caitlin plopped down on her bed and gave him an expectant stare.
Sinjin grabbed a chair and pulled it over to sit in front of her, he took off his cover and sunglasses and tossed them on the bed beside her and took his battered messenger bag strap over his head and set it on the floor by his booted feet.
"String did see me get captured but it wasn't his fault, I certainly never blamed him. I ordered him out of there, his bird couldn't take on any more weight and we had more Apache's and Blackhawks coming in. I thought I'd be on the next transport but we were overrun. I spent 6 months in a Taliban camp along with three other guys that were captured that day, they were with the 10th Mountain Division, I was the only pilot that had been taken because I'd gotten shot down. A Special Operations Group that was a mix of the best of several military units managed to get us out. I had helped quite a bit during the extraction and their commanding officer took a liking to me. He made me an offer to join their group. The only catch was I had to remain MIA on the books. No one could know but it was killing me not to tell String where I was or that I was still alive. I've tried to get messages to him via several untraceable methods over the years but I have no idea if they ever got through. From your reaction today, I guess they never got to him," Sinjin said with a heavy sigh.
"Not exactly," Caitlin admitted. "A few partial messages got to him, a letter that was almost illegible by the time he got it and an audio file was brought to him by a guy named Derek Francis a few years ago," Caitlin went on to explain.
"The audio file was pretty bad quality but it was the best I could do in a rush, I'm sorry the letter wasn't in better shape. I can't just pick up any unsecured phone and I can't ask my superiors to let me call, it is against the rules. I can't write a letter or send an email…I have to remain MIA or dead to anyone who knew me before, at least until my mission is over. No one knew this war was going to take this damn long," Sinjin said sounding a lot like his younger brother when his anger got the better of him.
Caitlin softened a little at that. "Despite the rules, you still want to try to let them know you're alive. Sorry I was so hard on you earlier," she said reaching out to touch his hands that were clasped together in front of him. His elbows were on his knees and his head was down, staring at the floor. He looked up as porcelain fingertips landed on his dark tan hands. His blue eyes were filled with remorse and anger and Caitlin offered a small smile.
"How did you find out about me being here and being friends with them?"
"I set up a software program that would flag any passports of anyone working at Santini Air. I figured someday someone would have a charter at least within a few hundred miles of somewhere I might be working. You and Kevin pinged for me the day before yesterday and I headed here from Jordan. I am not supposed to be here, if my superiors find out I could get in a shit load of trouble but I had to take the chance. I came to you because I saw you were an ex-cop, figured it would be easier to deal with you than Kevin who didn't seem to have much background other than being a young kid, college dropout and a pilot. Besides, pretty girl like you…figured my brother and you," he shrugged.
Caitlin blushed and shook her head. "No, String and I are just friends," she sighed.
The sigh got Sinjin's attention then. "You wish it was more than that?" he asked with a grin.
"He's too wrapped up in feeling guilty about you and pushing everyone else away. He doesn't really pay much attention to his personal life. He comes down from that mountain of his just enough to help Dom and occasionally watch an old movie at my place," Caitlin explained sadly. "Sinjin, you may not have meant to hurt your brother but he stopped living that day you disappeared and he really hasn't come back from that in 12 years."
Sinjin hung his head guiltily at that. He and String had been closer than close and he knew it would have been hard on String but he had no idea none of his messages had gotten through. "I thought for sure some of my messages had gotten to him. I tried a lot of times and I wrote him and Dom letters I couldn't even mail. I was hoping…that you could take them to them."
"Oh, Sinjin, yes. But how about something better than letters, something faster?"
"I can't take that risk, Caitlin," he said shaking his head.
"My cell phone is secure, Sinjin, you aren't the only one who works for a secret agency," she said with a grin. "Apparently the apples landed pretty close together under that tree after all. Your brother works for an agency under the NRO purview. String, Dom and myself all three do. You can use my cell to contact them," Caitlin explained.
Sinjin's eyes widened and he looked at her strangely. "None of the background checks I did turned up anything like that," he admitted.
"Well, this agency isn't supposed to exist, I mean they only declassified the NRO in '92 and they still have things that are highly classified. We work on one of those projects together. Let me call, String, please?"
"Yeah, yeah…if you're sure it can't be traced in any way," Sinjin said excited at the prospect of finally getting to hear his brother's voice after so long.
Stringfellow Hawke was awakened by the ring of his cell phone. He rolled over in bed and reached for the phone wondering who the hell was calling him at this hour. When he saw it was Caitlin, he sat up worriedly in his bed as he answered.
"Cait, it's three in the morning, is something wrong?" Hawke asked gruffly, still sounding sleepy.
Caitlin bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Hawke, I…I didn't even think of the time difference but this is important," she said quickly.
The words 'but this is important' woke him up even more. "Cait, what is it?" His tone was worried and Caitlin felt her heart skip a little from that. He at least cares, he may not feel the way she did but he did care about her.
"Nothing bad, this is…oh, String it's really good," she said happily.
That got his attention even more, she hardly ever called him String. Usually Hawke and on a very rare occasion 'ass hat' but that one always made him laugh. "Well, if you are going to wake a man at…3:22 in the morning it better be very good news," he said sarcastically as he looked at his watch. She had the nerve to giggle.
"Someone wants to talk to you, trust me, you'll not care that I interrupted your beauty sleep," she teased and handed the phone to Sinjin who was suddenly nervous as hell.
Sinjin took the phone from her small hand and cleared his throat as he put it to his ear. "Uh, hey there little brother," he said into the phone. He was met with several seconds of dead silence.
Hawke sat there stunned to his core. He knew that voice, it was like hearing a ghost on the phone. "Sinj?" he asked in a voice that barely sounded like his own he was so stunned.
String heard a huge sigh on the other end of the phone, "Yeah, I've been trying to get messages to you for a long time, kid," he said his voice rough with emotion. "I didn't know they weren't getting to you."
Tears welled in Stringfellow Hawke's eyes. "How…what… where the hell have you been?" he finally blurted out, part of him elated, part of him pissed off, where the hell had he been? Why couldn't he contact him? It was 2017 for God's sake not 1917.
"Hell is probably cooler, I've been here in the Middle East all this time. It's a long story, String. I was captured but when a special ops group got me out they offered me a job. The only catch was I had to remain MIA. I didn't like it but that was the terms and I really wanted to do the job. What I'm doing is important, String but they demand no contact with anyone who knew me back home or even over here. I was given a new name and everything and went to work for them. I didn't like not contacting you though and I tried to get messages out at least a dozen times in different ways. I couldn't use the phone or email, nothing that could be traced in any way. Caitlin told me only one letter and one audio file made it to you in all this time. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, String. I thought for sure some of my messages had made it. I been tracking anyone working at Santini, hoping one day one of ya'll would have a charter close by anywhere I was working. When Caitlin's passport pinged for Egypt I headed here to find her. And I gotta tell you little brother, you've got quite the tigress to protect you. She reamed me good about not contacting you and Dom before now," Sinjin explained.
String just sat there in his bed, caught up in the sound of a voice he never thought he'd get to hear again. "You've been trying to find a way to contact me and I've been trying to find a way to find you all this time," Hawke said in disbelief.
"Sounds like it. I am going to have to get back to Jordan soon or I'm going to be in a shit heap of trouble but I had to take this chance. I am giving a box to Caitlin to bring to you. It has letters, a couple of USB sticks and discs with videos and explanations I've wanted to give for a long time. When I accepted this gig, I had no idea how long this war was gona last. I'm in deep undercover and I can't get out just yet. It is too important, I have a duty, String. I've gotta follow it through, I just needed you to know that I never blamed you, ya know? Not one moment. You had a job to do and so did I. So, stop blaming yourself okay? I know you and I know how you get. I'm okay, I'm alive and I'm going to come home as soon as I get this damn op finished."
"You better, you just keep yourself alive and come home when it is all done. We'll leave a candle burning," Hawke answered. "My God, everyone kept telling me you were probably dead but I never believed it. Never."
"I'm sorry, in your shoes I wouldn't either. You keep that candle burnin', little brother. I love you, kid and tell Dom I miss him and love him too," Sinjin said emotion almost choking him.
"I love you too…can I talk to Cait for a second?" Hawke asked, emotion making his voice strained.
Hawke heard Sinjin tell Caitlin that he wanted to talk to her. He heard her sniffle as she took the phone, obviously she was crying over the reunion.
"Hey, you," Hawke said softly, grateful to her and unable to process all the rest of what he was feeling.
"Hey, told you it was really good news," she said laughing a little.
"Thank you, Caitlin, you have no idea how grateful I am," he said honestly. That redheaded Texas girl had done so much for him over the last year and a half and this, even if Sinjin had been the one to seek her out, still, it meant so much to him that it was her bridging that gap.
"Hey, I just drew the lucky straw getting to come to Egypt is all," she said lightly. "I better let you get some rest, don't you have that stunt today at Universal?"
"Yeah, we did the test run yesterday, I think it'll go smoothly," Hawke told her.
"Good, you guys be careful and I'll see you in a day or two. I'll be bearing gifts. You and Dom take care," she added wishing she could say love you instead.
"You take care too." She hung up feeling a little lost, wishing she could offer String some comfort she knew he probably needed. It had to be a lot for him to process right now.
Caitlin looked up at Sinjin who was standing in the middle of the hotel room seemingly a little lost with his cap and sunglasses in his hands again.
"You need anything? I have some bottled water," Caitlin offered.
"No, I'm good. God, it was good to hear his voice. Thank you for that Caitlin," Sinjin said honestly.
"I just didn't think it would be right to wait to tell him until I got back home, ya know? Besides you guys needed to talk to each other, it has been far too long. Do you want to stay for a while? You look like you could use a bit of rest," Caitlin offered kindly.
"I can't stay, I really do need to get back quickly," he answered wishing he could stay. He bent down and took a battered box out of his pack, it had been wrapped multiple times in tape. "Give this to String when you get home, huh?"
"I will," Caitlin agreed.
"I better get going now. Thanks again, Caitlin."
"Wait," Caitlin said and walked over to him. "Since String and Dom aren't here to do it," she murmured and wrapped her arms around him. She gave him a good squeeze and he returned the hug, thinking about what a sweet girl she seemed to be. His embrace felt very similar to the ones she'd shared with his brother over the last year and a half. They were so similar but yet, so different. Sinjin seemed to have a bit more humor than String but then, String has been so focused on Sinjin over the years she figured his good humor was buried deep inside. Maybe all this would change that? Only time would tell.
"Hey, if that kid brother of mine doesn't snap you up soon, when I finally get out state side I might just have to ask you to dinner and a dance," Sinjin teased.
Caitlin smiled up at him, her blue-green eyes sparkling. "We'll see, Mr. Saint John Hawke…we'll have to wait and see. Stay safe."
"That's the plan!" he said as he left.
Caitlin stood at the closed door with the box in her hands still wondering if it had all been a dream.
Her phone pinged and she looked down to see a message from String. "I'll meet you when you get home. Call when you take off."
She smiled. "Will do, Sinjin gave me a package for you and Dom. I'll keep it with me in my flightbag in the cockpit. You try to get some more rest if you can. I worry you know."
"I know."
He had no idea how much that phrase meant to her. It was what made her fall hard for him in the Pope county jail a year and a half ago. Him standing there all roughed up in a jail cell no less and still so damn handsome it took her breath away and she'd just threatened him. Told him that if he was lying to her that she'd make what the sheriff did to him feel like 'love taps'. His answer of "I know," was what stole her heart that very moment. It was silly but it really was that moment, he seemed so incredibly certain that she'd do exactly what she said. He didn't laugh it off, joke about it or make a chauvinistic comment, he just agreed. No other man had ever made her feel so worthy, especially when inside she was scared to death of the Sherriff.
Caitlin called the research center then to ask when the professor would be ready for the return charter, he said he and two other students would be ready that evening if she wanted to fly them back that night. She set the time with him and then called Kevin to let him know and then the airport to get her flightplan logged. By the time she'd done all that it was midafternoon and she called room service for a late lunch.
Her eyes fell on Sinjin's package, it looked like it had been to hell and back and maybe, it had. It looked as if it had been sealed and resealed many times and looked like it had been squashed a couple times too. He must have carried it for years. Thinking he could hand it off to someone but never able to. It looked as if he had opened it repeatedly to add a letter or something to it.
Her heart ached for both the Hawke brothers. She knew what it was like to love your siblings, she loved hers dearly but knew it was different for them.
They'd lost their parents in the 1994 Northridge earth quake and Dom had been their guardian ever since. He had loved those boys like his own sons and had raised them to be honorable men. All the two boys had was each other as far as blood relatives went and that being separated so long had been hard. She knew String had put his entire life on hold to chase any rumor of Sinjin being alive and it looked now like Sinjin had done what he could to try to let his brother know he really was still alive.
Caitlin ran her hands through her hair and flopped down on her bed to wait on room service. What a crazy but amazing day. She had seen pictures of Sinjin and String when they were younger, they bore a remarkable resemblance to one another. You could easily tell they were siblings. Sinjin was a few inches taller and blonder than String and with his time in the sun here in the Middle East he was much blonder than even in those old photos. He was extremely tanned and he had the same smile and slightly fuller lips but almost the exact same eyes.
String's hair had darkened to a warm chestnut shade with hints of blonde when the sun caught it and his cheekbones were higher, his jaw a little squarer than Sinjin's had been in the photos. All in all, the Hawke brothers were both handsome guys.
She couldn't tell how much Sinjin might have changed under all that fuzz on his face but she imagined he wore it not just for blending in but also to keep from looking too young. String was still rather baby faced even at 33 years old you didn't notice it often because he was such a brooding man sometimes but when he smiled, really smiled, he looked years younger than he was.
She remembered a photo of Dom in the office with Jameson Hawke and he too had a very youthful face for a man his age. String had his mother's high cheekbones and love of art and music but everything else on both brothers was all their father.
The knock at the door for room service got her attention and Caitlin drug herself off the bed and out of her thoughts as she answered the door. She was just biding her time now until they left. She couldn't wait to get home to String and Dom with her precious package.