Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. They are not my own. I only cherish them.
My stories are set in real-time. Dom is a Vietnam vet and String and St. John were in Iraq post 9/11.
CHAPTER ONE: A YEAR GONE BY
It was another week gone by much like the last one and the one before that. Cait looked at the calendar that hung above her desk. Nothing had been the same since String left. It didn't seem possible that he had been gone for a year. She entered in the final numbers of the accounting sheet she was working on. Santini air was barely getting by. Dom was tired more than usual tonight and had already gone home leaving Cait to lock up. She looked at the schedule for the coming week. Business had picked up some. She wished it was in the form of movie stunts instead of flying lessons but it was paying work and she was glad to have it. The studios were producing more romantic movies these days then action films that didn't require stunt pilots. Glancing up from her desk she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror she kept on her desk. Dom wasn't the only one that looked tired. She wished she had a little romance in her life. Turning off her computer she took her purse out of the desk drawer and turned out the lights.
Cait started the thirty minute drive to her house. It was late and not much traffic. She passed the sandwich shop that she was going to stop at. She was too tired to stop and grab a bite to eat. The moon was high in the sky and very bright. She found it hard to watch the road as it seemed to mesmerize her into following it to see where it led. Anywhere but here would be OK with her. Without giving it a thought she passed her exit. It was a beautiful night and the air was cool. Her thoughts took her to String and the day they got the news. She remembered it like it was yesterday. She could still see the look on Strings face as Michael finally fulfilled his end of the bargin. He had located St. John but a reunion between brothers was not to be. That day they learned his fate. He had been taken prisoner in Iraq and was executed three months later. Michael had found the proof. He had pulled a lot of strings to bring his remains home. At least String got his closure even though it was not the closure he had hoped for.
Cait looked at the clock on the dashboard. She hadn't realized she had been driving for an hour. Tomorrow was Saturday and even though she didn't have to work she needed sleep. Seeing the next exit she turned around and headed home. The drive back she let her mind drift to the days that followed the devastating news. String stayed at his cabin for several weeks and saw no one not even Dom. Then without a word he showed up at the hanger. He picked up his tools and went to work as if nothing had happened. Later they learned he had returned the Lady keeping his part of the deal with the Firm. Nothing or no one was able to reach his closed off heart until her, Caroline. The woman who came looking for a pilot but instead found the man of her dreams.