Chapter 2: The other woman
Caitlin sat at Dom's desk finishing up some last minute paperwork. Dom had already left and she admitted to herself that she had only volunteered for the chore so that she could catch a glimpse of Hawke's student/date.
She sighed to herself and wondered why she wanted to torture herself. She had wanted for some time now for more to happen between her and Hawke. Before she'd gone to the design conference she thought they were making progress all though slowly.
She had realized that any time she had actually hinted at a deeper relationship Hawke would back off drastically. Usually he would find some beautiful sophisticated woman to date and be seen with. So she had decided to put that aspect of things on the back burner and just have a great friend. She began to notice that he started to spend a lot more time with her just hanging out as friends. He wasn't afraid to hug and give her light kisses on the cheek either. Before she'd left on the charter he hadn't been out with anyone for quite some time. And, she had to admit that the easy banter they'd long enjoyed had been taking on a more suggestive tone with double meanings abounding.
I guess you were just imaging things, Caity me girl, she thought. She heard a woman's laughter out in the hangar and glanced through the door. She didn't see anyone, but guessed that Hawke and his student were just about to set off. As he came into view heading straight for the office she ducked her gaze hoping he hadn't noticed her craning her neck.
"Cait," he said to catch her attention.
She looked up and froze at the sight of the woman walking up behind him. The tall brunette slipped her arm through his and clung to him.
Hawke noticed her reaction and stiffened himself wondering what had put her on guard. Cait seemed to be fine with his going out with someone when they'd teased each other earlier in the day.
"CC and I were just about to leave."
The woman beside him cleared her throat.
Hawke glanced at her.
"Oh, sorry. CC this is Caitlin. We work together. Cait this is CC."
"Why Caitlin," CC said in a southern accent. "It's so nice to see you again."
She extended her hand.
Cait stood up but ignored the hand.
"Carrie?" Cait was dumbfounded. She had thought that this was one person from her past that she'd never see again.
"You two know each other?"
Caitlin recovered her speech only with tremendous will. "Knew each other," she corrected giving CC a cold stare. "But that was a long time ago."
"Funny," CC said lightly, "it only seems like last week to me. My, how time flies. I had no idea you'd moved to California. And look, you're a secretary for an air service, how nice. Whatever happened to your ambition of being in law enforcement?"
Caitlin set her jaw and the fire flashed in her eyes. She crossed her arms in front of her and widened her stance. Hawke recognized Cait's temper flaring and quickly intervened.
"CC," Hawke interrupted, "Can you go on out and start the chopper? I've just got to grab my coat."
"Certainly, Hawke," she smiled sweetly and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Don't be long." She turned and walked from the office without a backwards glance.
"What was that all about?" he turned on Caitlin.
Caitlin stared at the retreating woman as if her glare could burn a hole in the others back. "Nothing Hawke," Caitlin said. She gave him a slight glance. "It was a long time ago." She sat heavily back in the chair.
"You sure it's not something else?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Like what?" She said with a defensive edge.
"Like how do you know her?" he demanded.
Caitlin looked him in the eye for a long moment considering. Finally she said, "It doesn't matter. Look just, be careful around her okay. She has a tendency to latch on and…cause a lot of chaos." She looked like she wanted to say more but didn't.
"I can take care of myself."
"Not with someone like her," a note of caution permeated her voice. "She's the type to have you all tied up before you even know it. So, please be careful." At the look on his face, she added, "for me?"
"What are you jealous?" He flung at her as he retrieved his coat from the rack beside the door.
Hawke couldn't understand her sudden concern and refusal to talk about why. He'd always thought she could and did tell him practically everything.
If she hadn't of come back from her charter two days earlier than planned, she never would have known about CC anyway. He had wanted to spare her feelings. He knew how she felt, but had reasons of his own for not going there. He had decided when she quit pushing that he'd at least try not to flaunt anyone in her face. He knew it caused her pain when he'd hook up for one of his short term flings. He cared too much for her to do that to her anymore. Besides he hadn't been with anyone in a long time and had recently found himself more and more drawn to Caitlin. If it wasn't for Airwolf and all of those complications, he wouldn't have any trouble telling Cait what a beautiful and intelligent woman he thought she was. He would have no reservations to having a long term even a lift time relationship with her. But, lately even though their teasing had become more suggestive, she was pulling away from him. It seemed to him that maybe she had finally accepted that they'd never be more than friends and was getting on with her life. He had started to count on her being there for him, but recently she'd gone out with some guy rather than having dinner with him. It had bothered him more than he liked to admit even to himself. Hawke knew he was too close. He had to take action, CC.
"I'm going to see who I want, Caitlin especially if you're not willing to talk about why I shouldn't. You're not my mother, or sister. Hell we've never even been on a date. Why don't you just leave me alone?"
"If nothing else, Hawke, you are my friend, and I care what happens to you," she said hotly.
"No one asked you to." He shot back as he left the office to join CC.
Swaying to the music playing softly in the background Hawke held CC in a warm embrace. He had been going to seduce her tonight. Not that he thought he'd have much trouble on that score, but what Caitlin had said at the hangar kept coming back to him. Each time he started to make his move he heard Cait's warning.
"She's in love with you."
"What?" Hawke pulled back slightly and looked into CC's warm brown eyes.
"Caitlin. She's in love with you." CC said. "She probably would have warned you off me if given half the chance."
Hawke's reaction gave her the conformation that Cait had done exactly that.
"We're just friends," he stated avoiding the half asked question.
"It doesn't matter Hawke. The same thing happened in college. I'll understand if you don't want to see me anymore." There was regret and sympathy in her eyes. "How long have you two known each other anyway?"
"About two years."
CC nodded knowingly. "She's probably your best friend. She's always there for you, undemanding, even steps out of the way when you start to date someone. But," she sighed, "she's always waiting in the wings when your relationship falls apart ready to be the comforter. It took about two years in college."
"What took two years?" Hawke couldn't help himself. He wanted to know what had happened between CC and Caitlin.
"I'm sorry. I've already said too much. Maybe you should just take me home now. No harm done. Okay?" She rubbed his arms with her hands in a comforting gesture.
"No, it's not okay." Hawke grasped her shoulders. "Look I just want you to be straight with me."
CC sighed again. "Okay but, then will you take me home?"
"Tell me the truth and I'll take you anywhere you want to go."
CC and Hawke crossed over to the sofa and got comfortable. After a moment CC started her tale with a faraway look in her eyes.
"Cait and I were assigned to the same dorm room our freshman year. We became great friends. We did practically everything together. I introduced her to my longtime boyfriend during fall break. Everything seemed to be fine. Carl and I had an on again off again thing in college. Cait was always there for me. Only I didn't know she was also always there for him too. She slowly started to wedge herself between us. When that didn't work to her satisfaction she…she started getting into trouble. The kind of trouble only Carl could rescue her from. First, it was simple things like her car breaking down in the middle of nowhere. It didn't take long before it escalated. She was almost raped on campus, then her boyfriend went psycho and tried to kill her. I don't deny she was in real trouble, but somehow she managed to attract the trouble just at the right time. It was usually when Carl and I started to get real close. She drew Carl in until…."
A tear fell from CC's cheek. She was silent for a while visibly trying to hold back tears and keep herself together.
Hawke gently wiped the tears from her cheek. His touch seemed to bring her back from the past. She sniffled a little before continuing.
"…until one day Carl went to save her and didn't come back." Tears started streaming down her cheeks now. "He'd…just…just asked me…to…to marry him."
Hawke pulled the obviously distraught woman to him. He held her while she cried herself out.
"I'm sorry to break down on you like that," she said as she wiped the last of the tears away. "I haven't talked about it since it all happened."
"Hey, it's okay. It was a hard thing to go through." Hawke wasn't sure how much he believed of CC's story, but it did seem to mirror his experiences with Cait. The first time he'd seen her she was just about to be…abused and then that whole thing with Holly was…well different. She'd been high-jacked, kid-napped, and held hostage since then and it sort of did fit with when he was seeing someone, not entirely though.
CC started to get up, but was shaking badly.
Hawke sat her back down.
"Hey it's late. Why don't you stay here tonight?"
"Oh I should be fine. The flight to the hangar should be enough to calm me down." She tried to stand again and her knees wobbled.
"You're upset and shaken. Look you can sleep in the bed. I'll take the couch."
She started to protest and he cut her off.
"It's my house let me be a gentleman if I want to."
Hawke escorted her up to the sleeping loft and brought her a glass of cold water.
"Thank you," CC said, "for everything."
Hawke gave her smile and headed down the stairs.
The next day when Hawke and CC landed on the tarmac Cait was watching from the hangar door. His words from the night before still rang in her ear. She knew they'd spent the night at the cabin together despite her warning to Hawke. She had thought that he'd trust her a little more than that after all they'd been through.
CC and Hawke saw her standing in the shadows but both pretended not to.
"I know we had plans later. But if you'd rather not, I understand." CC tried to let him off the hook. She let her disappointment show and glanced at the hangar.
Hawke followed her glance. He had no reason not to see CC again just because she and Caitlin had some history whatever the true story was.
"No," Hawke said as he turned to give her a smile. "I'll still pick you up at eight."
"I'm sure Caitlin won't like that. I don't want to come between two friends." She placed a hand gently on his arm.
"Caitlin doesn't determine who I see." He gave her a small smile.
CC leaned over and they kissed.
Caitlin couldn't really hide her displeasure despite all her acting classes. She also couldn't watch anymore but went back to the repairs she'd started the day before. Pouring herself into her work was the best way she knew to hide her feelings. She barely even registered the sound of CC's car when it left.
Hawke entered the hangar ten minutes later. He headed straight for the coffee.
Dom slapped him on the back causing him to spill some of the coffee.
"It's about time you showed up. I'm not paying you for unscheduled early morning flight lessons. Or, were they late night flight lesson?" Dom chuckled. "Well, I can say one thing at least she's a looker."
Hawke scowled at him while he made a show of refilling his spilled coffee.
"Someone must have woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. You're usually all smiles after taking a beautiful woman up to your cabin. What's a matter didn't she like Tet?"
"Lay off Dom." Hawke stole a glance at Caitlin who was at the top of a latter her head stuck in the chopper.
"Geesh! How come you're so sensitive all of a sudden? All I did was compliment you on your date," Dom said as he headed out to talk to Everett. He hadn't missed Hawke's furtive glance at Cait and hoped the boy was starting to get a little sense in that department. He's seen how Cait had been withdrawing while still keeping up appearances with Hawke. If String's not careful, he's going to lose a lot more than his best friend when that girl finally has enough and leaves, he thought.
Hawke stalked into the office to stare at the board for the day. His primary job was to help Cait with the repairs. Not what he really wanted to do, but maybe she'd tell her side of the story with CC.
By lunch time, there was a definite cooling of relations between Hawke and Cait. They hadn't said more than a few words to each other and those centered on the repairs they were doing. Dom sent Cait out to get some lunch so he and Hawke could have a talk.
"So?" Dom asked after Cait had been gone long enough not to suddenly reappear.
"So? What?" Hawke returned from his position under the nearby Jet Ranger.
"So are you going to tell me what's going on between you and Cait or am I going to have to ask her?" Dom knitted his eyebrows and put his hands on his hips.
"Nothing is going on between us. Like I keep telling you and everyone else who asks we're just friends."
"Maybe that's your problem," Dom said so low that all Hawke heard was "problem." Louder he said, "Then how come you two are barely speaking to one another?"
Hawke rolled out from under the helicopter and looked up at Dom.
"We've been talking all morning. How do you think we're getting this hunk of junk fixed?"
Usually an insult to one of Dom's helicopters would successfully divert him from any other subject, usually.
Dom began to shake his finger at Hawke. "Don't try because it's not going to work. String you know what I mean," Dom began raising his voice. "You two haven't said word one to each other that didn't involve that chopper."
"It doesn't matter Dom. You can't help. It's Cait's problem anyway." He started to roll back under the helicopter.
Dom stopped him.
"Look String, I've been around the block a time or two and know something about women. You've done something to make her mad and I want to know what it is."
String got to his feet and began wiping his hands on a rag.
"It has nothing to do with me. Cait and CC know each other from college. They used to be friends; apparently they had a falling out over some guy. Now they don't like each other. It's as simple as that."
"Boy, if you think this has nothing to do with you than you're denser than those mountains you're so fond of. Talk to Cait about it and be nice when you do it too. I don't know CC all that well, but she seems like a nice enough girl. But, I know Cait and if she doesn't like her there has to be a good reason. You should listen to her. She's a pretty smart girl."
About this time Caitlin returned, she hadn't intended on eavesdropping, but Hawke's angry rejoinder stopped her in her tracks.
"Why can't everyone just leave me alone? I'm not twelve anymore, Dom. I don't need a meddling mother hen hovering over me when he should be minding his own business. And, I certainly don't need an ex-cop from Texas telling me who I can and can't see. I'm fine on my own."
Caitlin couldn't believe Hawke was treating Dom that way. She plastered on a cheerful smile, took a couple of steps back, and came barreling into the hangar.
"I hope you like cold cut combo, Dom. They were all out of Italian meatball." She laid her burden on the crate between them seemingly oblivious to their tension and mood. She fished out Hawke's sandwich and launched it at him. "Tuna salad for you, and bologna surprise for me," she said then passed out the drinks.
Everyone welcomed the diversion the meal provided. Dom retreated to his office to eat leaving Cait and Hawke the hangar. The two ate in an uncomfortable silence.
Hawke was obviously brooding and Cait wasn't about to try and cheer him up.
She was too mad at him. Practically from the time she'd arrived in California, he'd been alternating between a teasing big brother type, to someone who maybe just maybe had deeper feelings, to someone who didn't give a damn about anyone or anything. It was the latter stage he seemed to be in at this moment.
She hated it when he was like this not because of how he treated her all though that was bad enough, but because he would shut Dom out. It hurt Dom to have what was practically his son yell at him and then completely ignore him. Dom was caring and giving and didn't deserve to be cast aside at any moment. And it was all just because Hawke was too stubborn to let anyone else care about him.
Well fine, she thought. Two can play that game. You're gonna find out just how your actions affect others. And, buddy you haven't met stubborn until you've met Caitlin O'Shannessy stubborn.