To Make a Hawke Smile, Chap. 2
Disclaimer—Don't own anything, as usual.
A/N—This chapter will take place around six months after the events of Chap. 1. Thanks as always to Riabhach, OldSFFan, averrier, LadyCaitWolf, and AbbyGibbs for their reviews—enjoy the next chapter—robertwnielsen
Chap. 2
In the six months since he'd gotten together with Caitlin O'Shannessy, Stringfellow Hawke had been smiling a lot more frequently, and Dom and Cait had both noticed. At least, he'd been smiling a lot more frequently until recently. This particular morning, Caitlin saw Hawke's expression was very somber again when he and Dom got to the hangar. He smiled at Caitlin, though, as she walked out and kissed him good morning.
"What's wrong, String?" Caitlin asked, noticing that he lost his smile almost immediately after they broke apart from their kiss.
"It's—it's nothing, Cait," Hawke said just before he walked away with Dom.
Ouch. That hurts, Caitlin said to herself as she walked into the office. The way String just...brushed me off like that. He hasn't done that in a long time. Then, she walked into the office and glanced at the calendar on Dom's desk, and the reason for Hawke's mood hit her like a Hellfire missile from Airwolf—Saint John's birthday. No WONDER he seems so down, Caitlin said to herself. Well, she thought as she went to look for Hawke, I'll just have to help him.
She found String a few minutes later, working on Dom's old Stearman, the same way she'd found him a couple of years ago when she came to California looking for him. She slipped up beside him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn towards her.
"String, I—I didn't know...about Saint John," Caitlin said hesitantly. "I'm—I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Cait," String said as he set down the wrench he'd been using and turned around, wiping his hands on a rag he had there with him, before taking Caitlin in his arms and pulling her close to him. "It's like you said—you didn't know."
"But, I should have known, String," Caitlin said. "I—I should've asked...I just didn't know how."
"Well, Cait," String said after he thought a moment, "Saint John is not a forbidden subject—Dom and I talk about him all the time—so you shouldn't feel embarrassed, or afraid, to bring him up around us. Just because he's gone, and I miss him—that doesn't mean we can't talk about him. I always get a little down today...you understand, don't you?"
"Yeah, String, I do understand," Cait replied. "I get the same way around Daddy's birthday...or at least, I did...until recently," she said, and Hawke understood what she meant. Her dad's birthday wasn't too long after we got together, Hawke said to himself, so she wasn't as upset by it as she had been.
"I know, Cait," Hawke replied. "And, I'm glad I was able to help you that day."
"I know," Cait replied, looking deep into Hawke's steel-blue eyes. "I just—I want to help you the same way—if I can."
"Thanks, Cait," Hawke said just before he kissed her.
"Well! I see String's in a better mood," Dom said as he walked over to the couple. Cait pulled back from the kiss, embarrassed.
"Sorry about that, Dom," Cait said, her cheeks turning a slight pink.
"Oh, that's okay, Cait," Dom said, smiling at his younger employee, "I'm just glad you got a smile out of String, y'know?"
"Yeah," Caitlin replied as she glanced up at String. "So am I. Now, let's get back to work!" Hawke and Dom both smiled at Cait as they walked back into the hangar.
Later that afternoon, Hawke was startled to see the FIRM's white limousine pull up in front of the hangar and Laura, Archangel's prime pilot, step out.
"Where's Marella?" Hawke demanded as he walked up to Laura.
"At Knightsbridge," Laura replied, "and Michael would like all of you to come to Knightsbridge, immediately."
"What for?" Hawke demanded, his anger rising slightly.
"That's for Michael to say," Laura said mysteriously, effectively ending the conversation. Hawke turned around and stalked back into the hangar, telling Caitlin and Dom that the limo was waiting outside, and Michael wanted them to come to Knightsbridge, but Laura wasn't saying why. They all climbed in the limo, and were soon on their way.
"String, relax," Caitlin said, laying her hand on top of Hawke's. "It'll be okay."
"I know," Hawke said, turning and giving Caitlin a small smile. "I just don't like not knowing what's going on, y'know?"
"Yeah," Caitlin replied, "I do know. And I understand."
"Thanks," Hawke replied as he took Cait's hand and gave it a loving squeeze. Dom observed the exchange with a smile on his face. It is so good that String finally admitted how he feels...and I can already see the effect Cait's havin' on him...and I hope I never stop seein' it!
When they were in Michael's office, though, Hawke's mood had decidedly soured again. "String," Caitlin said as she took hold of his hand again, "relax. It'll be fine." She gave String's hand a reassuring squeeze, and was rewarded when Hawke glanced down and gave her a thin smile.
"Thanks again, Cait," Hawke replied, and gave her hand a squeeze in return, even as he smiled back at her.
"Hawke, don't worry," Michael said as he walked over to the trio. "This isn't a mission. This is...well—there's someone here who'd like to say hello." He buzzed the door to his office open, and Marella walked in with another man—a man Hawke had thought he'd never see again, except in his dreams at night.
"S—Saint John? Is it—really you?" String asked, tears forming in his eyes.
"Yeah, little brother," Saint John replied. Upon hearing his voice, String dropped Caitlin's hand without thinking, and ran over to hug his older brother.
"That seemed rude, don't you think, Cait?" Marella asked.
"If I didn't know the story, yeah, it would have," Cait replied. "But, String hasn't seen his brother in sixteen years, Marella. I'd probably do the same thing in his place." She smiled at Marella, and Marella smiled back before she walked up to String and Saint John. "By the way, Stringfellow," Marella said, pushing a manila folder into his hands, "these are test results, including DNA. This is your brother—no doubt about it this time." Marella recalled two years ago, when the Schwartzkrieg had disguised a man as String's older brother—even doctoring a newspaper to make it appear that Michael and Dom were killed in the raid that freed 'Saint John'—as part of a plot to steal Airwolf and return her to Libya. And, Marella had included notes to explain some of the medical terminology that she knew neither String nor Dom would understand.
"Saint John," Hawke said, "There's somebody else here I want you to meet. This is Caitlin O'Shannessy...and she and I are...together," String concluded, as Saint John gave Caitlin a friendly embrace.
"It's nice to meet you, Saint John," Caitlin said, smiling at String's older brother. "I've heard a lot about you from String."
"It's my pleasure, Caitlin," Saint John replied, and Caitlin noticed something. That smile again, she thought to herself as she glanced at String, seeing his face split into the same smile he'd worn the day she'd come up to his cabin six months ago. Caitlin knew there would be some tension between Hawke and Saint John, especially when the subject of where Saint John had been all this time came up, but Cait was sure she'd be able to keep String smiling when that discussion occurred. At least, she thought anxiously, I sure hope I can. I'll do my best, she thought to herself as she glanced at String and saw his smile again. 'Cause that smile of his makes him look all the more attractive...if that's humanly possible. And I want to see that smile a lot more often—and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I do. String smiled down at Caitlin again, and she knew that everything was right in her world.
Sure enough, though, a few minutes later when Saint John explained the secret commando unit he'd been commanding ever since he was rescued from the North Vietnamese, Caitlin felt the tension increase in the room exponentially. But...somethin' seems different, she said to herself. And I think Saint John notices it, too. When String told Saint John he understood what his older brother had done, and forgave him, Saint John immediately guessed that her being in String's life had been what helped him calm down so quickly, and he thanked Caitlin for whatever she'd done to his younger brother.
"Well, Saint John," Caitlin said to him, "it's not that big a mystery, really. I love String...and that makes him happy."
"So I see," Saint John replied, glancing at their joined hands, along with the smiles they both wore. "And, I hope I never stop seeing it!"
"That makes two of us, Saint John!" Dom replied. String simply smiled at his older brother again, then smiled at Caitlin when she said, "Don't you worry about that, Saint John...'cause I love String, and I'm not goin' anywhere for a long time!" String smiled at Caitlin again, and she made a resolution to herself—I'm gonna do whatever I have to to make sure and keep him smilin'. 'Cause that smile just makes String that much more attractive...and I don't want him to ever lose that smile again.
Saint John finally said, "For Pete's sakes, Caitlin, call me 'Sinj,' all right? String called me that all the time when we were kids."
"Okay...Sinj," Caitlin said, "but on one condition—that you call me 'Cait.'"
"Okay, Cait," Saint John replied, and Caitlin caught String smiling again. She guessed that String was relieved that his brother was getting along so well with her. The foursome finally returned to Santini Air, and Saint John informed String that Michael had set him up in an apartment not far from the hangar. "And," he said, "you, Cait, and Dom are welcome there any time."
"I would hope so, Sinj," String had sassed back to his older brother, causing everyone to laugh. Saint John commented, "Cait, I never thought I'd see the day—but you've given String his sense of humor back!" Caitlin simply smiled and said, "Like I said before, Sinj—I love String, and that makes him happy. So he's more able to smile than he used to be."
"I'm sure happy to see that," Saint John said. Dom chimed in, "You're not the only one, Sinj!"
Once the hangar was closed down, String took Cait to his cabin that night for dinner, and when she glanced at him as they ate, she was not surprised to see him smile at her again. When I see him smile like that, I know everything's right in his world...which makes it right in mine, she said to herself with an air of satisfaction. Just the way it should be. When Caitlin fell asleep that night, she decided that she wanted to move into the cabin with String. I'll tell him in the morning, Caitlin said to herself as she fell asleep with String's arms around her. The next morning when she told Hawke she'd decided she wanted to move into the cabin with him, String smiled wider than Cait had ever seen him smile before. Later that morning, the smile String wore when he got to the hangar could have lit up the entire airfield for the next three weeks. Thank heavens, Dom said to himself later that evening as he fixed dinner at the cabin. I never thought I'd see String smilin' like that again, but I love that he's finally seen sense about Cait. As Dom flew back to the hangar, he pictured the smile on String's face as he left, and Dom felt an enormous sense of relief and happiness about the future.