Okay, here it is...the chapter that the Hawke/Caitlin fans were waiting for. If you're not a fan of the couple, then you might want to stop at chapter 9. Thanks again for he reviews. :o)
Chapter 10
After being released from the hospital, Caitlin joined Hawke at the cabin per his request. She was delighted to have a chance to visit there again and took in the scenery the moment they approached their landing on the dock.
"Wow, it's still as beautiful as ever up here," she told him. "Breathless."
Hawke smiled. "Yeah, I never tire of it, that's for sure."
String escorted her inside the cabin and immediately started a fire in the fireplace.
"I see that everything is still the same inside, except for the sofa," she said as she plopped down onto it."
"Well, the old one had seen better days," he replied. "I decided it would be great to have a sleeper sofa so I could sleep down here by the fire sometimes."
Caitlin grinned. "Oh, can we pull it out?" she asked.
"Sure, why not," he replied as she got up to let him pull off the cushions and open up the bed. "It's pretty comfortable for a sofa bed."
Caitlin plopped back down again. This time she lay down on her stomach towards the end of the bed facing the fire. "I like this," she told him.
"Me too," he said as he joined her.
"You know, I really am going to miss all of this when I go back to Seattle," she admitted. "I forgot how much I loved it all."
Hawke sighed. "When are you leaving?" he asked.
"In a couple of days," she replied. "A friend of mine is covering my flight lessons but I can't expect him to do it forever."
"I guess I was kind of hoping you'd consider staying," he replied. "We've missed you."
Caitlin turned and gave him a serious look. "I know," she replied. "I feel the same way but I've started a new life there and it's made me happy."
"Even without Patrick?" asked Hawke.
"It's harder without him," she admitted. "But I promised myself I'd never look back. I'd move on with my life and find new adventures where ever they took me. I don't think Seattle is an end all for me. I think there's more out there."
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," he told her. "I know how it feels to lose someone you love."
"I know you do," she said softly as she reached over and touched his arm. "It just wasn't meant to be."
The two lay silent for several minutes just staring at the burning fire before Hawke spoke up. "Cait, I want to talk about that night," he said. "The night we were together."
"Come on Hawke," she replied. "What's there to talk about? We both went through a lot and we needed each other. We agreed it was a mistake, remember?"
"Was it really?" he asked. "I mean, you were the first to say it was. I wasn't so sure but I went along with you."
"What are you trying to say?" asked Caitlin.
"You ran away as fast as you could after that night," he replied.
"I wasn't the one who started dating others first," she told him.
"You're right," he said. "I was the first to find someone else but I was hurt. I always thought you'd figure that out."
Caitlin rolled over to her side. "Hawke, I know you like to keep things bottled up and you always just hide away when you're upset. I mean I knew you'd been upset but I thought it was because of the little girl."
"You were wrong," he replied. "I never thought that night was a mistake but I decided that you'd be better off if I let you go."
Caitlin couldn't keep her eyes from watering up. She tried to hold them back but the tears began to run down her cheeks. "All this time I thought that night meant nothing to you," she told him.
Hawke brushed her tears away with his hand. "Caitlin that night meant everything to me. I know it started out as two friends finding comfort with one another but in the end, it was so much more. Once you left, I had a hard time. Nothing seemed important anymore. I've still always wanted to find Saint John but I grew a bit cold to others around me, except Dom. I just didn't want to deal with people or let anyone else get too close."
"I had no idea," said Caitlin as she reached up and brushed his hairline with her hand. "Is that why you didn't want any help when they put you in jail?"
"I guess," he replied. "It's hard to explain. I was shocked when you came and I never thought you'd pull that little blackmail trick."
Caitlin laughed as the tears continued to flow lightly down her cheeks. "I'm sorry about that," she replied. "Your secret will always stay with me. I just wanted so badly to see you."
"I know," he replied softly. "I only gave in because I thought it was a pretty bold move on your part. It reminded me of how much spunk you always had."
Caitlin shrugged. "I still do," she replied.
"You've always been so brave," Hawke told her. "With everything we've been through you always saw the positive in everything."
Caitlin moved over and hugged him tightly. "If I'm so brave then why does the thought of walking out of here and never seeing you again scare the hell out of me? And the crazy thing is that staying scares me even more."
"That just means your human," he replied while pulling her even closer. "We both are."
String pulled away slightly and then moved in and kissed her. He was relieved when she didn't pull away and kissed him back. "Stay," he told her. "Please stay and see where the future takes us. I'll admit it all scares the hell out of me too but I'm not the same when you aren't here. I didn't realize how much of an influence you had on me until you were gone."
Caitlin stared into his eyes. The fire and passion that she saw missing in his eyes when she first saw him again, was now there.
"I'm not sure," she whispered softly.
"Then let's spend the night right here, just talking," he replied. "I promise to lay it all out for you. Everything I've been thinking and all the things I wished I'd told you long before now."
"Sure," she replied while shifting back onto her stomach. "I'd like that."
That night the two spent hours talking about how they met and the adventures they had together. They laughed and cried and at times teased each other. In the morning Caitlin found herself snuggled up in his arms. She knew that even though she wasn't going to look back, the new adventures ahead of her would include Hawke. There was no way she could walk out his door and leave him behind again.
"Are you okay?" asked Hawke as he realized she was awake and staring off into the embers of the nearly burned out fire.
"I'm better than okay," she assured him. "I've decided to stay and open a second office down here. I figured I can still keep the one in Seattle and hire someone to run it."
"Great idea," he told her before hugging her and pulling her into a kiss. "So, can we take this up a notch now?"
Caitlin grinned. "Damn, I thought you'd never ask," she replied.
String rolled her over onto her back and kissed her thoroughly. "I love you," he whispered.
"I know," she replied, trying her best not to laugh but not succeeding.
Hawke stared at her a moment and then poked her lightly in her side several times, causing her to laugh harder. "Okay, okay," she replied. "How can I not totally love a man who keeps his childhood teddy bear in his bedroom nightstand?"
Hawke laughed. "Hey, don't forget that's our little secret," he told her. "I really don't want to hear the jokes from Michael and Doc if they were to ever find out."
Caitlin stopped laughing and gave him a serious look. "You always give the illusion of being so tough. I'm surprised you've kept it all these years. Have you ever told anyone else about that?" she asked.
Hawke shrugged his shoulders. "It reminds me of my mother," he replied. "She gave it to me when I was really little. You're the only one I've ever told about it."
Caitlin quickly moved on top of him and kissed him until they were breathless.
"Damn," he said afterwards. "If telling you my secrets gets me that kind of results, I think I need share some more."
"Later," she replied while pulling him back into a kiss.
The End