Caitlin placed Nicky gently back into his crib and stroked a hand over his cheek. His eyes were closed and he was sleeping. He looked so peaceful and she wished she felt the same. She'd staggered home deciding to stay at Red Star was pointless. Michael had told her before she left that Evan had disappeared and the Airwolf team were going to be rerouted to investigate. She figured Hawke would go with them and it could be some time before she caught up with her husband. She had no idea what she was going to say to him when he did come home. She sighed and made her way back down the stairs.

Erin came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel. She had started to prepare a stew for the evening meal. She took one glance at her sister as Caitlin made her way to the seating area and went back into the kitchen. She pulled out a tub of ice-cream and headed back to the sofa with two spoons.

'Here.' Erin handed Caitlin a spoon.

Caitlin frowned at the cutlery but understood when Erin opened the ice-cream and set it on the floor. Caitlin slipped off the sofa to sit next to it and for a while the two sisters sat with their backs resting on the furniture while they dug into the sweet dessert.

'So are you going to tell me why you're so miserable?' Erin said finally.

Her sister looked up at her with a grimace. 'Hawke and I had a major fight.'

'A major fight?' Erin repeated. She could hardly believe it. 'Over what?'

'A woman.' Caitlin said. 'From Hawke's past; from our past.' She sighed and licked her spoon.

'Who?' Erin asked.

'Her name is Angelica Horn.' Caitlin said.

'Horn.' Erin frowned. 'Why is that name familiar?'

'She's the daughter of the man who kidnapped me when I was pregnant.' Caitlin explained.

'Oh.' Erin's expression cleared before it abruptly darkened again. 'And Hawke was involved with her?'

Caitlin smiled at Erin's incredulity. 'It was before Horn kidnapped me, the first time we tangled with them and honestly I don't really know what happened between them.'

'What do you think happened between them?' Erin asked.

Caitlin stirred the ice-cream. 'I know what Angelica wanted me to believe happened between them.'

'Which was?'

'That they were lovers.' Caitlin stuck her spoon in the tub and folded her arms as she gazed into the smouldering fire unhappily.

'Haven't you ever asked Hawke?' Erin asked.

'No.' Caitlin said quickly. 'Of course not.'

'Why not?'

'Because.' Caitlin said.

'Because?' Erin prompted.

'We weren't involved when he and Angelica first met…he didn't even think of me that way back then.' Caitlin admitted. 'And when we did get involved it didn't seem like something I wanted to bring up.'

'Even after you were kidnapped?' Erin checked.

'Especially after I was kidnapped.' Caitlin said. 'Hawke was dealing with so much guilt about my getting kidnapped in the first place that I didn't want to make it worse for him and besides, I just wanted to put the whole thing behind me too.'

'So why did this come up now?' Erin asked perplexed.

'She tried to kill me a couple of months ago.' Caitlin said bluntly.

'Oh.' Erin started giggling.

'It's not funny.' Caitlin said her lips beginning to twitch.

Within seconds both of them were laughing out loud.

Caitlin wiped her eyes. 'I needed that.'

'She really tried to kill you?' Erin said sobering.

'Yeah.' Caitlin sighed and rubbed her hands on her jean-clad thighs. 'I shot her.'

'Good for you.' Erin said forcefully.

'She survived.' Caitlin's lips twisted. 'She was taken into custody by the Company. We were hoping she would be able to tell us who was behind a couple of attacks on the Airwolf team only we were told she'd refused to cooperate.'

'And?'

'And today, Hawke and I go into work and Michael tells us Angelica will talk but only to Hawke.' Caitlin sighed. 'So we go in and Hawke talks to her. She hints that she might know something about Hawke's search for his parents and she makes him promise to protect her because the guys she's married to has connections everywhere and will probably try to eliminate her to ensure she doesn't talk. That seems true at least because the guard tries to kill her.'

'Not your usual day at work.' Erin said. She smiled wryly. 'Or at least not mine.'

'We had to move her to a safe location. Hawke suggested a cabin owned by a friend of ours. She insisted that she still wouldn't talk to anyone to Hawke and she reminded him that he'd promised to protect her and she wouldn't accept anyone else.' Caitlin gestured. 'Hawke agreed that he'd promised and told her he'd keep his word.'

Erin stared at her in shock. 'He really did that?'

'Hawke keeps his promises.' Caitlin said in a bittersweet tone. 'It's why I love him.'

'But he had to know you would hate the idea.'

'Oh he knew.' Caitlin said. 'But he wanted to keep his promise and he wanted to find out what she knew.'

'And he expected you to go along with it?' Erin felt the first real stirring of anger toward Hawke that she had ever experienced. 'Cait.' She reached over and stroked Cait's hair away from her face.

'Anyway they got ambushed on their way up there.' Caitlin said. 'She's dead. He'll be home later. They've gone after the guy who set up the ambush.'

Erin blinked, shocked at the blunt words.

Caitlin sighed. 'I understand why he did it and I know he wouldn't cheat on me with her but…'

'But?'

'But he chose her over me,' Caitlin said gently, 'and it hurts.'

Erin shoved the tub of ice-cream out of the way and hugged her sister. 'You want me to punch him for you?'

Caitlin shook her head.

'So what happens now?' Erin asked.

'I guess we talk about it.' Caitlin said. 'Take it from there.'

'You know he didn't really choose her.' Erin pointed out gently, pushing Caitlin's hair over her shoulder. 'He chose the information about his family he thought she could provide him with.'

'That doesn't make me feel a whole lot better.' Caitlin said.

'But maybe a little.' Erin commented.

'Maybe a little.' Caitlin conceded.

'Come on.' Erin tugged Caitlin's hand. 'Let's make dinner. It'll help take your mind off it.'

Caitlin allowed Erin to pull her to her feet and lead her into the kitchen to make dinner but she knew the attempt wouldn't distract her from her thoughts of Hawke.