To Make a Hawke Smile, Chap. 7

Disclaimer—Still don't own anything, writing these stories only for my enjoyment, and that of my readers.

A/N—This chapter will close out this little story arc. Once again, a big "thank-you" shoutout to NettieC for allowing me to borrow the original idea, and I hope she, and everyone who's read, have enjoyed the directions my muse has taken it. Thanks especially to Mogo Girl, OldSFFan, av981638, AmyGibbs, Riabhach, and Mychand for all your reviews, and I hope you'll enjoy this final chapter, which takes place about eight months after the events in Chapter 6. Warning—there is a major character death in the beginning...but I promise to have Hawke smiling at the end!—robertwnielsen

Caitlin Hawke fiddled with her wedding and engagement rings as she and String flew to the hangar. String had been in a sour mood for the past few days, and Caitlin understood why—a week earlier, their friend Dominic Santini had passed away from a heart attack. It had been unexpected, but he'd died quickly, and hadn't suffered, which made his loss a little easier for String to bear. But, Caitlin still knew that today would be the hardest day they'd face in the eight months since they'd been married.

"You okay, String?" Caitlin asked, worriedly.

"No," Hawke replied honestly, turning for just a moment to glance into Caitlin's eyes. "You know how much I loved him, Cait. I just—I can't believe he's gone...y'know?"

"I know, String," Caitlin replied, and she felt tears coming into her own eyes. "And, I loved him, too. But, I think he's happy, wherever he is—Sinj is home, and has a relationship with Le...not to mention you finally got your head out of your hind end and admitted how you felt about me, and we got married—and I don't think Dom would want us to be sad today...y'know?"

"Yeah, Cait," String said with a sigh, "I know. But...it's just so hard not to be...especially today. By the way—thanks," he said, winking at his wife.

"Any time, String," Caitlin replied, knowing she had some other news to share with her husband. But it'll wait, she said to herself, even as she tried to imagine String's expression when she told him.

When they got to the hangar, Caitlin was surprised to see a blond woman standing outside waiting for them. They quickly landed, shut down the helicopter, and climbed out, and Hawke walked over to the strange woman, and embraced her. Caitlin felt herself fighting another wave of jealousy at seeing her husband embracing another woman, but she quickly extinguished it as Hawke and the woman walked over to her.

"Caitlin," Hawke said, "this is Dom's niece, Jo Santini. Jo, this is my wife, Caitlin Hawke." Caitlin felt herself growing embarrassed that she had felt jealous when she saw Hawke and Jo embrace. Now that I know who she is, that embrace makes perfect sense.

"Nice to meet you, Jo," Caitlin said, smiling at her.

"Same here, Caitlin," Jo replied, then added, "so you managed to marry this guy, huh?"

"Yeah," Caitlin replied, smiling up at her husband. "It wasn't easy, but I finally got him to come around to my way of thinking."

"I'd heard some about that," Jo said. "Uncle Dom wrote me a few times after you and String got together...he just kept going on and on about you, Caitlin...what a difference you've made in String's life. And," she said, smiling at String, "I can already see the difference Cait's made in you, String. Well, you two being married and Saint John coming home, that is," Jo added, smiling at String. "Which reminds me, where is your brother?"

"He should be...ah, here he is now," String said as another car pulled up to the hangar, and Saint John and Le climbed out.

"Hey, Sinj," String said as his younger brother came over, and they embraced. "Saint John, I want you to meet Dom's niece, Jo Santini. Jo, this is my big brother, Saint John, and his son, Le Van Hawke." Saint John smiled at Jo as she politely embraced him.

"Jo," Saint John said, "I'm—I'm so sorry about Dom."

"Thanks," Jo replied, dabbing a few tears out of her eyes. "And I should probably be sayin' that to you—after all, Uncle Dom raised you and String after...after your parents died, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Saint John replied. "And I'll bet Dom and our parents are watching us, right now." That brought forced smiles to everyone's faces, even as they noticed a black limousine pull up in front of the hangar.

"It's time," String said as he took Cait's hand and walked over to the limo. Jo followed just behind String and Caitlin, and Saint John and Le brought up the rear. They quickly climbed into the limo and headed to the church for the service.

When they arrived at the church, the first thing Hawke noticed was the flag-draped coffin at the front, near the altar. It took everything he had not to break down crying when he saw it, but he knew he had to stay strong for as long as he could. Then, he saw Michael and Marella motioning to him. "Excuse us, Saint John," String said. Saint John nodded, and Hawke and Caitlin walked over to meet Michael and Marella—immediately noticing they were both dressed in black.

"Michael, Marella...thank you so much for coming," String said as he embraced Marella, then shook hands with Michael. Caitlin embraced both Michael and Marella also.

"Hawke, even though Dominic and I were at odds more often than not, I still considered him one of my few friends...as I do you, Caitlin, and Saint John. Which reminds me—I talked to Zeus, and we agreed that the FIRM would cover all the costs of the funeral." Hawke's jaw dropped at Michael's statement, and Michael smiled at rendering Hawke temporarily speechless.

"Hawke," Michael said after a moment, "Dom did work for us...just like you, Caitlin, and Saint John do...and Zeus understood that we owed all of you a lot—including my life, twice. So, we figured this was the least we could do for him—and, even though Zeus and I will probably be gone long before you, Cait, or Saint John—the FIRM will do the same for all of you...whenever the time comes."

"Thank you both," Hawke replied. "And, please tell Zeus that I said thank you to him, as well."

"I will, Hawke," Michael said. Caitlin took String's hand and they went to the front of the church to say goodbye to Dom for the final time.

When they'd finished, Caitlin, String, Saint John, Le and Jo sat in the front pew and listened to the priest give a touching tribute to Dominic Santini. He spoke of Dom's devotion to his family, and his friends, including Hawke's father and mother, and how Dom had raised both String and Saint John after their parents were killed. String forced a smile as he remembered all the trouble he and Saint John had both given Dom in the years they spent with him at the cabin, until they left for Vietnam. Not to mention all the trouble I gave him after I got home, Hawke said to himself. But somehow, I get the feeling Dom wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

String, Caitlin, Saint John, Jo and Le stood at the back of the church after the service had ended, and accepted condolences from many of Dom's friends who had attended the service. String was genuinely surprised at the number of Dom's war buddies that were still alive, and that he hadn't met before, as well as business associates that Dom had worked with during his years at Santini Air. Finally, everyone had paid their respects, and it was time for Dom to be buried. They rode in silence over to the cemetery, and Hawke was not surprised to see three soldiers standing at attention. Something else to thank Michael for, Hawke said to himself, knowing that they were there to render the traditional salute. The priest said a few last words, then the flag draping the coffin was folded and handed to Jo, who accepted it with a polite smile directed at the soldier who handed it to her. The three soldiers then rendered the rifle volley salute, and the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving Saint John, Jo, String, Le, and Caitlin at the grave site.

"Do you know what the headstone will say, String?" Jo asked.

"Yeah," Hawke said, forcing another smile. "Dominic Santini—soldier, husband, father, and best friend. Godspeed, and good tailwinds." Jo and Saint John smiled along with Caitlin and String at his mention of the old pilot's prayer that Dom often referenced.

"That's perfect," Jo said, fighting back tears.

"What are you going to do now, Jo?" Saint John asked.

"I—I'm going back to Italy, at least for a while," she replied. "There's a lot I've got to settle with Uncle Dom's estate, and so I may be there for a long time. But," she said, a smile coming across her face, "I'll be back in California...some day."

"We'll look forward to it," String said. "Good-bye, Jo."

"'Bye, String," Jo said, embracing him. "Cait...again, it was so nice to meet you. You take care of String, okay? He always was like a brother to me."

"Don't you worry about that," Caitlin said, smiling at Jo. "I'll be here to take care of String...and Saint John. They're my family too, y'know—just like you."

"Thank you," Jo said, wiping another tear out of her eye even as she smiled at Caitlin and embraced her again.

Later that afternoon, String and Caitlin invited Le and Saint John up to the cabin to reminisce about their friend. They had invited Jo as well, but she politely declined, saying that she wanted to catch the earliest flight back to Italy to get started sorting through Dom's estate. She told String that Dom had stated in his will that String and Saint John should run Santini Air after he passed, and String appreciated the gesture. But there were other portions of Dom's estate that were less clearly defined, and that was the reason Jo wanted to return to Italy as soon as possible, to help the lawyers sort everything out.

"We're all gonna miss him," Saint John said as they sat around Hawke's table enjoying a spaghetti dinner that Caitlin had made. "But...he's really not dead...as long as we remember him."

"That's true, Sinj," String said with a smile directed at his older brother. "That's very true. When did you get so philosophical, anyway?" Hawke grinned at Saint John, and was relieved when Saint John grinned back at him.

"Oh, probably from hangin' around you too long when we were kids," Saint John teased his younger brother, drawing smiles from both String and Caitlin.

Finally, several hours later, Saint John and Le stood with String and Caitlin as they prepared to leave the cabin and return home. Saint John exchanged long embraces with both String and Cait, finally saying, "We'll see you around, little brother. Cait—take care of this guy for me, willya?"

"Like I told Jo this mornin', you've got nothin' to worry about, Sinj," Cait replied.

"That's good to know," Saint John replied. "Well, good-night, you two!"

"'Night, Sinj," Caitlin replied, moving closer to her husband.

"'Night, Sinj," String answered him, as Saint John and Le moved out to where their helicopter was parked, a short distance away from the cabin. String and Caitlin stood in the doorway arm-in-arm, and waved as the helicopter lifted off and headed back towards Van Nuys.

"Cait, are you all right?" Hawke asked, concerned. "You—you haven't seemed yourself at all today...and it worries me." He led Caitlin outside to the porch, and they stood, looking up at the stars for a few moments.

Well...I guess it's now or never, Cait said to herself. But...this oughta bring a smile out of him. "Well, String...part of my mood today's been because of Dom—and I gotta tell you this, String—until you introduced her to me, I was...jealous when I saw you hugging Jo." She lowered her head in embarrassment, until Hawke tipped her chin back up with one finger so she was looking into his eyes again. "I understand—you'd never met Jo before, and there I was, hugging her without telling you who she was. It's okay," he added, smiling at Cait.

"Well, since that's over with...there is somethin' else that I've been meaning to tell you." She took one of his hands and slid it down to her belly, resting her hand on top of his. "Congratulations...Daddy."

Daddy? DADDY? String asked himself, suddenly figuring out what Caitlin meant. "You mean...you're pregnant?" he asked, glancing down to Caitlin's belly, where her hand rested on top of his. A huge smile broke out on Hawke's face as he fully comprehended what Caitlin had just told him.

"Six weeks, String," Caitlin confirmed, beaming. "The doctor told me just after Dom passed away—which is why I didn't tell you before now. I—I knew you were all consumed with everything about Dom, and I didn't want to share this with you until now. I—I'm sorry, String," Caitlin said shyly, but was relieved when String smiled warmly at her.

"It's okay, baby," String said, smiling at her again. "I understand. I probably wouldn't have been very receptive if you'd told me before now." Suddenly, Hawke felt a change in the air around the cabin, as if something were enveloping them in a blanket of peace.

Caitlin looked at String, then they both glanced up towards the heavens. "Thanks, Dom," they whispered as they held each other. They shared a quick but passionate kiss before they went back inside and upstairs for the evening, both still smiling—both at the memory of their dear, departed friend, and the life that they had built with each other. And, Caitlin said to herself as she fell asleep, wrapped in her husband's arms, the new life that we created...together. She sighed contentedly as she fell asleep, still smiling, and knowing that String was smiling, too.