Letters from The Past

Caitlin sat at the small desk at Santini Air and read through some paperwork, filing it in various folders. She was deep in thought when Hawke came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Are you ready to go yet?" he asked.

"Give me about fifteen more minutes," she replied. "I promised Dom that I would get all this stuff filed before I left today. What's your hurry?"

Hawke let go of her and walked back around to the opposite side of the desk. "Oh, I'm just looking forward to a little alone time," he replied.

Caitlin smiled. "We've got plenty of time for that. Just hold your horses a few more minutes."

"Not enough time for me," he replied. "Caitlin, you're leaving for Texas tomorrow."

Cait looked up from her paperwork. "Exactly," she said. "That's why Dom wanted me to finish this. But, it's not like I'm going for good. Hawke, I'll only be gone for about a week."

Before he could reply, Dom came in with a stack of mail. "String, will you please leave her alone so she can finish up that paperwork?" he asked.

Caitlin laughed. "I'm almost done, Dom. I just have a couple of things to sort through."

"Good," he said. "Oh, here's a package from your mom."

Dom handed Caitlin a large padded envelope. She quickly took it from him and placed it to the side of the desk while she finished her work.

"Why didn't your mom just give you that when you got to Texas?" asked String.

Caitlin wasn't ready to explain the envelope or its contents to her friends. She tried to play it off as no big deal to avoid further questions. "It's just something that I wanted to look over before I got there," she replied. "Okay, Dom, I'm finished here. Let me get my bag and we're out of here."

Caitlin got up and went to the back room to get her things. "I need to be honest with him," she thought. "Secrets are never good in a relationship."

Dom sorted out the rest of the mail and handed String a couple of small envelopes.

"Did that seem kind of strange to you?" he asked. "She kind of brushed that whole package thing off pretty quick."

"String, quit making something out of nothing," replied Dom. "I'm sure she'll tell you all about it later."

Hawke sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's just that she hasn't said too much about this sudden trip to Texas and why she needs to go."

Dom laughed. "Maybe she misses her mama," he said. "Now that she has a man in her life, her mama doesn't have as much to complain about."

Overhearing the last part of the conversation, Caitlin chimed in. "You've got that right," she said. "Hawke, I have some things to take care of in Texas. I promise I'll explain it all before I leave."

Caitlin picked up the package from the desk and wrapped her hand around one of String's arms. "Come on, let's go," she said. "I'll see you in about a week, Dom."

Hawke flew the two of them up to his cabin. He knew Caitlin had an early flight in the morning and he wanted to get in as much time with her before she left as possible.

As soon as they got in, Caitlin plopped down on the couch and threw the package onto the coffee table in front of her.

"Aren't you going to open that?" Hawke asked.

He was curious about the package but didn't want to seem too pushy about it. Whatever it was, he knew Caitlin was bothered by it. She had been pretty quiet on the trip up to the cabin.

"Well, I guess now is as good as ever," she replied.

Caitlin opened the large padded envelope only to find another smaller brown envelope tucked inside. Hawke noticed that this envelope came from a law office. "I wonder what this is all about?" he thought.

Caitlin's heart was beating fast as she opened the second envelope, and knowingly turned it upside down to dump its contents onto the table. It was six letters, all addressed to Caitlin.

Hawke moved and sat down on the couch beside her. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. "Was this what you were waiting for?" he asked. "Why are you getting letters from a lawyer?"

"It's a long story," she replied. "I hate wasting our last night on all of this but I do think I should tell you about it just in case something happens while I'm in Texas."

Hawke turned and looked at Caitlin. She could see the concern growing in his eyes. She didn't want to worry him but she knew that she had to tell him the truth. "I hope he understands," she thought.

"Caitlin," he said. "If going to Texas is going to put you in some kind of danger, I think I need to come with you."

His words didn't surprise her. She knew he'd be protective of her and although at times, it infuriated her, she appreciated it.

"I'll be fine, Hawke," she replied. "I promise you, if I need you, I'll call. Just promise me that you'll try not to overreact to all this."

String picked up the letters and handed them to her. "Okay, I promise."