Before she had time to think, String pulled her to her feet and dragged her along with him. By the time they reached the helicopter, the rotors were already humming back to life. He quickly helped her inside before he scooted in position, pushing a helmet on top of his head.

A tap on her shoulder made her look back, and she saw Dom holding up a headset for her. He indicated she had to put it on.

When she did, she could hear him talk to String. "We've got visitors incomin', String and it looks like they wanna say hello with some fireworks."

"Dumaine's men. Give me turbos, Dom."

"Turbos engaged."

Before Liona had a full grasp of what the hell was going on, the helicopter surged forward with an almost angry snarl, flinging her back into the seat, just as an explosion tore up the earth in the exact spot where they'd just been.

String lifted off, turned the nose up and made a sharp turn.

"We've got some Bandits on our tail, String. Three missiles closing in."

Liona tried to look out the windows and see, but String was moving the helicopter around so much, the ever twisting scenery made her dizzy.

"Pop a sunburst." String's voice carried all the authority that could only come with years of experience.

"Poppin' a sunburst."

A few seconds later a bright light illuminated the sky, just before there was a loud explosion. The sound made Liona cringe.

"One missile still closing in, String."

String pushed down on something that looked like a lever and the helicopter surged downward in a zigzag maneuver. At the last second, the ground alarmingly close, String pulled her up again and instantly veered off in a sharp turn. A loud blast shook the entire aircraft and Liona was absolutely terrified.

They were climbing up again with a dizzying speed and for a second Liona could feel herself hanging upside down before the world shifted to normal again. Then she saw one of the enemy planes right in front of them, but just briefly, before it exploded in a ball of fire.

"Another heat-seekin' projectile comin' at us," Dom warned.

String said nothing, just gave a quick nod before he suddenly altered course and asked for the turbos. There was a loud screech and Liona got flung back against her seat again. When she noticed they were on a collision course with one of the planes, she squeezed her eyes shut. Instead of a head on collision, she could feel the helicopter lurch with another sharp turn and right after there was another explosion.

"Two down, two to go. Nice flyin' kid!"

"Reverse thruster engines. Stand by to reengage rotors."

String was directing the helicopter towards a very small canyon, and they were still going at break-neck speed.

"Thrusters reversed. Speed, 700 knots."

String slowed the helicopter down so abruptly, it made Liona's stomach lurch. He then entered a canyon and one overconfident enemy plane followed them right in.

"Rotor reengaging. Speed, 400 knots."

Liona gave a startled shriek when a missile hit the rock face right behind them. String was quiet and when she looked over towards him, she saw the concentrated look in his eyes as he steered the helicopter through a maze of dizzying twists and turns. She screamed in fear when she saw they were headed straight for a mountain, until String suddenly pulled up the nose in a dead straight vertical climb.

There was a huge explosion behind them that made her cringe.

"Three down, one to go."

Liona braced herself in her seat, as String kept forcing the aircraft to climb higher and higher and she could see he had to use force to keep the controls steady.

Suddenly her world was upside down in an aerial maneuver Liona had never thought possible for a helicopter.

"Cut the rotors."

The nose of the helicopter tipped down and they were plummeting right back down to earth. For a moment Liona was sure they were going to crash when she saw the ground looming into view at alarming speed.

"Give me back the turbos."

At the last possible second, String leveled the nose and engaged the turbos, the helicopter growled and bolted forward, and suddenly they were chasing the last enemy plane instead of the other way around.

"Dom, open their communication channel."

"Roger."

"This is Airwolf. Tell your boss, Dumaine, that if he ever tries to go after Liona Tergesen again… I will go after him myself. And Lord help anybody that gets in my way."

String gave the warning very calmly, but with such conviction that it filled even Liona with a sense of dread. She realized… she'd seen his bad side, but never his BAD side. She shuddered out a very relieved sigh when the last plane quickly pulled away from them.

Dom began to laugh. "They're headin' home. They've had it!"

"That makes two of us." String sounded like he was completely done with chasing bad guys around in the sky. "Let's go home." He flipped a switch, then looked over to Liona. "Pretty scared, weren't you?"

All she could do was nod, hands twitching in her lap. She jumped a little when she suddenly felt his hand on her shoulder. Though she could only see his eyes, they crinkled a bit at the corners and she knew he was giving her a comforting smile. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. He'll never get to you again."

Liona wished she could feel as sure of that as he sounded. "How can you be so sure of that? You saw how far he's willing to go."

"Because I won't let him."

There was something in his voice… It almost sounded as if he was talking about more than simple protection. He quickly looked away from her, flipped that switch again and put his hands back on the controls. "You should try and get some sleep. It will be pretty late when we get back."

His statement confused her. She'd seen what he could do with this helicopter. Surely it would take them no time at all to get back?

\A/

"Yes!" Michael cheered and fist-pumped from behind his desk in an, admittedly, very uncharacteristic display of emotion. Hawk had just radioed in to confirm a successful intercession. Liona was saved and on her way back to the cabin.

Marella's quiet laugh made him rein in his exuberance, but he couldn't resist giving her a warm smile. His assistant walked over to his desk and place a large mug of coffee in front of him. "Here, sir, you let the other one get cold."

"Thank you, Marella. But, damn, that was wonderful news! I want you to prepare the helicopter. I want to check in on them before I turn in for the night.

His assistant coughed delicately. Michael instantly knew she disagreed. "What is it?"

"Maybe it's better to do a debrief in the morning. The harsh reality is, sir, that Liona almost died because Hawke tried to keep her at a distance. If he hadn't demanded her relocation, Dumaine would not have gotten to her. I think this near tragedy might have shaken him up enough to lower his defenses."

"You think we should leave them alone for a bit," Michael said.

"Yes sir. Now that the threat has passed, for the moment at least, give him some time to think this over. In the morning during the debrief, we can assess where they stand and act accordingly."

\A/

It turned out that returning to the cabin did in fact take some time. At some point she was blindfolded and, though String sounded very apologetic, he assured her that it was for her safety as well as theirs.

By the time the helicopter was no longer moving – its growls, snarls and screeches silenced – Liona was pretty tired. She was not very fond of the blindfolded drive through a landscape she could not see, but that chilled her to the bones! After getting caught in that rain fall, Liona was not very fond of cold either! Therefor she was mighty grateful when Dom pulled something warm around her shoulders and threw his arm around her.

She hardly noticed when her blindfold was removed and when the jeep came to a halt, she blearily blinked her eyes. All she wanted to do was curl up and sleep. So, when she noticed they weren't at the cabin yet and it would take one last helicopter ride to take them there, Liona groaned in disgust.

When she felt a deep rumble beneath her ear and then heard a chuckle, she noticed that she was leaning heavily against String, his arms lightly circled around her waist. "Just a little longer, Liona, then you can get some sleep," he promised her.

Liona wasn't entirely sure how long it took to get them up to the cabin, though it didn't seem very long, not even an hour. By the time she saw the familiar shape of the cabin, hidden away in the mountains, she perked up and gave String and Dom an elated smile. It felt like coming home and, if she could believe String's words… she was.

When Dom touched down the helicopter on the landing dock, Liona reached over and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, Dom, for saving my life today."

He gave her a one-armed fierce hug back. "Anytime, Lio. Anytime! And, eh, don't forget… it was String who was doin' most of the savin'. Don't forget what I told you about him either."

Liona kissed the older man on his cheek. "I won't," she promised. Then she let String help her get out of the helicopter. She waved as Dom took off again, shielding her eyes with her left arm.

When they walked towards the cabin in silence, Liona was surprised when String suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She wasn't sure what to think of his current mood, but she sure as hell wasn't complaining.

String opened the door for them and instantly Tet was there to give her a big welcome. Liona sank to her knees while String turned on a couple of lights and started a fire. She laughed when Tet gave her a big slobber, wagging his tail. "I missed you too, buddy," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

This elicited a chuckle from String. "It's not even been a day!"

"I don't care. I still missed him." She then fell silent when String carried her duffel bag upstairs. Her heart skipped a beat at this silent proclamation of how their sleeping arrangement would be from now on.

"I won't force anythin', Liona."

She looked up and saw him standing near the wooden railing of the loft, one hand leaning on the wood.

"But, you won't be sleepin' on the couch anymore."

Even from where he was standing, Liona could feel the heat that was radiating from his gaze. He then lifted a brow at her and said, seemingly for good measure, "And neither will I."

Oh, boy.

He then turned around and disappeared from view.

Okay… so… did he really expect her to just waltz upstairs right now?

"Turn down the lights when you go up, will ya?" His voice sounded from the bathroom.

Apparently he did.

"Good night, Tet," she whispered, before she took a deep breath and started to dim the lights.

By the time she was done, and she reached the landing of the loft, her heart was thudding wildly in her chest. She quickly slipped into the bathroom to get out of her dusty and grimy clothes to take a hot shower. When the hot water started to lose its temperature, Liona felt like a nervous wreck.

Though String acted as though he wanted to make amends, his nature was too volatile and temperamental for her to feel at ease. Part of her wanted to run as far away from him as she could, but another part of her… a very curious part… wanted to slip into the bed naked and see what would happen.

Liona slowly walked further into the room. A fire was softly crackling in the fireplace and only dimly illuminated the room. For a moment she wondered where String could be, until suddenly the tiny hairs in her neck raised on end. She quickly turned around, gasping slightly when she found String standing right behind her. A brief glance told her that his torso was bare and she noticed a muscle flex in response. Her eyes snapped back to his, his face an inscrutable mask.

"You look scared," he said, his voice a rough whisper.

She gulped. "I am."

He reached out a hand and lightly trailed his fingers along her jaw. She held her breath.

"I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that," he told her softly. "You don't have to stay here, if you don't want to." He then looked down at her and gave her a wry little smile. "Sorry, not in the habit of givin' up my bed. For anyone."

She looked up at him, not saying a word, not moving either. She was afraid to give voice to her desire to stay and when String took a step closer, leaving not even an inch of space between them, Liona knew he could read the answer in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said, her breath catching in her throat.

His breathing was harsh, strained, and a tiny muscle ticked in his cheek. "You do know what's gonna happen if you stay?"

"Yes, I know."

He swallowed hard, every tendon in his neck strained. "Why are you even here? I'm an asshole for what I did to you. You didn't deserve it. Any of it."

Was this the turning point then? For both of them? Liona reached out a hand and placed it against his chest.

She could feel a shudder jolt through him, raw, untamed, and she could feel his muscles ripple beneath her hand.

"When you left this morning… you told me that last night was about lust, that it had nothing to do with making love. Was that true?"

He visibly struggled to give her an answer. When his voice failed, he shook his head Then he said, "No. Part of it was… more. But I should have handled it better. I can be better."

The look he gave her was filled with pain, regret and uncertainty. All of his defenses – Liona realized – were down. String was allowing her to see past them. And what she saw was a mesmerizingly tender, beautifully flawed person, with all the pain and heartache, the stubbornness and the regrets, of one hell of a complicated man.

"Then, that's why I'm here."

"I'm not so sure you should be," String admitted, dragging air into his lungs, clearly struggling to regain control.

"Question is… Do you want me to be?"

With a hard nod of his head, he capitulated and he tunneled his fingers through her hair, bringing her face closer so he could lightly brush his lips against hers. After their kiss in the desert, Liona had a better idea of what to do, so when he touched his tongue to her lips, she didn't hesitate. Though his kiss was gentle, tender, she could feel his muscles strain under her fingers.

She liked this part.

Kissing, tasting, feeling close to someone.

Liona clutched his shoulders, her knees strangely buckling, suddenly unable to carry her weight for even a moment more.

Thank God, they didn't have to, for String moved his hands down to cup her bottom, and with a startlingly swift move, he lifted her from the floor, fitting soft curves against harsh lines. He carried her like that, just a few steps, and right before he lowered her to his bed, he gently removed her nightdress before he undressed himself.

String gently pushed her back and when he came down over her, she could feel his entire body shuddering at the first contact of their naked flesh.

His lips found the pulse at her throat, trailed a path to her neck where he sucked and kissed a spot that had her dizzy in seconds. Liona could hardly think or even breathe and the vague feeling of disappointment that soon this amazing feeling would go away, seemed not so very important.

Liona sank further into the bed, her eyes sliding shut at these new sensations as his fingers found her, opened her and gently started to probe and explore.

When she could feel something start to coil in the pit of her stomach, her eyes flew open again. She clutched his wrist, suddenly scared of what was happening, but the kiss he gave her was so tender, so sweet, she surrendered to his touch.

The way he was holding her, caressing her and kissing her now, was vastly different from the desperate coupling the night before and Liona discovered there were different ways to approach and… enjoy each other.

This time there was no pain when his body joined hers. This time he really was making love to her. This time the bedsprings grated as she arched into each frantic thrust, the sounds carried by broken cries and labored breaths.

Something was about to happen. Liona could feel it. It was as if she'd climbed a mountain, the one that sheltered String's cabin, and now she was looking down its exquisite peak.

"String…" She didn't quite know what she was asking of him.
He did. And he gave.
Liona splintered into a million fragments and it didn't even come close to what was written in the books. She saw stars exploding, stars being born. She could feel not just the earth splintering but the entire universe. She heard angels sing and weep at the same time.

As if from a distance, she heard String groan, felt his grip tighten as he lunged forward a last time. He then shuddered against her and she could feel him pulse inside of her until he collapsed.

For a long time, all Liona could hear were the sounds of her own heart drumming in her ears and String's labored breathing in her neck, until both sounds slowly eased down. This time he didn't just roll away, but held her close to him and before she drifted off to sleep, Liona decided that the sweetness on the inside was indeed worth the bitterness on the outside.