Stringfellow Hawke peered around the corner of a stack of crates and tightened his grip on his gun. His blue eyes narrowed as he sought to distinguish shapes in the murky darkness. He frowned and wished for the umpteenth time since entering the warehouse that he had refused the mission; chasing a double agent of a secret intelligence agency called the FIRM wasn't his idea of fun. It hadn't started as a chase; it had started as a simple surveillance mission in Airwolf, the technologically advanced helicopter that Hawke piloted in exchange for the FIRM finding his MIA brother. The mission had changed dramatically when they had realised the agent, a guy called Bellin, was about to sell the names of US operatives to the Russians. Hawke had chased Bellin and his two henchmen into the warehouse. He would have preferred to have blown the place to smithereens with any of the fourteen weapons available to him in Airwolf but the FIRM's deputy director, Michael Coldsmith Briggs III wanted the agent alive so here Hawke was; crouched behind a stack of wooden crates in a warehouse that smelled like bad eggs, his gun in hand, his only back-up outside whilst he listened intently for footsteps that would give away the location of the bad guys.

He caught a movement at the bottom of the aisle and crept forward slowly, keeping his breathing steady. His jaw tensed at a small sound and he whirled, ploughing his fist into the firm stomach of the man who had tried to sneak up behind him. The guy grunted and with a meaty hand smacked Hawke across the side of his jaw. Hawke felt his head snap back and he staggered back a couple of steps, exaggerating his disorientation, hoping it would make his attacker underestimate him. The guy smiled and moved forward for another blow. Hawke jumped and kicked the guy firmly in the head sending him spinning into the column of crates which crumpled on impact burying the man underneath it. Hawke didn't wait around but moved quickly away.

He slowed as he came to the end of an aisle and cautiously peeked around the corner. He almost groaned out loud at the sight of the warehouse door swinging open. His attention on the door, the blow to his ribs happened so fast and was so unexpected that he lost his breath completely and bounced into the metal corner of some kind of shelving unit, his gun flying from his hand. His brain registered the sting of a cut above his eye at the same time as it realised that he'd been hit with a briefcase. Hawke regained his balance to see Bellin and a second guy disappearing through the open door. He shoved a frustrated hand through his short brown hair and gingerly reached down to pick up his gun. He followed them out of the building at a run, every breath drawing attention to his tender ribs.

Hawke stepped out of the door to see a Jet Ranger helicopter moving away from the warehouse. He heard the distinctive whine of Airwolf's engines and his eyes snapped to the shiny black nose as his partner Dominic Santini landed the aircraft nearby. He ran up and climbed into the pilot's seat, Dom having already moved his bulky frame to the engineer's console at the back of the aircraft. Seconds later they were air-borne, screaming away from the warehouse in pursuit of the other helicopter.

'Weapons to combat mode. Turbos.' Hawke instructed tersely. His body buzzed with adrenaline and he felt the invisible click in his spirit of that special something between him and the machine.

'Weapons to combat mode. Turbos.' Dom's gruff voice confirmed in his ear and with a flick of Hawke's thumb they were shooting forward at mach speed.

'They're dead ahead, String.' Dom cautioned as they caught up with the escaping agent. Hawke eased up but still flying with more speed than any helicopter had the right to, he sent Airwolf into a move that saw her slam past the Ranger mere inches from its rotors. The Ranger shook, caught in buffeting crosswinds and the pilot struggled to steady it. Hawke turned Airwolf and repeated the manoeuvre.

'Careful, String.' Dom said as he watched the Ranger rock ominously. 'Don't forget Michael wanted them alive.'

'This is Airwolf. Land your helicopter before we take it down for you.' Hawke warned as he circled menacingly above them.

'He's taking it down, String.' Dom's voice hummed with amusement and it was followed by a cackle of laughter. 'Now how many times does that happen?'

Hawke glanced back at his old friend and saw Dom's gap-toothed grin peeking at him through the open visor in the football-like Airwolf helmet.

'Not enough.' Hawke said with a smile as they followed the Ranger's descent at a safe distance. 'Get me Michael.' Hawke hovered above the landed aircraft, keeping Airwolf's chain guns visible to keep them from escaping. Michael appeared on the video screen. He was impeccably dressed in his normal attire of white three piece suit, white shirt and tie with only a black eye-patch detracting from the overall effect. He lounged back in his white leather chair.

'I take it you have Bellin.' Michael said wryly.

'Pinned down and ready to be picked up.'

Michael raised an eyebrow. 'You're not bringing him in?'

'We don't…' Hawke began.

'I know you only gift wrap, you don't deliver.' Michael smiled. 'Have Dom transmit your coordinates, I'll have a team at your location shortly. Archangel out.' The image disappeared from the screen.

Hawke sat back in his seat wondering what had gotten into Michael with his last quip. It was a tense fifteen minutes wait until the FIRM team turned up to take custody of Bellin and his cohorts. Hawke saluted the lead agent in confirmation that they now had control of the situation and lifted Airwolf higher into the sky, turning her in the direction of home and hitting the turbos to take them to mach speed. He shifted in his seat trying to ease the strain on his bruised ribs.

'I still think you should have someone look at those ribs.' Dom said giving up the pretence of not noticing Hawke shifting stiffly. They'd already had a brief discussion about Hawke getting some medical attention which had ended with Dom throwing his hands up in defeat and muttering under his breath in Italian.

'Dom, you're getting as bad as Caitlin.' Hawke said referring to the pretty, and absent, third member of the Airwolf crew.

'We sure could have used her today.' Dom said. 'You might not have gotten surprised in the warehouse if she'd been covering your six.'

'It wasn't that bad.' Hawke said dismissing Dom's concern.

'Hmmm.' Dom glanced returned his gaze to the computer console in front of him. He had known Stringfellow and Saint John Hawke for most of their lives, raised them like his own sons when their parents had died. He could hear the fatigue and pain in Hawke's voice. 'At least tomorrow's the weekend. Are you looking at houses like you promised that social worker, Mrs Taylor?'

Hawke shifted again in his seat and scowled at the mention of the woman who had become of the bane of his life. Four weeks had passed since he had invited Le van Hawke, a twelve year old boy who might be his missing brother's son, to live with him following the death of Le's previous guardian. Mrs Taylor was a sixty year old spinster who refused to be pressured or charmed into rubber stamping his custody of his nephew. In his more generous moments he accepted that she was trying to do the right thing by the boy and it was true that his own mountain cabin was too far from Le's school and friends for it to be a viable home. Caitlin had offered them a place to stay until they found something suitable. 'I'll find something eventually.' He muttered.

Dom sighed. 'You've been saying that for the last four weeks. Don't you think you've stayed at Cait's place long enough?'

Hawke glanced back in Dom's direction. 'Has she said something?'

'No,' Dom admitted, 'but then she's got a heart as big as Texas and wouldn't see you both on the street.'

'For which I'm deeply grateful.' Hawke said glibly, returning his eyes to the sky in front.

'You should be.' Dom shot back. 'Have you even thanked her for giving you somewhere to stay?'

Hawke shifted in his seat and didn't reply.

'Not to mention her taking care of Le whilst you're off flying Airwolf or flying for me?' Dom continued. 'And the rest of what she does to cover for you like attending Le's school play this afternoon?'

'I get your point, Dom.' Hawke said defensively.

Dom harrumphed.

Hawke retreated into silence. Truthfully, he had no idea what he would have done without Caitlin the last few weeks. She'd helped him more than he'd had any right to expect or ask and she'd done it all without a single complaint. Besides from giving them a home, she'd stepped in to look after Le or be there for him when Hawke couldn't be around, like with the school play. Hawke frowned. It wasn't the first school event that he had missed in the four weeks since he'd become Le's guardian; Le was going to be mad at him with good reason; he was going to have to do better. At least, Caitlin was always there. He hadn't really thanked her for any of it, Hawke realised. He sighed and rolled his shoulders to ease the tension that had settled there. The thought kept him silent the rest of the journey back to the dusty cave of the Lair, Airwolf's hiding place in the Valley of the Gods.

The streetlights were beginning to flicker to life as Hawke completed the final leg of his journey and pulled into a driveway on a quiet suburban street. He switched off the engine on his motor bike and pulled off his helmet. He leaned back and ran a hand through his brown hair as he regarded the two storey house with more than a little bemusement and a twinge of conscious. Dom was right, he thought, he was going to have to get his act together and find them somewhere to live. Cait's house was great but it was too small.

Hawke sighed and dismounted, wincing again at the protest of his bruised ribs. He stowed the helmet and walked up the short path to the front door, pulling the keys from his jacket pocket. He frowned as he stepped into the open-plan living area, his eyes immediately alighting on the slim figure of Caitlin, curled up in the old overstuffed sofa reading a book. She was dressed in battered blue jeans and a large green sweatshirt that proclaimed her allegiance to Kappa Lamboa Chi. Her red hair was loose around her shoulders; her face scrubbed clean of makeup. Hawke wondered if she knew how cute she looked as he carefully ensured his own masculine appreciation didn't show. She looked younger than her age and he felt every one of his own thirty-four years.

Hawke shrugged off his jacket and wandered over to slump into the seat beside her an unusual feeling of contentment stealing over him. His dog Tet padded over from the fireplace wagging his tail.

'Half-pint?' He asked using his nephew's nickname as one hand reached out to touch Caitlin's arm and the other patted Tet's head.

'Upstairs.' Caitlin marked her place with a bookmark and laid the novel aside, her eyes sweeping over Hawke's boyish features with exasperation as she noted the new cut above his left eyebrow and a bruise on the right side of his jaw. She reached over and swept a gentle finger over the colouring skin. 'You forget to duck again, Hawke?'

He made a face at her. 'It's nothing.'

'Hmmm.' Caitlin contemplated whether it was worth spoiling the moment with an argument on first aid treatment and decided to leave it alone; she needed to tell him about something else. She cleared her throat. 'Le's real upset you missed the play.'

Hawke winced and allowed his head to fall back against the sofa, closing his eyes on a sudden wave of exhaustion. 'Yeah. I figured. I'll make it up to him.'

Caitlin bit her lip and wondered whether to say anything more. She sighed. 'You look tired.'

Her quiet words had him opening his eyes to blink at her blearily. He shrugged a little self-conscious at her observation and she patted his knee as she pushed herself off the couch. 'Why don't you say hello to Le, grab a shower, I'll start dinner.' She walked through into the kitchen area; Hawke followed her.

'You didn't need to wait dinner on me.' He rubbed his ribs and dropped his hand when he noticed her eyes narrow on him.

'I didn't. Le's eaten already but I wasn't hungry earlier.' Caitlin pushed him in the direction of the stairs. 'Go. I don't want you getting underfoot whilst I cook.'

Hawke gave in and made his way up the stairs. He frowned at the closed door to the room he shared with his nephew and knocked before pushing it open. The young Amerasian boy was sprawled on his stomach on one of the beds reading a comic. He briefly looked over his shoulder at his uncle before his dark eyes returned to the Superman story.

'Hey.' Hawke said softly.

Le's eyes remained fixed on the antics of the superhero.

Hawke sighed and took a couple of steps into the room. He sat down on the second bed opposite his nephew.

'I'm sorry, Le.'

The sincerity in his voice had his nephew glancing up at him with accusing eyes. 'You promised you'd be there this time.'

'I know but something important came up…' Hawke began.

'Something always comes up.' Le complained. 'You're never around.'

Hawke sighed. 'I know I haven't been around that much but I'm going to do better.'

'How?' Le said plaintively. 'You've got your job with Uncle Dom and Airwolf. We haven't even had time to find our own place.'

Hawke pushed down the rising panic in his gut the question evoked. 'Well, we've got some time this weekend…'

'You said I could go over to Billy's tomorrow.' Le reminded him.

Hawke pushed his hand through his hair. He'd forgotten he'd given Le permission to spend the day and then stay over with his school friend – something to do with the attraction of a new computer game.

'Well after I pick you up on Sunday how about we go up to the cabin and do some fishing, spend some time together just the two of us?'

Le shrugged. 'Fine, I guess.'

'OK.' Hawke stood up and gathered clean clothes. 'I'd better go shower and get something to eat.'

Le nodded and Hawke patted his nephew's thin shoulder on his way out of the room. He closed the door and headed for the shower. A few minutes later he was standing under a satisfying rush of pounding hot water. He sighed and reached for the shampoo. He wasn't happy at the way his conversation with Le had gone. It bothered him that he'd had no reply to how he was going to do better. Hell, his friends were already doing more than their fair share to help him make it work and he was already juggling as much as he could.

He rinsed off and was tempted to stay for longer as his muscles unwound and his body relaxed but decided it wouldn't be fair to leave kitchen duty completely to Cait. He truly was blessed with his friends, he thought as he turned the shower off; they were more like family really. Dom Santini had been part of his life for as long as he could remember; a father figure who had become his best friend. Michael Coldsmith Briggs III on the other hand was someone who he had never thought he would call friend. Michael was a spy through and through but he was a good man and he had been more than fair to Hawke. They had built up a great deal of mutual respect in the last couple of years and Hawke would trust him with his life – indeed he often did.

Caitlin O'Shaunessy was a relatively new friend and yet it seemed like they had known each other for years, Hawke mused as he reached for a towel. He wasn't a man to trust easily yet with Cait it had been as natural as breathing. Perhaps it was the circumstances of their meeting in Pope County, Texas. Caitlin, a cop at the time, had risked her own life to give him a chance. Even when she had tracked him down, he had never questioned her place in his life; she just fitted. He dropped the towel into a basket and pulled on clean clothes before he pushed his fingers through his damp hair and wandered out.

The smell of grilling tuna greeted him as he entered the kitchen and his stomach rumbled in hungry anticipation. Caitlin was stood with her back to him, chopping peppers to complete a salsa.

'You could have taken longer.' She glanced over her shoulder at him, pleased to see he looked much less tired. He shrugged in response.

'Anything I can do?' He snagged a raw carrot stick from the prepared salad.

'You can set the table.' Caitlin picked up a fish slice and flipped the tuna. She would have preferred steak but Hawke wasn't overly fond of meat and she was in a mood to indulge him.

Hawke hunted through the cupboards and drawers for flatware, cutlery and napkins. He set the small round table by the French windows that overlooked the back yard. He stepped back and regarded the table thoughtfully. Something was missing. He looked around the kitchen and his eyes fell on an old brass candlestick complete with the short stub of a white church candle. He stuck it in the middle of the table, slightly off centre and hunted for matches to light it. The flame was just flickering to life when Caitlin appeared by the table a bowl of salad in one hand, the salsa in the other, a bottle of wine tucked under her arm. Hawke was suddenly uncomfortably aware that the table had a romantic glow.

'Can you get the wine?' Caitlin asked, her eyes catalogued the intimate setting and inwardly smiled. A short time ago she would have given her right arm for a romantic meal with Hawke but it seemed that he didn't see her that way and she had resolved not to pine after him like some lovesick teenager. She dumped the dishes on the table and went back for the fish and baked potatoes. It worked most of the time, she thought ruefully; most of the time she was happy being a valued friend but there were still moments when she wished he would just once react to her as an attractive woman. She sighed, pushed the thought to the back of her mind and returned to the table. She picked up her cutlery as Hawke poured the wine.

'How did it go with Le?' Caitlin asked.

Hawke shrugged. 'He's talking to me.'

'Well, that's a good thing.' Caitlin said encouragingly.

'Yeah.' Hawke picked up his knife and changed the subject.

Ten minutes later, they were making inroads into the simple meal and Cait was chatting about her day of looking after Santini Air.

'So what's the plan for tomorrow?' She asked taking a sip of her wine. 'I guess I'm covering Santini Air.'

Hawke caught the slight edge to her last statement. 'I know we've been doing that a lot lately. Leaving you to cover, I mean.'

'I don't mind.' Caitlin smiled at the look of patent disbelief he shot at her. 'OK so I do mind a little. It's just that….' Her voice trailed away and she shrugged again. 'It doesn't matter.'

'You're not usually this backwards in speaking your mind.' Hawke remarked as he glanced up from his meal. 'What is it?'

'You and Dom seem to have forgotten that I'm part of the Airwolf crew.' Caitlin blurted out before she could stop herself.

Hawke gave a short laugh as he speared a lettuce leaf. 'Cait, after everything that's happened, you really think we'd forget that you're part of the team?'

'I know it's silly.' Caitlin flushed. 'But every time we get a mission I'm the one who stays behind these days.'

'I know we've been leaving you behind lately but it's only because one of us has needed to stay with Le.' He sighed and shook his head. 'You could've done the mission today though. I don't know why Dom and I didn't think about it.'

Caitlin nodded. 'I could've and you and Dom don't think about it because you're both old fashioned when it comes to women. It's natural for you both to assume that I'll be the one to take care of Le.'

Hawke almost choked on his wine. 'Are you calling me a chauvinist?'

She smiled. 'Well, if the shoe fits….' Her smile turned a little wistful. 'Actually, I love looking after Le so I haven't exactly seen it as an issue. I guess I'm just feeling a little left out.'

Hawke tapped his fingers against his wine glass and his gut clenched unexpectedly as his conscious stirred; Dom was right; he had taken advantage of Caitlin's generosity. 'You know I don't think I've thanked you yet.' He said, taking a sip of wine.

'What for?' Caitlin looked up and he smiled at her bafflement.

'For this.' He gestured. 'Taking us in. Looking after everything. Laundry.'

Caitlin laughed. 'It's not a big deal. Besides you would do the same for me.'

Hawke was stunned at the absolute certainty in her voice. It took him a moment to find his voice. 'Well anyway thank you. For everything.'

Caitlin blushed and was thankful for the candlelight. They smiled at each other across the table until an unexpected frisson of attraction had Hawke reaching for his wine again. 'So, anyway, Dom's covering the airfield tomorrow.' He cleared his throat. 'I was hoping you'd come house-hunting with me.'

Caitlin's eyes widened. 'House-hunting?' The food she had just eaten suddenly lay heavy on her stomach.

Hawke nodded and resumed eating. 'Like I said, you've been great but I guess we can't stay here forever.'

'I guess not.' Caitlin murmured. She'd known the situation was temporary but she'd gotten used to having Hawke and Le around the house; it was going to be empty without them. She smiled brightly to cover her disappointment. 'Sure, I'll come house-hunting with you.' She reached for her wine and took a healthy gulp. 'Le still staying with Billy tomorrow night?'

'Yeah. I figure we'll head to the realtors once we've dropped him off.'

'Sounds like a plan.'

Hawke nodded and was grateful as she moved the conversation on to the latest news scandal hitting the headlines. Finding a home for himself and Le was a start, he thought, letting his attention wander; it was a start but he still had no idea how he was going to make it all work, he realised with a sinking heart.