'I think the second house had promise.' Caitlin said, taking another bite of pizza. It had been a long day. They'd looked at more houses than she cared to remember until Hawke had called a halt for the day. They'd staggered back to her house to review their progress, or rather their lack of progress.

'As what?' Hawke asked swallowing the last of the slice he'd picked up; he'd eaten with more speed than grace. 'It was a dump.'

'It just needed cleaning up.'

'It needed demolition.'

Caitlin rolled her eyes. 'What about that last place? It wasn't too bad.'

'Too expensive.' Hawke reached over and grabbed another slice from her plate.

'So it was at the top of your budget…'

'And only had one bedroom.' Hawke pointed out.

Caitlin sighed and wiped her fingers on a paper napkin that had come with the pizza delivery. Hawke had come up with reasons why all the houses they'd seen weren't quite right. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was deliberately trying to avoid finding somewhere. She reached for her notebook and checked the appointments they'd lined up for the next day. 'OK. We have another three places to see tomorrow morning before you head up to the cabin.'

Hawke winced but was saved from a reply as the doorbell went. 'I'll get it. It's probably Dom.' He made his way to the front door and opened it just as the phone rang. He ignored it – Caitlin would get it.

'Hey.' Hawke greeted Dom with a smile and a brief hug.

Dom grinned back at him. 'So how'd it go?' He asked shrugging off his jacket and following Hawke into the house.

'Hawke!'

Caitlin's panicked shout had them both running to the kitchen. She was pulling on her jacket and trying to fish her car keys out of her handbag at the same time.

'What's going on?' Hawke asked taking in her pale worried face.

'That was Angie, Billy's Mom.' Caitlin said. 'Le's missing.'

'What do you mean missing?' Hawke asked reaching for his own jacket.

'She left them playing a computer game in Billy's room but when she went to check on them, Le had gone. Billy said he'd left a couple of hours ago.' Caitlin explained. 'I've told her not to call the police yet.'

Hawke ruthlessly ignored his own panic; soon after he'd met Le for the first time, the youngster had run away. They'd found him that time; they'd find him this time too. 'You stay here in case he comes back. Dom and I will go and look for him.'

'But…' Caitlin's protest died on her lips and she watched unhappily as the two men made their way out of the house.

'Dammit!' Hawke pushed a hand through his hair. They'd been everywhere in the last few hours; all the haunts that Hawke had been driven to the last time Le had returned to the streets; the old house Le had shared with his aunt. There was no sign of him. Now the streets were dark and artificial light surrounded the car, reflected off the windscreen, as they headed back to Caitlin's house. They pulled up in front of the building and Hawke frowned. Caitlin's car was missing.

'Aw, that girl just can't help herself.' Dom said gesturing at the empty space as they walked to the front door. 'She should have stayed here like we said.'

Hawke's lips thinned but it was the only outward sign of his own opinion of Caitlin's disappearance. He opened the door and headed straight for the kitchen. Cait usually pinned messages to the fridge with a magnet.

'As much as I hate to say it, kid, I think its time to call the cops.' Dom said quietly following him.

'No need.' Hawke murmured picking up the message Caitlin had left for him and reading it again. He handed it to Dom. 'Cait got a call from the cops. They found Le at some nightclub. She's gone to pick him up.'

'Oh.' Dom's eyebrows rose and he read the message. 'Guess I was a little hasty with what I said back there, huh.' He admitted a little ruefully.

Hawke sighed. The police would no doubt notify the social worker; he might end up losing custody…he wondered at a momentary surge of relief and a wave of guilt flooded him. 'I could lose him, Dom.' He muttered.

'Kids run off all the time.' Dom said leaning over the counter. 'You won't lose him over this.'

Hawke caught the inflection in the older man's voice. 'But I will over something else?'

Dom straightened. 'Now, String, I didn't mean it like that.'

'How did you mean it?' Hawke demanded.

Dom sighed. 'All I'm saying is that if you're serious about raising Le you need to make some real changes and stop relying on Caitlin to keep bailing you out.'

'I'm not relying on Cait to bail me out.' Hawke denied.

Dom shot him a look and Hawke flushed.

'OK,' he admitted, 'Cait's been helping out and I've been taking advantage of that but I've spent all day looking at houses…'

'There's a lot more to raising a kid, String, then finding somewhere to live.' Dom said. 'You know that.'

Hawke turned and grabbed the coffee pot. He poured them both a mug of the stewed black brew.

'You know when you first wanted to adopt Le back when you first found out about him you said you'd have a quieter life.' Dom said as he took the mug.

'That was when I thought Saint John was dead.' Hawke muttered. His eyes met Dom's. 'Besides I thought you were against me giving up Airwolf back then.'

'Well back then, you were rushing into everything because your head was all…all screwed up by that McBride guy telling you your brother was dead.' Dom gestured with the coffee mug. 'I was against you making any rash decision.'

Hawke sipped his coffee and rocked back on his heels. 'If I give up Airwolf now I might never find Saint John.'

'Maybe it's time to move on, String.' Dom said gently. 'We've been flying Airwolf for over a year and a half now. How much longer are you thinking we can keep doing this for?'

Hawke was about to reply when his ears caught the sound of an engine outside. 'They're back.'

He and Dom made their way through to the living room and a few seconds later the front door opened. Caitlin pushed Le through the door and stood behind him, her hands resting on his shoulders as he stared sullenly at Hawke for a long moment before he tore out of her grasp heading for the stairs. Hawke covered the space between them to grab him before he reached the first step.

'Let me go!' Le struggled against him and Hawke almost lost his hold. He wrapped his arms around him and held on until Le subsided into sobs against him. He made comforting noises until the crying stopped and then he gently pulled back to look into the youngster's eyes.

'You scared me.' Hawke said.

Le swiped a hand across his nose. 'I'm sorry.'

Hawke rocked back on his heels, still keeping one hand on Le's shoulder. 'Do you have any idea of the worry you've caused everyone?'

Le shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he looked down at the carpet.

Hawke sighed deeply. 'Have you eaten?'

'The police gave me a burger.'

'OK.' Hawke said. 'Why don't you go up to bed? We'll talk more in the morning.'

Le nodded again and made his way up the stairs. Hawke watched him until he disappeared. He turned back to meet Caitlin's sympathetic gaze.

Hawke rubbed the back of his neck. 'How much trouble am I in?'

Caitlin sighed and shrugged off her jacket. 'Mrs Taylor was already with Le when I got there. It was bad luck; she was the on-call social worker.' She bit her lip. 'She wants to meet with you first thing on Monday at her office.' She saw Hawke's expression close up and she threw her jacket and handbag on the couch. 'I'd better go phone Angie and let her know Le's safe.' She wandered through to the kitchen leaving Hawke alone with Dom.

'It'll be OK, kid.' Dom laid a comforting hand on Hawke's shoulder. The younger man didn't respond and Dom sighed inwardly. 'Well, I'd better head out.'

'Thanks for your help, Dom.' Hawke said following him to the front door.

Dom waved the gratitude away. 'Just think about what we talked about, String. Will you do that?'

Hawke shuffled his feet and nodded unhappily. Dom sighed and clasped the back of Hawke's head as he pulled the younger man in for a brief hug. 'It's for the best, String.'

Hawke watched the older man jam his red cap over the grey curls before getting in the car and driving away. He closed the front door and locked it with a tired sigh.

'It'll be OK.' Caitlin's voice had him turning back into the living room. She was standing by the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen, her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee.

Hawke sighed tiredly. 'I'm going up. I'll see you in the morning.' He said gruffly. He took the first couple of stairs before he turned back to her. 'Cait…'

Her blue-green eyes met his questioningly.

'Thanks.' Hawke said.

She smiled. 'You're welcome.'

He nodded and continued up. He paused in the doorway of the bedroom and leaned a shoulder on the frame. He looked in at the sleeping boy sprawled across one of the beds.

Dom was right, Hawke thought, he did need to make some serious changes if he wanted this to work. He tried to suppress the plummeting sensation in his stomach. He was beginning to realise that his offer to have Le live with him hadn't been that well thought out. He'd definitely missed the implications of being a single father and juggling the rest of his life. Could he give up Airwolf? He sighed and moved into the room. He was going to have to figure out the answer to that question.

The dilemma was still weighing on him the next morning. He sat on the deck in the backyard watching the sunrise, Tet sprawled at his feet. He took a sip of freshly brewed coffee trying to ignore the resentment that he wasn't on the landing pier at the cabin seeing the sun come up over a lake and a mountain instead of a heated pool and the roof of a neighbouring house.

'You're up early.'

He didn't turn his head but kept his gaze on the yellowing sky. 'I didn't mean to wake you.'

Caitlin stumbled to sit beside him. 'You didn't.' She admitted. 'I didn't sleep that well.'

He nudged her bare knee with his own jean-clad one. 'Me either.'

His quiet confession startled her into looking at him. It wasn't often Hawke allowed anyone to see he was troubled about something.

'You OK?' She asked.

Hawke sighed. 'I'm wondering how I make this work,' he admitted.

'You just keep doing the best you can.' Caitlin said trying to reassure him. 'It'll work out.'

'Dom thinks I should give up Airwolf.'

Caitlin rubbed her knees and tried to ignore her blossoming disappointment at the idea. 'What do you think?'

Hawke sighed again. 'I think I made the kid a promise and I need to find someway of keeping it.'

Caitlin patted his arm. 'You will.'

Her quiet confidence in him brought a reluctant smile to his lips.

'What are you going to say to Le about him running away?' Caitlin asked.

'I don't know. I thought I'd talk to him. See how it goes from there.'

'It sounds like a good plan.' She looked across at him and caught a rare look of worry in his eyes. She chewed her lip for a moment before speaking. 'Look, why don't I cancel those house appointments this morning? You and Le can head straight up to the cabin.'

Hawke shook his head. 'Le can come with us.'

'Why don't I duck out at least?' Caitlin argued. 'Give you and Le some time together alone.'

'You don't need to do that.'

'I think I do. Wait,' she held a hand up to stop him interrupting her, 'I spent most of last night doing some thinking and I realised that I've prevented you and Le spending time together…not intentionally but…' she sighed deeply. 'You have your stubborn look.'

'I do not.'

'You do too.'

'I just think it's a load of nonsense.' Hawke frowned. 'I don't know what I would have done without you this last month.'

Caitlin tried to ignore the warm glow his words gave her. 'Still, I think it would be good for you and Le to spend some time without me hanging around.'

'I'll have all day with Le once we have the house-hunting done.' Hawke insisted and took her hand. 'Please.'

Caitlin couldn't resist the plea in his blue eyes and she silently admitted to herself that she was pleased that he wanted her help. 'Well if you insist…'

'I do.'

Caitlin nodded. 'OK. Well, I'd better go up and get dressed.' She staggered back to her feet. Hawke reluctantly let go of her hand and resolutely ignored the voice in his head asking him why he'd been so insistent on involving her as he followed her into the house to wake Le.

Hawke was still ignoring the voice much later as he sat on the bench outside the cabin, looking up at the blue sky and letting the clear air and familiar scenery of the lake relax him. He dragged his attention from the view as Half-pint came running up and flopped into a seat beside him, an exhausted looking Tet following on behind him.

'You should have come for a run, Uncle String.' Le took the bottle of water Hawke handed him and downed half of it.

'Nah.' He ruffled the almost black thatch of hair on Le's head. 'Haven't you heard running is bad for you when you get to my age?'

Le snorted and Hawke smiled. His smile faded as he turned his attention to what he needed to do.

'Le we need to have a talk.'

'Uh oh.' Le wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. 'I really am sorry, Uncle String.'

'I know,' Hawke said his tone rich with amusement, 'and I'm sure that has nothing to do with your punishment which I'm still thinking on.' He paused and cleared his throat, 'So what were you doing at a nightclub?'

Le shrugged and scuffed at the dirt with his trainer.

'Half-pint?' Hawke prompted.

'I thought…what if my Aunt Minh was right? What if she did find my Mom?' Le blurted out.

'So you were looking for your Mom?' Hawke asked.

Le nodded and avoided Hawke's steady blue gaze. 'I thought if I found my Mom then I wouldn't need to live with you anymore and we could go back to the way it was.'

Hawke took a deep breath and rubbed at his chest at the sudden sharp pain there. 'Half-pint, don't you want to live with me?' He asked seriously.

Le shrugged again. 'You're never around,' he complained plaintively, 'besides you won't want me now anyway.' He concluded miserably.

'I'll always want you Half-pint.' Hawke pulled Le close to him and they hugged fiercely for a long moment. Le inched back swiping at his face with the back of his hands.

Hawke let him go and leaned forward. He clasped his hands. 'This doesn't make what you did right. Nothing justifies you running away like that. You caused everyone who cares about you unnecessary worry; you put yourself in danger. Your methods on getting my attention were way out; are we clear on that?'

'Yes sir.' Le looked down at his trainers.

'You did have a point.' Hawke gently said. 'I know I haven't been around as much as I should be but I've promised I'm going to try to do better, and I will but I'm going to need some time. You have to trust me to work this out for us, Le.'

Le stared at the ground. Hawke caught Le's chin with his hand, nudging it so that Le would meet his gaze. 'I made you a promise Half-pint I intend to keep it.' He hugged the boy to him and wondered again how he was going to keep it.