The farmhouse was set in the middle of open fields. Hawke settled on his stomach by the edge of the tree line and scanned the countryside with a set of binoculars. He had tracked Michael's route easily enough with a hand-held scanner monitoring the tracer and he'd needed it. He'd been impressed that the other man had left little trail through the forest. It reminded him how good a field agent Michael had been before his injuries. Michael rarely complained of the loss of his eye or the damage to his leg but Hawke had come to the conclusion that the spy had paid a heavy price for trusting Airwolf's warped creator, Moffett who had inflicted the injuries when he'd stolen the helicopter.

Hawke took a deep breath and chose his route to the farmhouse. He'd go over the back fields towards the barns. All he wanted to do was peek through a window and confirm that Michael hadn't been caught in a trap. As soon as he confirmed it, he'd move to a safe distance from the farmhouse and watch for Michael to start making his way back to Airwolf.

Hawke put the binoculars in his backpack and started walking. The air was clean and fresh, smelling vaguely of manure and wet grass. He was definitely in farmland, he thought contentedly and was surprised to realise that under the focus on the mission and concern for Michael, he was enjoying the hike. He could feel his limbs loosening and the aches of the long flight giving way. It was a good day for a walk; overcast but dry and crisp with a cold breeze. It definitely cleared the mind, Hawke thought. He wondered if Michael had found the walk as invigorating. He hoped it had helped the spy get some perspective on his situation, especially as it was the type of situation that could confuse even the most level-headed of men.

Finding out you might be a father years after the fact…Hawke sighed. He had some experience with that. A chance mission soon after he'd recovered Airwolf had brought him into contact with an old flame from 'Nam, Ni Hongh. She and her husband, Sam Roper, had been trying to bring their son to the States but the dates of the boy's birth and his relationship with Ni Hongh…Hawke still suspected that the boy was his son. Ni Hongh hadn't actually denied it; her actual words had been that her answer to the question of the boy's parentage would always be that Sam was his father. He'd kept in touch with them a little after he'd helped them bring the boy, who they'd named Stringfellow, to the States but Sam, an Airforce pilot, had been reassigned to Germany and he hadn't heard from them for a while. It was probably a good thing, Hawke thought. Sam was a good man; he didn't need a reminder of his wife's previous relationship hanging around and Hawke had no wish to ruin the father-son bond Sam had developed with the boy.

It haunted him though, Hawke admitted trudging through a patch of muddy grass. Sometimes he wished he'd pressed Ni Hongh for a straight answer as it was the wondering if the boy was his or not that unsettled him. If he was his, then his son was growing up without knowing his father, without Hawke knowing him. Hawke sighed. Maybe he deserved not to know the truth; he had left Ni Hongh without a second thought in 'Nam. He'd liked her enormously, respected her but he'd viewed their relationship as a pleasant diversion from the war, nothing more serious than that. If he was the father then he'd left her alone and pregnant. The thought brought a flush of shame to his cheeks.

He did, Hawke acknowledged with embarrassment, have a poor record with birth control. He blamed his teenage years in the Sixties; Dom had tried his hardest to ensure both Hawke and his brother felt a responsibility toward the girls they slept with but truth was they'd grown up in a culture that didn't overly worry about consequences. Hawke knew he'd taken more risks than he should have done over the years and given the horror stories he'd heard from others on what they had caught when they hadn't taken precautions, was thankful that he seemed to have escaped with the rather mild punishment of one suspected pregnancy with Ni Hongh and one actual pregnancy with a girlfriend who'd had a termination – against his wishes. Not that he'd learned his lesson, Hawke thought ruefully. It had taken Caitlin showing him the pictures of her brand new baby niece for him to remember to broach the subject with her. For a moment, as he'd waited for her reply, he'd imagined that it might have been too late to ask her, that her trim figure would soon round with his child…and it had been a shock to realise when she gave her assurance that she was on the pill and they were OK that he was disappointed. He wanted a child with her.

The thought shocked him into an abrupt halt and Hawke had to bend and take a breath. Children, he was thinking of having children with Caitlin. He didn't know whether he should be ecstatic or scared; maybe he was a little of both, he realised. He shook his head and continued walking. His relationship with Caitlin was going well, like their underlying friendship there was a natural ease and rightness about it, but they'd only been a couple for a few months and his buried fear of losing her like he'd lost so many others in his life still raised its head occasionally. Michael had been right, her moving into the cabin had been a big step for them especially him and they were definitely a long way off being ready for children particularly as he'd like to do it right; marriage before kids…the idea had him stumbling to another stop.

It was a fortunate pause; a faint sound on the road to the left of the field he was in caught his attention. He hunkered down immediately. A black car growled past leading two army trucks down the grey tarmac towards the farmhouse.

'Damn!' Hawke muttered. It looked like Michael had walked straight into a trap. He weighed his options; he could return to Airwolf, keep a trace on where they took Michael, leave and come back with support to rescue him or…or he could continue to the farmhouse and find someway to rescue the spy armed with only a handgun and outnumbered by a dozen men. Hawke continued walking.

His attention was completely focused on the house in front of him and the need for his arrival to go undetected. He kept low as he approached the buildings, vaulting over a low brick wall to take cover flush with the side of a barn. A small dark-haired man was outside barking orders at the Russian soldiers. Hawke surmised they were being instructed to set up a perimeter and search the out-buildings – which made his own position very precarious. He drew his weapon and slid around to the other side of the barn before running at full pelt across the yard to the side wall of the farmhouse. He tried a window and breathed a sigh of relief as it opened. He climbed in and hearing footsteps approaching quickly closed it before ducking down underneath, hiding in the shadow.

He remained still as he heard voices outside by the window and didn't move until a full minute after they had disappeared. He sat down and took in the room he'd climbed into. It looked like a formal old-fashioned parlour. A leather suite covered in lace and heavy oak sideboards and cabinets left little space in the small room. Ornaments covered every surface, pictures covered every wall. Hawke shivered and padded his way to the wooden door on the other side of the room; he opened it a crack. The corridor was clear but he could hear raised voices at the other end. He kept to the wall until he reached the open door. He crouched down and peeked in.

It was the farmhouse kitchen; a large bright room. An old range stood under the chimney on one wall whilst there was an old, cracked enamel sink under a wide window that overlooked the farmyard on the opposite wall. A long, narrow table took up the centre of the room. Two guards stood at the back door with rifles, another two flanked the man sat in the chair at the top of the table; Michael. A blonde woman stood at the other end of the table and held a small child behind her as though protecting her. The spy was calm and seemed to be needling the small, dark-haired man Hawke had seen outside the farmhouse moments before. Hawke strained to hear the conversation between the two men.

'I might have known it was you, Kinskov.' Michael shook his head. The KGB Colonel had played a minor role in his abduction by Kruger the previous year. Kinskov had certainly known about Michael's past relationship with Maria and he hadn't been shy of using it.

'I knew the idea of a child would bring you, Michael.' Kinskov gloated, his dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction. 'You always were sentimental especially about Maria.'

'I'll try to be less predictable next time.'

'I'm sorry, Michael, but I had no choice.' Hannah von Furster apologised.

Michael glanced at her, caught the tears in her eyes and voice and sighed. 'It's not your fault, Hannah.' His eyes slid to the child standing behind her legs. She was his. He didn't need the proof Hannah had offered to show him; one look at the blonde haired, blue-eyed little girl and he'd seen his own features sculpted and refined by a childlike femininity staring back at him. He raised his eyes to Kinskov. 'What happens now?'

'Now?' Kinskov's smile was feral. 'Now I take you to Moscow where you will be tortured and killed.'

Michael made the calculations in his head; he'd been gone an hour and a half and it was a two hour drive to Moscow so it would be another hour and a half after that before Hawke realised he was in trouble. He was lucky Kinskov hated him so much; his torture would be drawn out, it was possible he'd still be alive when Hawke came for him.

'And Ms von Furster and her niece?' Michael asked.

Kinskov's eyes were cold. 'They will be returned to Germany, of course. They are no longer of any use to me.'

Michael's good eye hardened. Kinskov was lying. He would kill them; the other man could not afford to leave witnesses to his capture of Michael.

Kinskov smiled seeing Michael recognise the truth. 'Take him out to the car.'

'You don't have to do this, Kinskov.' Michael said as he was pulled resisting out of the chair.

'Consider it the first part to your torture.' Kinskov smile widened as Michael's struggles increased.

Hawke watched them remove Michael. He frowned. It was obvious the Russian, who was issuing orders to the remaining guards, had no intention of letting the woman and kid go. He frowned. It was unlikely he would have an opportunity to save them if he went after Michael now. His friend was still wearing the tracer; he would still be able to track him on the way to Moscow. OK, Hawke thought; he would rescue the woman and child, get back to Airwolf, track Michael, save his friend, go home. He sighed. At least it was a plan even if he had no idea how he was going to do any of it.

The Russian left the kitchen and the two guards stepped forward menacingly. One spoke in a quiet tone to the woman and beckoned her to him. She shook her head. The guards turned to each other and laughed at her obvious fright. One of them made a comment and Hannah flushed bright red. She was still holding the girl behind her, out of sight of the guards as she started backing away. Hawke's jaw tightened; his eyes narrowed. It looked like the guards were planning to have a little fun before they killed their captives. Hawke heard the rumble of the trucks and car leaving. He had to act…he aimed for the first guard and shot him dead.

The gunshot seemed to jolt Hannah into action she sprang forward blocking Hawke's ability to shoot the second guard and grabbed a knife from the block on the counter. The guard shot her as she threw the knife at him. Hawke's shot hit him at the same time the knife embedded itself in his chest. Hannah staggered and dropped to the floor. Hawke hurried over to her.

He knelt beside her and checked her wound. It had hit her lung, pink blood bubbled up from the gaping hole in her chest. He could already see the light in her eyes diminishing. Hannah raised a hand and grabbed at him. 'You're Michael's friend?'

'Yes.' Hawke said.

'Angelina…you must take Angelina. She…speaks English…' Hannah winced. 'She's his. The folder on the table…explains everything…please.'

Hawke picked it up and put it in his rucksack. 'I can get you to a hospital…'

'It's too late.' She gasped. 'Angelina!' She called weakly.

The girl stepped forward timidly. Hawke blinked in shock. The child was a curious mixture of her parents, Michael and Maria; she was beautiful even in a simple pinafore dress. Hannah spoke in gasping German to her and the little girl threw herself at the prone body of her aunt, crying and sobbing loudly. Hannah patted her weakly and pushed her away, pushed her towards Hawke.

'Take…her.' Hannah said. 'Don't let her see…' she coughed and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Hawke nodded. 'I'll take care of her.' He caught Angelina as she went to throw herself on her aunt again. She struggled against him and he had to hold her wriggling body firmly as he picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen, back to the corridor. He closed the door on the death behind them and set her down. She collapsed against him sobbing and screaming in German.

Hawke fervently wished Caitlin had accompanied them on the mission. He had no idea how to calm a hysterical ten year old girl. He held onto her whilst she wept, patted her thin shoulder gently and tried to soothe her, speaking inconsequential sentences and wincing as he spoke every cliché in the book. Finally, he knew he had to stop her; they couldn't afford the time if they were to save Michael. He grasped the little girl's shoulders firmly and held her so he could look her straight in the eye.

'Angelina, we have to leave here right now and I need you to be brave for me a little longer? OK?'

Angelina wiped a hand over her swollen eyes and nodded.

Hawke nodded. 'OK. My name is Hawke and I promise I'm going to get us out of here safely.' He let go of her and took out a map. He needed to gain some time; there had to be a more direct route back to Airwolf. His eyes went to the road that criss-crossed over the back of the farmland. It went up into the woods, probably a logging trail for timber… Hawke folded the map quickly. If he could find a car or a truck, he was in business. He knelt in front of Angelina.

'Do you have a car?'

Angelina nodded.

'Can you take me to it?'

Angelina nodded again and held out her hand. Hawke took it trying to ignore the lump in his throat at the trusting gesture. He let her lead him to the front of the house where she pointed at the car keys hanging from a hook by the door. Hawke took them and was about to open the front door when she pointed at her jacket. He wrapped her in it and they went outside. There was no sign of any life. She dragged him around the corner to a garage. He viewed the old car with foreboding and hoped it would work.

Hawke opened the passenger door and Angelina hopped in immediately putting her seatbelt on. Her aunt had obviously been an excellent guardian, Hawke thought. He slipped into the driver's seat and tried the engine. He gave a sigh of relief as it turned over and remained at a steady growl. He put his own seat belt on and pulled out of the garage following the road from the farmhouse.

It took less time than he anticipated before he got to the end of the logging trail in the woods. They couldn't go any further in the car. He looked over at the sleeping girl in the passenger seat. Angelina had curled up in the first few moments of the journey and with the trick children had the world over had fallen instantly asleep. Poor kid, Hawke thought as he switched the engine off and pulled the handbrake on. She had deserved better than to see the violence and terror that had taken place at the farmhouse. He got out of the car and walked round to the passenger side. Hawke sighed; he didn't have the heart to wake her up. He picked her up and she snuggled into him. Hawke adjusted his hold until he was comfortable and started walking.

It was a hard walk through the woods and he was breathing heavily when he got to Airwolf. He placed Angelina on the ground under a tree whilst he took the camouflage net off. He checked his watch; Michael had been captured for just over an hour. He ran the scan on his front monitor and locked the tracer coordinates into the computer; set as many of the systems to run automatically as he could before he woke the little girl; he couldn't take the risk of her waking up in Airwolf and freaking.

He walked over to her and crouched down beside her. He shook her a little. She woke with a start and gave a startled cry. She back-pedalled away from him right up to the tree and he held up his hands.

'Easy, Angelina, easy.'

She stopped and stared at him.

'You remember me?' He asked.

Angelina nodded slowly. 'Hawke.'

'That's right.' He pointed at the helicopter. 'You know what that is?'

'A helicopter. A big helicopter.' She said her English was heavily accented.

'Yeah. We're going to go for a ride.' Hawke said. 'You remember the other man who came to see you today, the man with the glasses?'

Angelina nodded. 'The bad men took him.'

'Well, we're going to rescue him.' Hawke explained. 'So we're going to go very fast and it may get scary but I'm going to make sure you're safe.'

'OK.' Angelina took his hand and they walked over to Airwolf. He lifted her into the passenger seat and strapped her in. He couldn't remember the last time he'd used the belts. The helmets were too heavy for her so he fixed her up with a headset explaining it would protect her ears and allow him to hear her speak. She seemed happy enough so he closed the cockpit door and ran around to his usual place. He started the engines and brought the systems online.

Hawke looked over at his young passenger. 'Ready?'

She nodded.

He took Airwolf up in a slow, smooth motion. As soon as he was clear of the trees, he moved off and hit the turbos. They shot forward. Hawke worriedly checked Angelina but her blue eyes were filled with wonder and not fear. He gave a small sigh of relief. Maybe he shouldn't be too surprised, he thought, after all, she was the daughter of two intelligence operatives. Maybe it told in her DNA.

He kept the helicopter low, hoping to go undetected by the Russian radar. It didn't take him long at mach speed to catch up with the convoy carrying Michael to Russia. They were taking a back road into Moscow; it held very little traffic apart from the convoy itself. Perfect. He held Airwolf at a distance from the trucks and car not wanting to give away their position immediately. He felt a frisson of frustration that he didn't have an engineer to run a scan and determine which vehicle Michael was in. He was going to have to guess.

Hawke sighed. He would bet money that Kinskov wouldn't have put Michael in the front car. The Russian would have wanted to drive it home to Michael that he was a prisoner not a guest and he'd have plenty opportunity to gloat about his triumph once he got him to Moscow. The first truck, the one in the middle between the car and the end truck was likely the one Michael was in. Hawke broke off from the path and swung around. He pressed the button to activate the weapons and heard the chain guns deploy along the wings and the ADF pods sliding into place on Airwolf's belly.

'OK, Angelina?'

The blonde haired girl looked at across the cockpit.

'We're going to go fight the bad men. Whatever happens, you stay in Airwolf and you'll be safe. You understand?'

Angelina nodded.

Hawke turned his attention back to the sky. He hit the turbos again and dived. Airwolf streamed downward. Hawke pulled her up right in front of the first car; the wash of air from the manoeuvre slammed into the car and the driver was helpless as the vehicle's momentum carried it onto its side. The car slid down the road before coming to a halt. The second truck careened to a halt causing the final truck to brake hard; it went over as the driver tried desperately to avoid a collision. Hawke fired a missile; the explosion created a wall of fire across the road between the overturned truck and the other two vehicles. Hawke copied the move between the car and the middle truck. He lowered Airwolf into the space between the fires; nose to nose with the truck.

Soldiers were spilling from the back of the stopped vehicle and taking position in front of them, aiming guns at Airwolf and firing. Angelina jumped as the bullets struck the windscreen, sparking off the bullet proof material. Hawke peered through the smoke that whipped around them as the rotors caught the edges of the fires that were burning. His eyes narrowed. Through the throng of soldiers and smoke he could see Michael being pulled from the truck. They were pulling him away from Airwolf.

Hawke raised Airwolf and swung over the soldiers to come down directly in front of the soldiers dragging his friend. He was so close he could see the bruises on Michael's face and the horror on the soldiers' as they slid to a stop. One fumbled with his rifle, tried to get a shot off. Hawke triggered the chain guns. The bursts slammed into the road either side of the soldiers holding Michael. They both ducked and Michael lashed out at one with his good leg. He caught the guard's head and the man collapsed on the ground. The other soldier made a grab for him and Michael punched him out even as other soldiers started to run up to support.

Michael ran toward Airwolf as fast as he could and Hawke landed the helicopter, reaching across Angelina to open the door so he could climb in. Michael stumbled into the helicopter turning only briefly to close the door before he staggered to the engineer's console rubbing his leg as Hawke turned back to the front.

Hawke's eyes widened at the sight of a soldier aiming for Airwolf with a rocket launcher. He took Airwolf up and hit the turbos.

'Missile.' Michael confirmed.

'Deploy sunburst.'

'Sunburst.'

The explosion lit the helicopter. The blast had been too close for comfort, Hawke thought. He swung them away from Moscow. It was time to go home.

'We have MIGs heading toward us on an intercept course.' Michael said gruffly.

'Raise our high ops.' Hawke said and took them down until they were flying mere feet off the ground.

'They've spotted us. Two missiles on their way. Heat-seekers. Deploying sunbursts.'

Hawke abandoned the attempt to remain invisible to their radar.

'One didn't take the sunburst.' Michael noted calmly.

Hawke fired a missile at the ridge in front, flew straight threw the flames and ascended rapidly. The heat-seeker hit the ridge and the explosion followed them up through the sky. It put him at the same altitude as the MIGs and he didn't wait but fired two shots; one MIG blew up in front of them, the second tried to evade but went the wrong way. Hawke used the distraction of the explosions to return to lower altitude and the protection from the MIGs radar.

'The others are breaking off.' Michael said.

'Good.' Hawke eased off the turbos. 'You'd better call Marella, we'll need that fuel pick-up a little earlier than scheduled.' He didn't get a response and he eased off the turbos to look behind him. Michael's eye was glued to Angelina who had turned around in her seat and was peeking over into the back.

Hawke sighed and turned back to his flying. 'Angelina, this is…' he hesitated over the introduction.

'Daddy.' Angelina supplied.

'You…' Michael blinked at his daughter, 'you know who I am?'

'Auntie Hannah showed me pictures.' Angelina smiled shyly at him. 'She said we were going to live with you in America now.'

'Auntie Hannah…' Michael was suddenly aware of the woman's absence.

'She didn't make it.' Hawke said gently.

'One of the men shooted her.' Angelina supplied.

'You saw that?' Her father asked horrified.

Angelina nodded. 'Can I sit with you?

Hawke reached across and snapped off the belt lock. Angelina immediately moved round the back of the chair and reached for Michael. Michael swallowed hard and gathered her to him, lifting her onto his lap and holding her as her thin arms went around his neck and her head burrowed into his chest.

Hawke glanced back and smiled at the look of awe on Michael's face as he smoothed the hair away from his daughter's. He returned his attention to the sky and the journey home.

They were half-way back when Michael stirred and blinked blearily as the cockpit came into focus. He must have fallen asleep, he mused. He looked down at the sleeping bundle in his arms and wondered anew that the little girl was his daughter. He lifted her off his lap and onto the floor beside him. He propped one rolled up blanket under her head as a pillow before he covered her with another.

'How is she?' Hawke asked.

'Still sleeping.' Michael said looking up; the pilot hadn't turned around. 'Thank you, Hawke. For Angelina.' He said. 'When Kinskov took me, I thought for sure that…'

'It's OK, Michael.' Hawke cut him off before he completed the sentence. Angelina might be asleep but she definitely didn't need to hear even unconscious that she might have been killed.

'You didn't stay with Airwolf.' Michael commented.

Hawke rolled his shoulders. 'I fancied a walk.'

'Well, thank you.' Michael said. 'I owe you.'

'Forget it, Michael.' Hawke said and turned around to catch the other man's eye. 'You would have done the same for me.' He turned back to the front.

Michael couldn't speak for a moment. He cleared his throat. 'I'm sorry for falling asleep back here.'

'You had a rough day.' Hawke said with characteristic understatement.

'We make the fuel pick-up?'

'Right on schedule.' Hawke confirmed. 'We're almost in US waters.'

Michael leaned back in the chair and rubbed a hand over his face. 'Good.'

'Michael,' Hawke said, 'Hannah gave me a folder of information about Angelina for you. It's in my backpack.'

Michael frowned and opened the compartment to retrieve the backpack; he pulled out the folder. He started to flip through the contents and stopped at a photo. He picked it up; it must have been taken when Angelina had been first born. She was in Maria's arms. He sighed and put the folder down. There were too many ghosts in there to deal with in the confinement of a cockpit.

'I called Cait and asked her to meet us at the Lair.' Hawke said. 'I thought it might help Angelina to have a woman around.'

'Good thinking.' Michael murmured. He shifted a little uncomfortably. 'I guess you told Cait…'

'I only told Cait that we'd brought back a ten year old girl.' Hawke interrupted him. 'But she's going to know the truth as soon as she lays eyes on her, Michael.'

'I know.' Michael sighed.

'Have you considered what you're going to do when we get back?' Hawke asked.

'I haven't really had time to think about it Hawke.' Michael pointed out.

'If you want…' Hawke glanced at him briefly, 'you and Angelina could come up to the cabin for a few days. It'd give you time to think.'

'That's a generous offer, Hawke, but…'

'Believe me, Michael.' Hawke said cutting across the other man. 'You don't want to rush into a decision and screw this up.'

Michael was silent. It knew it was rare for Hawke to offer personal advice and he considered his offer for the rest of the journey back to Airwolf's hiding place in the Valley of the Gods.

The sun was beginning to set as Hawke lowered Airwolf down the funnel and into the dusty cave. His tired eyes landed on Caitlin's slim figure as she walked from the steel platform with its brand new consoles and equipment to the helicopter as it powered down. He opened his door and jumped out to wrap her into a hug.

'You OK?' Caitlin eased back to look at Hawke; the lack of bruises and cuts reassured her but she could see the exhaustion he was holding at bay in the shadows under his eyes and the tension in his body.

Hawke nodded. He'd kept the information pretty minimal when he'd spoken to her. They both turned at the sound of the door on the other side of Airwolf being opened. Michael stepped out and reached back to help Angelina out. Hawke and Caitlin made their way to them.

'Angelina,' Michael held her hand tightly in his, 'this is Caitlin.'

Caitlin crouched down and held her hand out formally. 'Pleased to meet you, Angelina.' Her own blue-green eyes swept over the little girl and widened with instant realisation as they shook hands. Angelina stepped forward and whispered something in her ear. Caitlin smiled in understanding and straightened. 'If you gentlemen will excuse us, we need to visit the little girl's room.' Angelina let go of Michael's hand and took Caitlin's. Hawke and Michael watched them leave the Lair.

A beeping noise sounded from the cockpit.

'Now what?' Hawke muttered. He swung himself back into the machine and stabbed the button.

Marella's face came into view on the video monitor. 'Hawke, is Michael there?'

'It's good to see you too, Marella.' Hawke commented wryly.

'Sorry but this is important.'

Hawke got out to let Michael in.

'Marella.' Michael managed to keep his churning emotions hidden as he greeted her.

'Michael, a Colonel Kinskov contacted Zeus fifteen minutes ago claiming you and Hawke kidnapped a ten year old girl from Russia.'

'Damn!' Michael scowled.

'It's true?' Marella's voice rose in surprise.

'Tell Zeus that I'll be in shortly and will explain everything then.' Michael disconnected before Marella could say anything more. He slipped into the back of the cockpit and retrieved the folder of information about his daughter.

'Are you sure going in is the right thing to do?' Hawke asked leaning on Airwolf's wing as Michael got out.

Michael ignored him. He knew Hawke would have taken a very different approach but then the pilot didn't have the same history with the FIRM that Michael did. Not that history prevented it turning on one of its own every so often, Michael cautioned himself. Going in was the right thing to do but it didn't mean that he wouldn't have to tread carefully. He focused on his immediate problem; what to do with his daughter. 'Can you and Caitlin take Angelina?'

Hawke nodded. 'We'll be at the cabin.'

'I'll clear things with Zeus and meet you up there.' Michael said.

'Meet us where?' Caitlin asked coming back in. Angelina let go of her hand and skipped over to her father.

Michael caught her and gave her a hug. 'Angelina, I need to leave just for a little while.' He was astonished at the disappointment in her eyes. 'Hawke and Caitlin will look after you until I get back.'

'You are coming back?' Angelina checked.

Michael nodded. 'I promise.'

She sighed. 'OK.'

'OK. You be a good girl for Hawke and Caitlin.' Michael gave her another squeeze before he let go of her. 'I'll see you very soon.' He headed for the jeep he'd left parked near the entrance of the Lair and drove away.

Caitlin felt Angelina's hand sneak back into her own and she rubbed it reassuringly. 'Well, we should get you two weary travellers home, huh?'

'Sounds good to me.' Hawke said slipping an arm around her waist.