Caitlin greeted Marella on the cabin porch with a hug and took the small suitcase from her gratefully. 'Thanks for bringing this.'

'No problem.' Marella said following Caitlin into the cabin. 'I appreciated the opportunity to shop. You should see some of the cute outfits they have for girls these days. I could have bought another twenty.'

'Maybe Angelina and I will go with you next time.' Caitlin commented wistfully.

'A shopping trip?' Marella smiled. 'Sounds good to me.' Her dark eyes took in the cosy warm room and she stumbled to a halt by the door as they settled on Michael and his daughter playing chess in front of the fire. Her boss looked up at her and smiled at the shock she couldn't quite hide.

'Marella.'

'Sir.'

He beckoned her over. 'Marella, this is Angelina, my daughter. Angelina, this is Marella.' Angelina shook hands with Marella solemnly, her blue eyes assessing the older woman.

'Are you staying for dinner, Marella?' Caitlin asked as she came back from stowing the suitcase in Angelina's room.

'I will, thank you.' Marella said sitting on the sofa. Tet wandered over to her and she patted the dog absently as she scanned the chess board in front of her. Angelina was going to checkmate her father in ten moves, she realised. She wondered if Michael had any idea how intelligent the little girl was; whether he'd read the rest of the folder with its school reports and IQ tests.

'Did you find anything out about the Senate review?' Michael asked moving his queen. He'd asked Marella to investigate why Zeus had been concerned about the latest political manoeuvrings.

Marella nodded. 'It's a budget review. They're looking at operating costs with the aim of reducing overheads.' She frowned. 'I'm not sure why Zeus is so worried about it.'

Michael met her eyes thoughtfully. 'There must be something more. Keep digging.'

'Yes sir.'

Caitlin handed Marella a glass of wine and slipped into the seat next to her. She glanced at the chessboard. 'So who's winning?'

'I am.' Angelina noted.

Michael's good eye twinkled. 'Don't count me out just yet.'

'Cait?' Marella got the other woman's attention and smiled apologetically. 'I was wondering if you'd take a look at the radio in the chopper? It seemed to develop a problem mid-flight.'

'Sure.' Caitlin agreed readily. 'I can have a look.'

'Thanks. I'd rather not fly without a radio.'

'It's not usually recommended.' Caitlin agreed smiling. A sound caught her attention. Her head tilted to the side in a move so like Hawke's that Marella almost choked on her drink.

'Chopper?'

'Yeah…' Caitlin got to her feet and headed out to the porch. She peered into the night sky. The steady drone of the approaching helicopter helped her locate the faint gleam of metal in the darkness. She frowned. She'd been flying Airwolf long enough to recognise a chopper coming in on an attack pattern. She spun around.

'Everyone out the back! Now!'

Michael didn't waste time asking why, he grabbed Angelina and carried her, hurrying out towards the guest bedrooms and the back door installed in the extension. Marella followed after him, Tet at her heels. Caitlin watched them go as she grabbed the rifle and ammo from the cabinet and rushed back to the porch. She skipped down the steps and knelt on the ground. She sighted the chopper. If she could hit the pilot, the rotor or the fuel tank…she fired a shot. It thudded into the side of the chopper.

The harsh chatter of guns filled her ears and she let go of the rifle as she dived to the side as the ground was torn up in front of her. She put her hands over her head. The chopper swooped to make another run. Caitlin shifted on her belly in the shadows of the cabin wall trying to gauge how far it was to the rifle…she was going to have to risk it. She got to her feet and ran for the rifle. A bright light from the helicopter suddenly filled the clearing, pinning her in place and she skidded, falling on the dirt. She shielded her face from the light with an arm and her blood froze as she realised the chopper was almost back in range to finish her…

The banshee shriek filled the clearing and Caitlin gave a deep sigh of relief as Airwolf thundered past. Flashes of light filled the sky as the sleek black helicopter warned the other chopper off with a burst from the chain guns. Hawke circled the clearing and landed to pick up Caitlin. She hurried inside and slipped immediately into the back of the cockpit. He raised Airwolf and flew out over the lake to the other side of the mountain range with a cold calculation.

'They're right behind us.' Caitlin informed him.

Good, thought Hawke as he felt the chatter of gunfire along the tail.

'Sunburst.'

'Sunburst.'

The flash of light as the sunburst deployed blinded the pilot and occupants of the chopper behind them; Hawke used the distraction to duck down below the chopper's altitude, he slowed allowing them to fly past above them and then raised Airwolf coming up behind the chopper in a ruthlessly deliberate move. Hawke didn't need the automatic lock to know his target was in sight; he fired. The chopper exploded into a ball of flame. It hung in the night sky for a moment before it fell onto the mountainside.

Hawke swung Airwolf in a wide arc and headed back to the cabin. He landed next to the small white FIRM helicopter and viewed the damage with undisguised fury. The ground in front of the cabin was torn up; dirt covered the porch and the landing pier. He slammed out of Airwolf. Caitlin followed him as he inspected the scorched ground.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. 'We'll fix it.' She assured him.

Hawke spun around to her so fast Caitlin lost her grip but in the next instant his arms were wrapped tightly around her, his face buried in her hair.

She hugged him back. 'I'm OK.'

Hawke didn't loosen his grip, just held her. For a moment, for a horrible, terrifying moment, he'd thought he was going to see her shot to pieces in front of him. If he'd been a second later…

'You guys OK?' Michael asked worriedly.

Hawke took a deep breath and eased his hold on Caitlin enough to raise his head and catch the other man's eye. 'We're OK.'

Caitlin stroked a hand over Hawke's back and glanced across at the porch where Michael stood. Angelina stood next to him, one hand in her father's, the other in Marella's. Tet was sat beside them but got up and padded over to his owner.

Hawke cleared his throat. 'Kinskov won't be bothering you anymore.'

Michael raised an eyebrow and looked at the mess. A flush of guilt washed over him. 'I'll pay for the repairs.'

'Forget it, Michael.' Hawke suggested. 'It's only dirt.' He glanced down at Caitlin. 'We're OK. That's all that matters.'

Michael nodded. 'How did Kinskov find me?'

Marella sighed. 'Me. He must have followed me. Damn!' She shook her head. 'I didn't even spot him.'

'Don't beat yourself up about it, Marella.' Hawke advised. 'You'd better call Zeus and let him know Kinskov has been…neutralised.'

'Zeus?' Michael's eyebrows shot up.

Hawke gestured. 'I'll explain later.' He jerked his head at Airwolf. 'I'd better get her back to the Lair.'

'I'll come with you.' Caitlin offered.

'We'll start dinner.' Michael called after them as they climbed back aboard the aircraft.

Marella looked at him as the rotors started to rotate. 'Since when did you learn to cook sir?'

'OK.' Michael allowed. 'You'll start dinner.'

Angelina giggled and they moved back inside as Airwolf took to the sky.

Later that night, Hawke lay in bed and watched Caitlin sleeping. The smouldering fire in the hearth was the only light in the room and cast a golden glow over her, turned her red hair to copper. He was tired but just couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Caitlin lying in the clearing, the chopper almost in range to shoot her down. He could have lost her and he couldn't get the thought out of his head. He couldn't resist reaching across and stroking a finger over her cheek, across her lips. She stirred a little before settling back, burrowing into the pillows.

Hawke sighed and slipped out of the bed before he woke her up. He belatedly remembered he had guests as he reached for the bedroom door and grabbed a pair of sweat pants to make himself decent. Tet followed him as he wandered down to the bar. He had just opened the bottle of whiskey when Michael appeared wrapped in a dressing gown.

'I thought I heard something.' Michael said quietly.

Hawke showed him the bottle and Michael nodded taking a seat at the bar. Hawke placed two glasses on the counter and poured them both a shot. Both men tossed the drink down and made similar winces as the fiery liquid caught the back of the throats.

'Good whiskey.' Michael commented as he placed his glass back down.

Hawke's response was to pour them both another glass.

'It was a close call tonight.' Michael said.

Hawke nodded. 'If I'd been a second later…' He shook his head and picked up his whiskey.

'But you weren't and that's what counts.' Michael raised his glass. 'To Zeus for the warning.'

They both drank the whiskey down.

'You know you never said how it went with Zeus when you went to the FIRM.' Hawke murmured.

Michael frowned. 'Oh, he suspended me. Told me I was too close to you.'

'Guess he had a point.' Hawke surprised Michael into looking at him. He gestured at the two of them and the whiskey. 'Well, look at us, Michael.'

'Can you imagine what Zeus would say if he walked in right now?' Michael said as he started laughing.

The laughter was infectious and before long both men were bent over the counter in hysterics. Hawke shushed Michael and sent a darting glance up the stairs.

'I needed that.' Michael said wiping the tears from his eye as they both regained control.

'So what are you going to do?' Hawke asked as he refilled the glasses for a third time.

'About Zeus?' Michael shrugged. 'I can handle him. Besides I think he's really worried about something else entirely.' He saw the question in Hawke's eyes. 'Politics.'

Hawke's expression cleared. 'Well that would explain it.' He poured them both another whiskey. 'And what are you going to do about Angelina?'

Michael sighed. 'I want to do the right thing for her, Hawke. I'm just not sure what that is.'

'What do you think she wants?' Hawke asked.

'I think she wants to stay with me.' Michael said.

'Well, there you go.'

'It's not that simple,' Michael insisted, 'and you know that, Hawke, better than most.' He gestured with his glass. 'My life isn't safe for her. You saw what happened tonight.'

'You know it was that kinda thinking that caused me to ask Caitlin to stay in Texas when she got shot.' Hawke said. 'All it did was hurt us both.'

'Different thing.' Michael said.

'Maybe,' Hawke allowed, 'maybe not.'

'Caitlin's old enough to decide for herself,' continued Michael. 'Angelina is a child. She doesn't get a choice in whether she puts herself in danger or not.' He gestured with the glass. 'And then there's the fact I'd be a single father. You know how hard that is.'

Hawke did know; he'd been a guardian to a young boy he'd thought was his nephew for a time before finding the boy's mother. He knew it was a difficult juggling act. He sighed. 'Michael, stop thinking with your head for a minute. What do you want to do? I mean deep down in your gut, what do you want?'

Michael drank down the whiskey. 'I want to raise my daughter.'

'Then do it.' Hawke said.

'But…'

'Michael, you make the unworkable work all the time.' Hawke pointed out.

Michael gave a brief laugh. 'I guess I do.' He nodded at Hawke. 'You can't tell me it's going to be easy living with the knowledge someone you love is at risk though can you? After all if it was, you,' he pointed at him, 'wouldn't be standing here talking to me in the middle of the night.'

'It's not easy.' Hawke admitted bluntly. 'But it is worth it.' He glanced down at the whiskey; maybe he'd had enough. He sighed and pushed a hand through his short brown hair. 'I just have to find a way to deal with it without…' he gestured at the whiskey bottle.

Michael glanced up the stairs and a smile flitted across his lips. 'Maybe you're not meant to deal with it on your own.'

Hawke looked at him quizzically before following the direction of Michael's gaze. Caitlin was stood on the top stair in her robe.

'This would be my cue to exit.' Michael said slipping off the stool. 'Goodnight.'

Hawke responded absently, his eyes glued on Caitlin.

'Hey.' She said softly.

'Hey.' He replied gruffly.

'He's right you know.' Caitlin said as she walked down the stairs and joined him behind the bar. She was standing face to face with him, close enough to touch him.

Hawke sighed and held out his hand. She placed hers into it and he tugged her close, sliding his arms around her waist. 'We're in this together, huh?'

'Yeah. Together.' Caitlin said and kissed him. 'Come on. Let's get back to bed.'