Stringfellow Hawke leaned against the bright yellow rail, crossed his legs at the ankle, folded his arms across the partially zipped lilac flight suit and scowled at the sleek, black helicopter in front of him. Dominic Santini watched the frown cross the younger man's boyish looks and gestured impatiently.

'I'm telling you, String,' Dom said taking his red satin cap off to reveal the flattened grey wisps of hair as he rested a foot on the railing, 'there's nothing wrong with her.'

Hawke glanced at the man who was by turns a surrogate father, mentor and friend to him. It seemed to him that Dom looked older than ever before with his craggy face deeply lined, and the dark eyes without their usual hint of mischief. Hawke sighed. It had only been a couple of days since Dom had escaped being killed by a woman he had thought he loved and who he had thought loved him; it was going to take time for the older pilot to bounce back. He wrenched his attention back to the matter at hand…

'Something's not right.' Hawke pushed off the railing and took a couple of steps towards Airwolf, rubbing his hand through his short brown hair. She was the world's most technologically advanced helicopter; mach capable, with fourteen weapons and a highly sophisticated surveillance system. Her systems were always sensitive and temperamental but he'd been flying her for too long not to know when something was seriously off.

'I don't see why you think there's a problem.' Dom said dismissively.

Hawke's blue eyes caught Dom's in a steady gaze. 'You know what happened the last time she went screwy.'

'That was totally different.' Dom said heatedly. 'That was that logic bomb and we fixed that!'

'She's taking control like she did then.'

'We don't know that!' Dom denied.

Hawke pointed at the machine. 'Somebody opened the basement door for me on our last mission when the building security system was linked into the Airwolf computer. You said it wasn't you. So who does that leave?'

'OK,' Dom reasoned, 'maybe it was Airwolf who opened the door for you but like you say String, her computer was linked into that security system…' His voice trailed away suddenly.

'What?' Hawke demanded seeing something in the other man's eyes.

Dom met Hawke's determined gaze reluctantly and straightened. 'It was probably nothing.'

Hawke raised an eyebrow.

Dom gave a dismissive shrug. 'Well, she kinda…she kinda gave me an assist when we hacked into the system.'

'What do you mean she gave you an assist?'

'She kinda took over…' Dom admitted reluctantly, 'but it wasn't what you're thinking!' He said hurriedly as Hawke spun away from him and paced over to the helicopter's wing. 'She figured out what I was doing and she just did it quicker and maybe…maybe she recognised the code when you entered it and opened the door for you thinking that security system was an extension to her own programming.'

'Maybe.' Hawke rubbed his chin and tapped the black amour lightly.

Dom sighed. 'Should we tell Michael?' He said referring to the deputy director of the FIRM, the intelligence agency that had built the helicopter, and the man who had made a deal with Hawke for the pilot to fly her on missions of national importance in exchange for the FIRM finding Hawke's missing brother.

Hawke sighed. 'Not yet.' He shrugged. 'Besides, according to you there isn't anything to tell him.'

Dom gestured heavenwards.

Hawke checked his watch and started to unzip the Airwolf uniform. 'We should get back.'

Dom followed him to the lockers Michael had installed along with the communications, security and computer systems when they'd finally revealed the location of the Lair to him. They changed clothes and clambered into the Santini Air jeep they'd parked just inside the entrance. Dom gunned the engine they moved out of the Lair and into the Valley of the Gods, the jeep bouncing off the rough trail.

Dom glanced over as Hawke stared out at the stark landscape. 'You want to tell me what else is bugging you?'

Hawke looked back at him surprised enough that it showed in his blue eyes but he didn't answer the question.

'You and Caitlin OK?' Dom pressed. He'd been pleased when Hawke had finally settled into a relationship with Caitlin O'Shaunessy, the young female pilot that made up the final third of the Airwolf crew. The couple had recently moved into Hawke's cabin together and the only small cloud on the horizon seemed to be the disapproval of Caitlin's parents.

'We're OK.' Hawke said, his blue eyes warming as he thought of his girlfriend.

'Are you worried about attending this wedding of her sister's with her in Texas?' Dom tried another angle.

'No.' Hawke shifted in his seat, aware of the defensive tone and crossed his arms against his chest anyway. 'Although I don't think either of us is exactly looking forward to it with the way her parents feel about us being together.'

'You'll be OK, String.'

'Yeah.' Hawke nodded.

'So if it's not that, then what?' Dom asked.

Hawke fidgeted for a moment and sighed giving in to the urge to confide. 'I was thinking about the information that Michael gave me the other day.'

'You mean the folder on your brother?' Dom swung the jeep onto a better track and the bouncing eased. 'It was a stroke of luck Tania Bening finding that buried in her father's papers.'

'Maybe.'

'Maybe?' Dom's eyes shot across to the younger man. 'Kid, that folder did everything but tell you where he is.' The information had confirmed that Saint John Hawke had been rescued from the Vietcong two and a half years after being captured. It had noted that Hawke's brother had joined a Special Forces unit which had operated highly secret incursions into enemy territory, confirming information Hawke had found previously but there had been more…Saint John had ultimately left the army to join an unidentified intelligence agency working deep undercover. Michael was sure the new information would lead them to Hawke's brother eventually.

'I know, it's just…' Hawke began.

'Just what, kid?'

'Just…I've been thinking,' Hawke took a breath, 'if he's been alive all this time and not a POW, why hasn't he ever contacted me?'

Dom sighed at the younger man's plaintive tone which echoed with the memory of the boy he'd raised. 'We don't know for certain he was in any position to contact you. You know what deep undercover work is like, String.' He gave a huff of laughter. 'Hell, I seem to remember when you joined the FIRM as an operative, you almost fell off the map for two years.'

Hawke flushed. It had been true that when he'd worked as an operative he'd barely stayed in touch with the older man. 'Sorry about that, Dom.'

'You were out saving the world, I forgave you, kid.' Dom said.

'And Saint John's out saving the world so I should forgive him for not bothering to pick up the phone in the last fifteen years?' Hawke said sharply.

'That's not what I'm saying.' Dom denied.

'Maybe he blames me for leaving him.' Hawke said past the lump in his throat.

'How can you think that?' Dom demanded. 'Your brother wouldn't have blamed you for something like that. He knew full well what the risks were when he went to 'Nam.'

'Maybe.' Hawke sighed deeply. 'I can't help but think about how Mace acted last year though.'

'Huh.' Dom grunted. 'He was just plain wrong, String. Just…' he waved a hand in an absent-minded gesture reminiscent of his Italian heritage, 'just give your brother the benefit of the doubt, don't go jumping to any conclusions.'

Hawke could see the wisdom in the advice but it didn't change the hurt that was gnawing at his gut and would be until he could ask his brother the same question; why hadn't he gotten in touch? He sighed again and slumped back in his seat.

Dom turned his attention back to the road unsettled by Hawke's words. If he stopped to think about it, he really didn't understand why Saint John hadn't been in touch himself. The Hawke brothers had been close as kids and as young adults they'd been inseparable; the shock of losing their parents seeming to strengthen the bond between them even further. Hawke had even followed his brother to 'Nam, into a hellish war, as soon as it had been humanly possible to do so. It had almost destroyed Hawke to leave Saint John behind in the jungle and it seemed to Dom that the younger man had spent a good proportion of his adult life searching for his brother. He hadn't exactly wasted time but…Dom sighed. If Saint John had truly chosen not to contact Hawke all these years because he blamed him…the happy ending that Hawke wanted, that Dom himself had always hoped for, might not be possible.

Dom pushed his thoughts aside as he joined the main road and headed for the Van Nuys airfield. 'So you packed already?' He asked.

'Just about.' Hawke said. 'Caitlin wants to leave early tomorrow.'

'Are you sure you don't want to take the Lady?'

Hawke shook his head. 'I think we'll have enough to deal with without having to explain Airwolf.'

Dom chuckled. 'It might not be so bad you know.'

'Jo still coming to give you a hand?' Hawke asked changing the subject. Dom's niece was due to arrive the next day for a visit.

Dom nodded. 'It was a stroke of luck her calling and asking to come for Christmas.'

Luck had nothing to do with it, Hawke thought. He'd made the call to her himself. The older man had been through a lot and Hawke wasn't comfortable leaving him on his own even for a few days. Dom had a soft spot for all his nieces and nephews but Jo was his favourite; she'd lived with Dom and the Hawke brothers for a while when they were kids. She'd been surprised to hear from Hawke but had quickly agreed to come and visit when he had explained what had happened.

'What she up to these days?' Hawke asked. He hadn't asked her during their brief conversation.

'She's still freelancing as an interpreter or as a pilot or as both.' Dom said. 'She must have mentioned half a dozen countries in one breath telling me where she'd been in the last month. I tell you my brother Tony did a number on that girl.'

Hawke smiled wryly at the outraged tone. 'It wasn't Tony's gypsy ways that she had the problem with, Dom; it was the being left behind when he went off again.'

'Hmnph.' Dom grunted. 'She should be settled down with some nice boy by now.'

'Maybe you can convince her to stick around.' Hawke said idly.

'You think she would?' Dom said delighted at the idea.

Hawke shrugged. 'Never hurts to ask, huh?'

'You're right, kid.' Dom sighed dramatically. 'Ah but it'd be good to have her home.' The pleasant thought kept him quiet the rest of the journey back to Van Nuys.