Thirteenth February. Hawke's Cabin.

Caitlin looked into the blue sky unsettled at the harsh cry of the eagle; it sounded like something was wrong. Or maybe, she thought, it was just her mood. Her fingers tapped restlessly on the wooden porch railing and she resisted the urge to check her watch again.

'Hey! Earth to Caitlin!' Her mother's voice finally registered and Caitlin turned to face her with an apologetic smile.

'Sorry, Mom.' She said.

Maggie took in the worry that filled Caitlin's blue-green eyes and sighed. 'Will you stop worrying? They probably just got caught up fishing and haven't realised the time. You know what your father's like.'

'Maybe.' Caitlin allowed. She sighed and folded her arms. 'It's just Dom said they'd check in this morning and they haven't.'

'There's probably a dozen explanations why they haven't.' Erin, her elder sister, said taking a seat on the bench. 'You're just driving yourself crazy.'

'I know.' Caitlin slumped on the bench beside her sister. The fingers of one her hands twisted the fingers of the other nervously. 'Maybe I should try radioing them again.'

Erin's hand shot out to cover Caitlin's. 'They'll call, Caitlin.'

'In the meantime,' Fiona, her younger sister, pointed out, 'you're acting like you can't let Hawke out of your sight for a single night. What do you want to do? Scare the man away?'

Caitlin sighed. Fiona just didn't get it, she thought grumpily. Caitlin had never known Hawke or Dom to miss a check-in if everything was OK. She got to her feet and made for the cabin door ignoring the look her family exchanged behind her back. 'I'm going to radio them…'

The sound of a helicopter had her whirling back to look at the sky.

'See?' Erin said. 'They've come back already.'

'No…' Caitlin said slowly as she shielded her eyes against the sun. 'That's not their chopper.' She frowned. 'It's Marella.'

Caitlin hovered on the porch until Michael's senior aide brought the chopper into land. Maybe the other woman had news…she hurried over before the rotors had even stopped turning.

Marella opened the cockpit door and jumped out. Both women caught the worried look on the other's face at the same moment.

Caitlin crossed her arms again and bit her lip. 'You haven't heard from them?' She asked.

Marella shook her head sending the dark curls flying. 'No,' she admitted as they began to walk back up to the cabin, 'Michael missed a call with Angelina this morning on the satellite phone. I was hoping it was a glitch.'

'I haven't been able to raise them.' Caitlin said anxiously. 'My Mom and my sisters think I'm over-reacting.'

Marella laid a hand on Caitlin's arm and scanned her freckled faze carefully. 'What do you think?'

Caitlin took a deep breath. 'I think they're in trouble.'

Marella nodded. 'Let's try raising them again.'

Caitlin led the way into the cabin. Marella greeted Caitlin's sisters and mother absent-mindedly too worried and too focused on following Caitlin for pleasantries. She watched as Caitlin checked the frequencies and clicked the radio on.

'Base to camp. Come in, camp.' Caitlin paused as they waited for a reply. 'Base to camp, do you read me?' She shook her head. 'They should have replied.'

'Do you know where they've gone?' Marella asked.

Caitlin nodded, a lump in her throat; Hawke had taken her there soon after they'd gotten together as a romantic camping trip.

'I think we should head up there.' Marella said.

'Don't you think you're both overreacting?' Maggie asked looking from Marella's tense expression and then to her daughter's. She felt the stirrings of her own anxiety; what if they were right? What if something had gone wrong on the fishing trip? What if something had happened to Patrick or one of their boys? Her lips firmed. 'I'm sure they're fine.' She wondered who she was trying to convince.

Caitlin reached out and took her mother's hand. She had seen the thoughts race across her mother's face. 'I'm sure they are but I'm going up to check it out.' Her eyes flickered back to Marella. 'I'll just be a minute.' She headed up the stairs to the bedroom she usually shared with Hawke; the one he'd built for them when he'd extended the cabin. She opened the drawer on her bedside table and pulled out her gun. She checked the clip and reloaded the gun before slipping it into the waistband of her jeans at the small of her back. She pulled a jacket on concealing the weapon and headed back downstairs. 'I'm ready.'

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

'No, Mom.' Caitlin shook her head. 'You stay here in case they call.'

'I'll come then.' Erin said.

Caitlin sighed and gestured at Marella. 'Marella and I will be fine and besides, if they are in some kind of trouble, we're both trained to deal with it; you aren't.'

Erin nodded unhappily and squelched the bubble of jealousy at the obvious bond between her sister and the Hawaiian woman who was looking back at her with understanding in her dark eyes. 'I guess you're right.'

Caitlin nodded and before anyone else could say anything marched out of the cabin. Marella followed after her. They climbed into the FIRM's all-white helicopter and moments later were airborne. Caitlin gave Marella the heading.

The atmosphere in the small cockpit was tense; both women fell silent quickly, lost in their own thoughts.

'I can't believe this is happening.' Caitlin blurted out after a while. 'We're supposed to get married the day after tomorrow.'

'You will.' Marella assured her. 'Even if they are in some kind of trouble, you know they'll probably have gotten themselves out of it by now.' Her own worry sharpened the words of comfort. 'You and I will probably turn up and the action will all be over.'

Caitlin chewed her bottom lip. 'I hope you're right.'

'Me too.' Marella admitted as her dark eyes met Caitlin's across the cockpit.

Thirteenth February. The Campsite.

Dom threw the portable radio he'd been trying to get to work for the better part of an hour on the ground in disgust. 'It's bust.' He declared furiously. 'I can't fix it.' He threw his hands up.

Michael rubbed his moustache and gestured at the other broken piece of equipment on the ground next to the pilot. It was the mangled remains of the satellite phone he'd brought with him. 'What about the phone?'

Dom's dark eyes glared at him.

'I'll take that as a no.' Michael said.

'This is pointless.' Dom snapped lurching to his feet and thrusting a finger at the spy. 'We need to do something!'

'I know, Dom…' Michael began.

'String's on his own with them,' Dom interrupted gesturing wildly, 'and he's unarmed.'

'He's also the best operative I've ever known.' Michael said forcefully. 'He'll be OK, Dominic.'

'You don't know that,' raged Dom. His craggy face crumpled and he slumped onto a rock. 'I should have done something…stopped them…somehow…'

Michael hesitated and placed a hand on the other's man shoulder. 'There was nothing you could have done.'

'I know the way to Racino Pass just as well as String.' Dom muttered. 'It should have been me who went.'

'Hawke would never have let you.' Michael pointed out gently.

Dom sniffed.

Patrick cleared his throat and the two men turned to look at the other man and the rest of the group with surprise; they'd almost forgotten they weren't alone on the mountain. 'I take it we can't use the radio or the phone.'

Michael shook his head and nudged the offending objects with his cane. 'No. Frank, or whoever he was, did a good job at destroying them.'

'Great,' muttered Callum, 'so how do we get off this mountain?'

'We'll be fine.' Dom said shortly. 'Caitlin will realise something's wrong when we fail to check in and she'll come looking for us. I just hope it's not too late for…' His throat closed on his fear that they'd be too late to help Hawke; to save him.

'If we only had someway of contacting her now.' Michael said despondently and poked the broken satellite phone again. 'Damn!'

Silence fell as they all absorbed the frustrating idea that they were stuck, unable to do anything until help arrived.

'It's a shame that plane is so busted up.' Patrick commented. 'If we could have fixed it, we might have been able to have gone for help.'

Brian shuffled a little. 'What about the radio in the plane?' He suggested. 'Maybe it'll still work.'

Michael's good eye shot to Caitlin's oldest brother. 'That,' he said pointing at the younger man, 'is an excellent suggestion.'

'For once, Michael,' Dom said getting to his feet, 'I agree with you.' He gestured. 'Well, what are we waiting for?'

They all hurried down to the wreckage of the plane and came to a halt as they took in the crumpled metal.

'It doesn't look promising.' Callum said.

Doc patted his shoulder. 'Never say die. Come on.' He followed Dom and helped the older pilot climb up on the prop and into the cockpit.

'Well?' Michael demanded.

'Give me a minute.' Dom yelled looking about him at the shattered equipment. He reached for a headset and held it to one ear. He flicked a switch and breathed a sigh of relief at the crackle of static. He twisted the frequency knob and adjusted the mike.

'Mayday, mayday. Can anybody hear me? Come in.'

There was a distorted voice as though someone was replying. Dom grunted and tried to clear up the sound. He gave his distress call again.

'Dom?' His name sounded through the headset. Dom closed his eyes and offered up a small prayer.

'Caitlin? That you?' He asked.

'Thank God! Marella and I are on our way up to the camp. We thought you guys were in trouble.' The relief in Caitlin's voice was evident and Dom felt his heart lurch at the news he had to tell her…

'Listen, Cait. You were right, there's been some trouble.' He said urgently. 'We need the Lady. There's a couple of men we need to introduce her to. You go and get her so you can pick us up and send someone else up here to get everybody else.'

'Understood. Are you and Hawke OK?' Caitlin asked.

Dom pressed his lips together; he couldn't tell her. 'We'll be fine, honey.' He evaded her question. 'Just bring the Lady real quick.'

There was a pause and Dom held his breath.

'I'm on my way.' Caitlin said.

Dom sighed and put the radio down. He shifted awkwardly in the confined space and hefted himself back out of the cockpit.

'Well?' Michael demanded again.

Dom nodded. 'I got through to Caitlin.' He said. 'She's going to get someone to come get you all.' There was a collective sigh of relief around the group of men. Dom's eyes met the spy's defensively. 'She's bringing the Lady. When she gets here I'll go and find String.'

'I'll come with you.' Michael said.

'Me too.' Doc said.

Dom nodded and his shoulders slumped. 'I couldn't tell her.' He admitted. 'I couldn't tell her about String being missing with those men.'

Patrick patted his shoulder. 'I'm not sure any of us could have told her.' He said sympathetically.

Doc nodded. 'Let's head back to camp. We can wait for her there.'

It was a tense wait. Dom paced as the minutes ticked by and the others watched him helplessly knowing they couldn't offer him much comfort. They all knew that time was running out for Hawke the longer he stayed a hostage.

The tension and worry overwhelmed Dom and he spun angrily to face the group. 'Where is she?' He asked furiously.

Michael opened his mouth to reply and stopped. He turned to look over his shoulder. Airwolf peeked out over the trees and drove all the men to their feet.

'Oh my God!' Brian shook his head. 'What is that?'

'That's the Lady!' Dom said smiling with relief.

'Awesome.' Callum said.

'Yeah, she sure is.' Doc agreed as the world's only mach capable helicopter landed in their clearing, the powerful sweep of her rotors sending their camping equipment flying.

Caitlin climbed out of Airwolf, ducking to avoid the rotors and ran to greet Dom who was running towards her. Her eyes scanned the assembled men, her father, brothers, Doc, Michael…her forehead wrinkled with confusion. 'Where's Hawke?' She yelled over the noise of the rotors she'd left spinning.

'No time.' Dom shouted back. 'We have to go.'

'Go where?' Caitlin's arm shot out. 'Dom, where's String?' Her blue-green eyes pinned him to where he stood.

Dom jerked a thumb at the sky. 'They took him hostage.' He saw the words impact as she paled. He patted her arm comfortingly. 'We'll get him back.'

'Right.' Caitlin started back to the helicopter and froze as Michael and Doc both ran up to join them. She frowned. 'You both can't come. There's not enough room.'

Michael and Doc looked at each other.

'You go.' Michael offered. 'You're the medic.' Doc nodded and followed Dom into Airwolf. Doc took the countermeasure specialist seat he had occupied on his previous trips in the helicopter as Dom settled into his usual position at the engineer's console. Michael cursed himself for the shock that rippled across Caitlin's face as she considered the possibility Hawke might be injured.

'Marella's on her way.' Caitlin said to Michael as he made to clear the area.

'Good luck.' He shouted as Caitlin climbed back into the commander's seat.

'Are we ready?' Caitlin asked adjusting the helmet.

'Ready.' Dom confirmed.

She checked the group on the ground were clear and grasped the cyclic and took them up. She turned them in the heading Dom crisply gave to her and hit the turbos. Airwolf shot through the sky like a bullet.

'What happened?' Caitlin demanded.

'We…it was…' Dom began inarticulately.

'There was a plane crash near the camp,' Doc interrupted, 'two men. Once we'd gotten them out they pulled guns on us and demanded Hawke take them up to Racino Pass.'

Caitlin lip's thinned. She knew Hawke; knew that he'd probably volunteered to save the others…if anything happened to him. 'How long ago?' She asked.

'We have time, Cait.' Dom tried to assure her but his own uncertainty crept into his voice and the words came out unsteady.

Caitlin pushed Airwolf harder. Hold on, Hawke, she thought fiercely, just hold on.