'Thank God, you're back.' Michael's greeting as Hawke, Caitlin and Jo walked back into the Santini Air hangar had all them raising their eyebrows.

'What?' demanded Hawke.

'Sallis got parole.'

'Yeah, Michael, it was the one thing Dawson was willing to tell us.' Hawke replied. 'We think Sallis believes my Dad's alive and Dom can tell him where he is.'

'Sallis has a son; he picked him up. They flew together direct from Florida here this morning using false ids.' Michael rubbed his moustache. 'The id his son used was also used to buy a warehouse down by some docks in Juniper Bay. It's about half-an hour down the coast…'

'I know where it is, Michael.' Hawke said. 'What's the exact address?'

Michael handed him a sheet of paper. 'I'll have Zebra squad meet you there.'

'Thanks, Michael.' Hawke spun around to leave.

'I'm coming with you.' Jo said.

'Not this time.' Hawke said. 'Stay here with Michael. We'll call as soon we know anything.'

'But…'

'Jo.' Caitlin's pleading look had Jo subsiding unhappily into an office chair.

'Fine but you bring him back.' Jo said.

'We will.' Caitlin said patting her shoulder as they left. 'I promise.'

They broke the speed limits on the way to the Lair and hurried into the uniforms. They performed a cursory check on Airwolf before they started the engines.

'Turbos.' Hawke ordered as soon as they were clear of the funnel.

'Turbos.' Caitlin confirmed from her place at the back of the cockpit.

They shot into the lilac sky; it would soon be sunrise.

'Coordinates are locked in.' Caitlin said.

Hawke acknowledged her words briefly and was silent.

Caitlin looked at the back of his helmet with worried eyes. If anything had happened to Dom…

'Why did he never tell me?' Hawke blurted out suddenly. 'Why with all the stories he's told me over the years about him and my Dad, why didn't he tell me?'

'Maybe he thought it would be too painful.' Caitlin gently pointed out. 'Dom was probably trying to protect you.'

'He should have told me.' Hawke insisted.

'And you can tell him that when we find him.' Caitlin said.

Hawke glanced over her shoulder at her. 'Yeah.' He returned his attention to the sky; a thirty minute journey was reduced significantly by flying in Airwolf and they pulled up over the warehouse at a high altitude as the first rays of sun hit the ocean horizon in front of them.

'Anything?' Hawke asked.

'Scanning.' Caitlin said. 'I got them. Two men carrying…carrying another to the boat.'

'Is he…?' Hawke couldn't finish the question.

'He's alive.' Caitlin hastened to reassure him. 'He's alive.'

'Any sign of Zebra squad?' Hawke asked.

'No.'

Hawke considered their options. 'You drop me off. I'll go in on the ground and get him while you provide a distraction.'

'OK.' Caitlin swallowed her worry about him and didn't argue; she knew they were short on time and on options.

Hawke changed direction, changed altitude. They would come up behind the warehouse where the men wouldn't see the drop-off…he landed Airwolf and took off the helmet.

'Be safe.' Caitlin said as she moved to the front. He grasped her neck and pulled her towards him for a quick, hard kiss. He gazed at her for a moment as though memorising her and then left. He ran to the side of the warehouse at a crouch, gun in hand.

Caitlin put her helmet back on and grasped the cyclic. She raised Airwolf so the helicopter peeked over the top of the building at the men on the other side and waited…it didn't take long. One of them began gesturing at her almost immediately.

Hawke watched Airwolf swooped down on them like the predator she was, Caitlin pulling her up mere feet from the ground and making both of Dom's captors duck and follow to shoot at her with automatic weapons.

Hawke ran around behind them and jumped in the boat. He swallowed hard at the sight of Dom's battered body and made his way to him quickly. He put a trembling hand to the older man's neck checked for a pulse and breathed out sharply in relief when he felt the weak beat.

'Dom?'

'Al?' Dom murmured.

'It's me, String.' Hawke put his hand on Dom's bruised cheek. It was burning hot with a fever.

'String…' Dom shook his head. 'No, got to keep the kid safe…promised Al.'

Hawke felt the emotion close up his throat. Dom was obviously delirious. His eyes snapped upward as Airwolf howled and widened with alarm at the sight of the two men running back toward the boat. Hawke aimed and shot one of the men who went down.

Airwolf descended between the boat and the men. Her guns spewed shrapnel across the dock, keeping the other man a safe distance from Hawke and Dom.

A van screeched onto the dock beside them. Zebra Squad. The other man turned and made a run for it. Caitlin let the FIRM handle it; she set down and hurried out of the cockpit.

Hawke yelled at her. 'Get one of the men. I need help getting Dom out of the boat.'

Caitlin nodded and switched directions to see the commander of the team running towards her with two of his men.

'Kinsey,' she yelled over the noise of Airwolf's rotors, 'can you help us get Dom into Airwolf?'

He snapped off a salute and she ran back to the cockpit as Kinsey and his team helped Hawke carry Dom into Airwolf. They placed him in the counter-measure specialist seat and Caitlin handed Hawke a blanket to wrap around him. Hawke thanked Kinsey absently before he retook his own seat and at Caitlin's confirmation from the engineering console, he lifted Airwolf back into the sky.

A few hours later, Hawke sat by Dom's hospital bed and watched the other man intently. Sunshine poured through the room but Dom's eyes remained closed. His bulky frame looked diminished somehow under the mountain of green blankets with oxygen mask covering the lower half of his face and the steady beep of the heart monitor breaking the silence of the room.

'He looks so old.' Jo whispered from the other side of the bed. Her blue eyes were red-rimmed and there were tracks of tears across her cheeks. 'I've never noticed before.'

Hawke glanced at her. Caitlin had dropped Hawke and Dom at the clinic before taking Airwolf back to the Lair; she was now at the airfield looking after the business giving Dom's niece the chance to sit with her uncle. Hawke missed his wife.

'You know it's sad but I kinda think I needed this to happen to make me realise what's important.' Jo continued seemingly not perturbed by Hawke's silence. 'You'll think he'll mind if I move back home?'

Hawke cleared his throat and ignored the myriad of worries about having Jo around Santini Air that sprang up at her words; he knew what Dom would want. 'I think he'd love it.'

Jo smiled tremulously. 'Thanks.'

Dom's eyes flickered open. He stared at the white ceiling. He was in a room; a hospital room. He must have been rescued…somehow. His hand reached up to take the mask away and he suddenly saw Jo in his eye-line as she moved swiftly to help him.

'Hi.' She smoothed a grey curl back into place.

'Hi.' Dom croaked.

'Here.' Hawke helped him take a sip of water and they both helped him get resettled on the pillows.

'I'll get a doctor to come look at you.' Jo said. She bent and kissed Dom's cheek. 'Welcome back.' She turned and left quickly.

Dom's dark eyes slid to Hawke. 'Hey.'

'Hey.' Hawke sat on the bed took one of Dom's hands in his own. 'You had me worried there.'

Dom squeezed his hands weakly. 'I'll be fine, kid.'

'Why didn't you tell me?' Hawke asked. 'About Sallis and my Grandfather? About Dad and you going after him? About the FBI?'

'You were too young and then…' Dom sighed, 'and then it never seemed the right time and I guess I figured that it didn't matter after so much time passed.' His eyes met Hawke's. 'I'm sorry, kid.'

'No. You have nothing to apologise for.' Hawke said gruffly. 'I just wish…I just wish I'd known.'

'Sallis lost me the best friend I ever had,' Dom said bluntly, 'I wanted to keep you safe, kid. Out of it.'

'You didn't want me getting obsessed with Sallis like my Dad did.' Hawke surmised.

Dom smiled thinly. 'Your Dad was a good man. He took your Grandfather's death hard.'

Hawke sighed. 'It was Sallis' son who grabbed you. He was shot trying to escape Zebra squad and I hit some guy helping them.'

'Sallis was there.' Dom said. 'I heard him.'

'Are you sure?' Hawke asked hesitantly. 'You were pretty out of it.'

'He was there.' Dom insisted.

'Then he got away.' Hawke said, his blue eyes darkening with concern. 'Maybe I ought to get Michael to put some men at your door.'

'Nah.' Dom shook his head. 'Sallis will be long gone by now. He knows I don't know anything.' He frowned. There was something about what Sallis had said…

'About my Dad going into witness protection?' Hawke smiled at Dom's surprise. 'We tracked down Dawson.'

'Oh.'

'He told us how it went wrong when we had the boat accident.' Hawke looked down at the floor.

'Hey.' Dom's gentle word had Hawke raising his head. 'It wasn't your fault back when you were twelve and it isn't your fault now.'

Hawke sighed and gestured at Dom. 'I feel like I should be apologising for everything, Dom. I mean if Dad hadn't dragged you into all this…'

'Hey, your Dad never dragged me anywhere I didn't really want to go.' Dom wagged a finger at him. 'You remember that. He was the best friend I ever had.' He smiled. 'Until you.'

Hawke managed a small smile.

Dom's craggy face creased in puzzlement. 'Where's Caitlin?'

'At the office. She's handling everything back there.' Hawke said. He rubbed a hand over his face, tried to stifle the yawn.

'You should both go home and get some rest.' Dom said. 'I'm guessing you were up all night, huh? Looking for me?'

Hawke inclined his head, raised an eyebrow. 'Maybe.' He admitted.

'Well, then.'

Hawke slid off the bed and let go of Dom's hand. The older man tried not to feel bereft.

'Are you sure you don't want me to stay?' Hawke asked.

'Jo's here.' Dom said firmly. 'And besides as soon as the doc's taken a look at me, I think I'll be catching some shut eye myself. There's no point you hanging around.'

Hawke nodded slowly. 'OK, then.' He leaned down and kissed the older man's cheek. 'We'll be by later.'

'I'll see you then.' Dom watched Hawke leave and leaned back against the pillows. Now, what was it that Sallis had said?

Hawke headed back to Santini Air after saying a brief goodbye to Jo. He barely managed not to fall asleep in the cab and he staggered rather than walked into the Santini Air office. He blinked in surprise at the sight of Michael still sitting in a chair.

'Are you moving in?' He asked.

'I thought,' the spy said, 'you might want an update.'

'Sure.' Hawke collapsed into a chair and he accepted the steaming mug of coffee Caitlin gave him along with the brief kiss she dropped on the top of his head. She slumped into the chair on the opposite side of the desk to him. 'How's Dom?' She asked.

'Better.' Hawke said. 'He kicked me out.'

'He must be feeling better then.' Caitlin said.

Michael cleared his throat. 'We've traced Sallis to a flight to Arizona and then he disappears.' He said. 'We've got APB's out with all the major airlines, train stations…the FBI are looking for him.'

'Dawson?'

Michael nodded. 'Not to mention the US Marshals. Sallis is in breach of his parole and now a wanted fugitive. Hopefully he won't get far before we catch up with him.' He stroked his tie. 'I can offer Dom some protection…'

Hawke shook his head. 'Dom thinks Sallis knows now that he can't give him the information he wanted so he won't be back.'

'I don't know.' Michael frowned. 'I wouldn't be comfortable knowing he was out there if I were Dom.'

'I think Dom figures all Sallis has ever seen him as is a useful pawn to get to my father and with Sallis now understanding that my father really is dead…'

'Sallis will leave him alone?' Michael rubbed his moustache. 'Let's hope so.' He reached for his crutches and stood up awkwardly. 'I'd better get back to the FIRM. If there's anything else you need…'

Hawke shook his head again. 'No but…thanks, Michael.' His gaze held the other man's. 'For everything.'

Michael nodded. 'Tell Dom I'll bring Angelina by to visit tomorrow.' Dom had a soft spot for Michael's ten year old daughter.

'He'll like that.' Caitlin said smiling tiredly.

Michael said goodbye and left closing the office door behind him.

Hawke took a sip of stewed black coffee and glanced around the office. 'You cleared up.'

Caitlin nodded. 'Is Dom really OK?'

'Yeah.' He sighed. 'He said we should close up. Go home and get some rest.'

'Sounds like a plan.' Caitlin said rolling her aching shoulders. 'Although I think bunking here's probably best. I think we're both too beat to fly back to the cabin.'

Hawke nodded and reached a hand across the desk to her. She slid hers into his, their fingers tangling. He frowned at the feel of cold glass beneath them rather than warm wood and looked down. He set the coffee mug aside and picked up the photo of his family. 'You framed it?'

'Yeah.' Caitlin shrugged. 'I thought Dom might want to hang it up if it doesn't cause either of you too many bad memories.'

'Not for me.' Hawke said. 'I hope not for Dom either.'

'It's a great picture.'

'Yeah.' Hawke sighed and his thumb brushed past his mother's face. 'I miss them.'

Her fingers tightened on his. 'I know.'

He set the picture down and pulled her off the chair and around the desk; she went willingly to sit in his lap. His arms around her; her arms around him. His eyes were drawn back to the picture.

'I've been thinking…' Hawke began after they'd cuddled for a little while.

'Oh?' There was a note of amusement in her muffled voice; her face was tucked into the crook of his neck.

'I know we'd said we'd wait…'

Caitlin got his meaning immediately and shifted to look at him. 'Are you changing your mind about that?'

Hawke hesitated before he nodded. 'Yeah. I'm changing my mind.'

She bit her lip. 'Are you sure because we can't exactly send a baby back once its here?'

Hawke's lips twitched. 'I'm sure.' He brushed a lock of red hair from her eyes. 'I want a picture like that of our own, Cait. I want us to sit on a picnic blanket with our kids. I want to give Dom a…a surrogate grandbaby to coo over.' His hand spread across her flat stomach. 'And I want a family with you. See you pregnant with my child. That's what I want.' His blue eyes searched hers. 'What about you?'

There was a suspicion of moisture in her eyes when she nodded. 'Me too.'

He kissed her. He brushed the tear that ran down her cheek away. 'You know I'd like to suggest we start trying but I'm just so tired I think I'd fall asleep on you…'

Caitlin smiled ruefully. 'I think it might be questionable who would fall asleep on whom.' She patted his chest, slid off his lap and held out her hand which he took as he stood up. 'Come on.' She said. 'We'll sleep now and try later.'