Hawke raced down the corridor of the FIRM's LA clinic, Caitlin and Dom at his heels. He came to a breathless halt outside the room they had been directed to and relaxed a little hearing Michael's strident voice yelling at the doctor beyond the closed door. There was a crash as though instruments had been thrown across the room and the Airwolf team looked at each other with concern.

'Maybe you should go in alone.' Dom suggested gesturing at the door.

Hawke shot him a look but he didn't argue. He knocked briefly on the wood before slipping into the hospital room. He closed the door behind him and took in the tableau.

A partially dressed Michael and the young male doctor were both stood by the hospital bed and both had looks of frustration and fury on their faces. An older grey haired nurse was picking up a tray from the floor with a look of disapproval at the patient. They all ignored Hawke's presence.

'You need to get back into bed and rest your leg.' The doctor repeated pointing at the bed in question. 'Until we've run some tests we can't tell if the fall has shifted the pin.'

'And I'm telling you I'm leaving.' Michael insisted. 'So I suggest you get out of my way.'

'You have a concussion…' The doctor began in an exasperated tone.

'I'm fine.' Michael's hands clenched into fists by his side. 'Now move.'

Hawke cleared his throat and decided he should intervene before the doctor was punched. 'Michael.'

Michael's head snapped around to the door where Hawke was stood. He pushed the wave of dizziness away. 'Hawke.' He gave a sigh of relief. 'Tell this idiot to get out of my way.'

Hawke sighed and gestured at the doctor. 'Would you give us a minute?'

The doctor looked at Hawke's steady blue gaze and nodded sharply. 'We'll be back in ten minutes.' He motioned for the nurse to lead the way out of the room and, in less than a minute, Hawke and Michael were left alone.

Michael took a shaky step back towards the bed and sat down. His fingers shook as he continued to fasten the shirt he'd pulled back on. 'How did you find out?' He asked.

'Zeus called us.' Hawke ignored Michael's look of surprise and walked over to take a seat opposite him. 'What the hell happened?'

'I don't know.' Michael snapped. 'Nobody will tell me. You probably know more than I do.' He swallowed hard and met Hawke's eyes. 'Marella?'

Hawke knew there was no easy way to break the news. 'She's alive but she took two bullets to the abdomen and she has a serious head wound. She's in surgery and they think it's going to be tough. She did good, Michael. She hit the alarm; it probably saved your lives.'

Hawke ignored the sheen of tears in Michael's eye but he hesitated for a moment before continuing. 'Meryl's dead. They found her body in the bathroom down the hall from your office.'

Michael flinched and breathed in sharply; his hands stilled on the shirt. 'I didn't see anything.' He confessed. 'The last thing I remember is standing in my office in the dark thinking something was wrong and then…nothing.' His hand lifted to the back of his head and the tender bump and cut.

'According to the doctor, you took a hell of a blow.' Hawke said. 'You're lucky you haven't got a skull fracture.' He gestured at the bed. 'You should stay put for a few days.'

'Someone broke into my office, killed one of my aides and has seriously injured another.' Michael's voice started to rise again. 'I want to know why and I'm not going to get the answers staying in bed.'

Hawke held his gaze. 'What do you need?'

Michael fought against the lump of emotion that suddenly lodged in his throat at the unequivocal support. 'I need to get home and make sure Angelina's OK and then I need to get back to the FIRM. See if I can identify what's missing. Find something that will start to explain this.'

'OK.' Hawke gestured at him and stood up. 'You continue getting dressed. I'll organise your discharge.'

Michael nodded. 'Thanks, Hawke.'

Hawke shrugged. 'You'd do the same for me.' He didn't wait for an answer, simply turned and walked out.

Caitlin and Dom both got to their feet when they saw Hawke.

'Well?' Caitlin demanded.

Hawke slid an arm around her and hugged her to him. 'He's fine. He's just set on getting out of here and finding out what really happened.'

'Did you tell him about Marella and Meryl?' Caitlin asked.

Hawke nodded. 'He's not taking it well.'

'Who would, kid?' Dom said.

'He wants to go home, check on Angelina and then head back to the FIRM to begin investigating.' Hawke murmured.

'The doctor said he had concussion?' Caitlin had interrogated the man as soon as he had left the room.

'He has.' Hawke said evenly.

Caitlin sighed. She knew arguing about it was pointless but she didn't even get the opportunity as the door opened and Michael limped out into the corridor. There were dirty smudges on his crumpled trouser pants; one leg had been cut open and the material flapped around Michael. He'd pulled on his sweater over the shirt and they could see the smattering of blood specks at the collar from his head injury.

'Michael.' Caitlin slipped away from her husband and gave the spy a brief hug which he awkwardly returned as he held onto his crutches. 'Are you sure you should be doing this?' She asked as she read the pain in his blue eye and the tense line of his jaw.

'I'm sure.' Michael said as Caitlin stepped back from him.

'Ready?' Hawke asked.

'Ready.' Michael confirmed. He took a step down the corridor and stopped. 'Damn!'

'What?' Hawke asked.

'Marella…' Michael sighed.

'I'll stay.' Caitlin offered. She could see how torn he was but knew he'd simply feel frustrated if he stayed in the hospital. 'I'll call you if there's any news.'

'You sure?' Hawke said.

'Sure I'm sure.' Caitlin gestured for them to leave.

Hawke nodded and kissed her goodbye. 'Be careful.'

'You too.' Caitlin said. 'Now, go on.'

'Thanks, Caitlin.' Michael said over his shoulder.

They stopped by the desk to discharge Michael before as Hawke and Dom escorted him to the roof of the clinic. They helped him into the Santini Air chopper and took off.

'You want to go home first?' Hawke checked radioing in their position.

'I need to see Angelina.' Michael said.

'We're on our way.' Hawke directed the chopper across the expanse of night sky.

'So why'd you think you got attacked?' Dom asked from his position in the back.

'If I knew that…' began Michael heatedly.

'I think attacking you and Marella wasn't in the original plan.' Hawke cut in before Michael and Dom could get going.

'What do you mean?' Michael said staring at him.

'When we waved you off, you were going home.' Hawke pointed out.

Michael sighed. 'I forgot a report. We diverted to the FIRM to pick it up.'

'So you weren't meant to be there.' Dom said.

'That's why you think Marella and I were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.' Michael concluded looking over at the younger pilot.

'Maybe.' Hawke said.

'I think you're right.' Michael said. 'Meryl wasn't supposed to be there either.' He remembered Marella's joking comment before the attack; how the other agent was probably working late to impress Michael. God, he hoped that wasn't true.

'So the attacker weren't after you specifically.' Dom said. 'That's got to be a good thing.'

'But what were they after?' Michael gestured.

'I don't know, Michael,' Hawke said, 'but I do know they must have known your movements and had access into the FIRM.'

'An inside job?' Michael's blood ran cold. If someone inside the FIRM had done this… 'We have to take Angelina and my parents someplace safe…'

'We'll take them to the cabin.' Hawke said quickly.

'They'll be safe as houses up there,' Dom agreed, 'and Angelina will love having the time to visit with Tet.'

The rest of the journey was tense as they all contemplated the unvoiced worry that if it was insider, they might have already gotten to Michael's daughter. It was a relief to see the house come into view.

Hawke set the chopper down on the back lawn. A young woman started to hurry toward them; another of Michael's aides, Lauren. She helped Michael out of the cockpit as Hawke and Dom disembarked.

'It's good to see you, sir.'

'Thank you, Lauren.'

'We've got another security detail out front and there's one in the house.' Lauren started to explain as the back doors burst open startling them all.

Angelina sprinted past the protection detail, across the lawn and threw herself at her father. Michael staggered under her weight, a jolt of pain visibly crossing his face and Hawke steadied him until Michael could hold the little girl comfortably. Her dog, Brownie, a chocolate Lab scampered around the group, barking excitedly.

'Hi, angel.' Michael kissed the shining blond hair on the top of his daughter's head. Her arms were fast around his neck.

'They said you were injured and in the hospital again.' Angelina said in a muffled voice.

'I had a little run-in with some bad men.' Michael said hugging her closer. 'I'm OK.'

Angelina shifted to look at him. 'The guards said Marella was shot?' Her ten year old face was a picture of adult worry. She liked Marella.

'She is but the doctors are taking care of her.' Michael said trying to keep his own worry out of his voice.

'Can we go see her?' Angelina asked.

'Once she's feeling a little better.' Michael said. 'I'm going to have to put you down otherwise I won't be able to walk into the house and I need to speak to your grandparents.'

'OK.' Angelina slipped back onto the ground but as soon as Michael started forward, she laid a hand over his.

Hawke called the dog to heel and they walked into the house in silence. The protection detail stood to attention as Michael entered the kitchen. It was a large modern room with a breakfast island in the centre, a table and chairs by French doors leading out to the kitchen garden. Hawke could see the sunrise beginning through the window.

'Michael!' His mother swept across the room and enveloped him in a hug. Hawke stared at the elegant woman with her blond hair swept back into a chignon even though she was dressed in a sensible dressing gown. She was pretty much exactly as he'd pictured Michael's mother and her voice dripped with the Southern twang that sometimes echoed in the spy's.

'Are you OK?' She stopped hugging her son to take a step back. She looked at Michael searchingly. She frowned. 'You're in pain.'

'Mother.' Michael's eye slid to his daughter and then back to his mother meaningfully. He glanced around the kitchen. 'Where's Father?'

'I'm here.' An older version of Michael stepped through from the living room. He had dressed and was wearing pants and a shirt. 'It's good to see you in one piece.' Father and son exchanged an awkward manly hug with requisite pats on the back.

Michael sat down heavily on a kitchen stool. He gestured at the protection detail. 'You're dismissed.'

'But, sir…' The lead agent began hesitantly.

'I said you're dismissed.' Michael repeated roughly.

The lead agent looked as though he wanted to argue but instead nodded reluctantly and the three men disappeared from the kitchen.

Michael glanced at Lauren. 'You too, Lauren.'

She blinked. 'Yes. I mean, of course, sir.' She left the kitchen too.

'What's going on, Michael?' His mother asked suspiciously.

'Mother, Father,' Michael gestured at the two pilots who were stood by the door. 'This is Stringfellow Hawke and Dominic Santini.'

'Oh, your friends.' She offered her hand for them to shake. 'I'm Elizabeth Coldsmith-Briggs.'

'And I'm Michael Coldsmith-Briggs, Junior. You can call me, Mike.' Michael's father shook hands with the pilots as his wife shifted away. He turned back to his son. 'Now what's all this about?'

'Hawke has kindly offered to give you guys a vacation up at his cabin.' Michael said blandly. 'We thought the change in scenery would be good.'

His father and mother exchanged a look as Angelina whooped. She loved going to the cabin.

'Is Tet going to be there?' Angelina asked Hawke.

He smiled at the little girl he'd helped to rescue. 'Yeah. Tet'll be there.'

'Can I take Brownie?' She asked with a hopeful look in her blue eyes.

Hawke wasn't immune to her charm. 'OK but you have to look after him up there on the mountain. He might get lost.'

'I'll take good care of him.' Angelina promised.

'Well, I'd better get us packed.' Elizabeth said and left the kitchen.

'You're going to need to pack your things too.' Michael pointed out to Angelina.

She nodded and skipped out of the kitchen happily.

'OK, son.' Mike frowned at Michael. 'What's really going on? When they called and sent the extra security, they would only say you were injured in an attack.'

'We think someone inside the FIRM targeted my office for some reason last night and I want to make sure you're all somewhere safe.' Michael said succinctly.

'Hmnph.' Mike frowned. 'And what about you?'

'I'm going back to the FIRM to work out who did this and why.' Michael said firmly.

'I see.' Mike sighed and his blue eyes settled on Hawke. 'This cabin of yours? Good fishing?'

'The best.' Hawke said.

'Well, I guess it won't be too much of a hardship.' Michael's father smiled and brushed his moustache. 'I'd better make sure Elizabeth packs my fishing gear.' He left the room and Michael breathed a sigh of relief.

'I'd better go and get changed.' He said and glanced at his watch. 'Damn. By the time we'll have gotten to the cabin, they'll have cleaned the office up…'

'Why don't we split up?' Dom suggested. 'I can take your folks and Angelina up to the cabin whilst you and Hawke head to the FIRM. I'll meet you there.'

'Good plan.' Hawke said patting the older man's shoulder.

'Yes.' Michael said. 'Thank you.' He hobbled out of the kitchen leaving the pilots alone.

'I know I suggested this splitting up thing,' Dom said as soon as Michael was out of earshot, 'but are you sure you're going to be able to handle him on your own?'

Hawke sat down on one of the stools and raised a hand in a vague 'don't know' gesture. 'He's just frustrated, Dom.'

'He's a mess.' Dom pointed out. 'He should be in the hospital.'

'He just wants to do something.' Hawke said. 'Put yourself in his place. He's attacked in his own office and he's helpless to prevent two of his people getting hurt. One of them dies and the other is so seriously injured she may not make it.'

'I know, I know.' Dom sat down next to him and folded his arms across his expansive chest. 'I'd be the same way and I know, although Michael doesn't show it much, he cares about his people.'

'I hope to God Marella pulls through.' Hawke murmured.

'Yeah.' Dom sighed.

'With any luck we'll be able to find out who attacked them.' Hawke said anger sharpening his words.

'Just you watch your back.' Dom said. 'If this guy who attacked them had no problems killing his own people…'

'I know, Dom.' Hawke met his surrogate father's worried gaze. 'He'll have even less of a problem killing me.'