Michael propped his feet up on the yellow rail and looked over at Airwolf and specifically, at the couple working industriously on her systems. Hawke had insisted on a full pre-flight overhaul, muttering something about the helicopter being off balance. It seemed strange to see Hawke and Caitlin back in the lilac flight suits but if he ignored the other four people in the small cave, he could almost believe that the last six months hadn't happened and that they still flew Airwolf. There was a part of him, he acknowledged, that was expecting to see Dominic Santini barrel into the Lair at any moment. He pushed away the wave of sadness and wondered at how much he wished the older pilot was still around. Michael sighed and looked at his watch.

'How much longer?' He called over the railing.

Hawke banged the wrench against his thigh. 'Michael,' he turned and pointed it at the spy, 'you ask me that one more time…' He was pleased when Michael held a hand up in surrender. He took a moment to notice with satisfaction how Locke was looking at them with an astounded expression before he climbed into the cockpit.

Locke shook his head and headed out of the Lair. He had originally stayed to oversee what Hawke was doing to the helicopter but a half an hour in, he had to admit defeat. Hawke and his wife were adjusting systems he hadn't even been aware existed and they were adjusting them with an in-depth knowledge that was way beyond anyone in his team. Mike and Jo were still hovering despite their own faces giving away how inadequate they were feeling; Saint John had excused himself earlier. Locke caught sight of the pilot standing gazing out at the scenery of the Valley of the Gods a short distance from the Lair entrance. He wandered over to stand next to him.

'Sucks, doesn't it?' Locke said.

Saint John tore his gaze away from the great view of the Valley and turned to glance at the other man. 'I don't know what you mean.' He turned back to the view.

'You can't tell me you're not even the slightest bit annoyed that your brother's been put in charge.' Locke shoved his hands in his pockets.

'He has the experience with Airwolf, Jason.' Saint John said mildly.

'And you have the military and intelligence experience to command this mission.' Locke argued.

'What are you trying to do, Jason?' Saint John asked turning to him annoyed. 'Start a mutiny?' He gestured back at the cave. 'Am I annoyed that the Company don't think we can handle this? Sure, am I going to take that out on my brother? Hell, no.'

There was a short tense silence.

'I'm sorry.' Locke said with sincerity. 'I guess I'm finding this situation a little hard to swallow.'

'I'm sorry too.' Saint John said. 'I should have told you the truth about String when I knew he wasn't in danger from Dom's killer anymore.'

Locke shrugged. 'I can't blame you.' He broke their eye contact and stared out on the wide open vista of red rock. 'Hell, I can't even blame him. He was right. If I'd been straight with him from the start perhaps the subterfuge wouldn't have been necessary at all.' He shook his head. 'But I was too busy following orders.'

'Give yourself a break, Jason.' Saint John said clapping a hand over the other man's shoulder. 'You're a good man.'

'But not good enough.' Locke sneaked a glance back to the Lair. 'It bugs the hell out of me them being here. I mean, we've been doing this for months now.'

'Yeah.' Saint John sighed. 'I know.' He met Locke's dark eyes. 'Bugs the hell out of me too.'

They smiled at each other. The sound of running footsteps had them both tensing and spinning around to meet a breathless Rivers.

'Come on! We're ready.' Mike said between pants.

They followed him back to the cave to find Caitlin using the communications console. Her husband finished adjusting the straps on his boot and ignored Michael's tapping of his watch.

'OK. You won't forget about…thanks, Marella.' Caitlin said and disconnected the call. She sighed heavily.

'Everything OK?' Hawke asked.

'Sure, Nicky apparently took the bottle fine and he's fast asleep.' Caitlin sounded miserable.

'Isn't that a good thing?' asked Michael.

Caitlin shot him a dirty look and got up from the chair to stalk back over to Airwolf. Hawke's lips twitched when Michael gave him a bemused look.

'What did I say?' Michael asked.

Hawke decided he wasn't going anywhere near that question. 'You guys ready?' He asked turning to his brother and Rivers.

Saint John nodded. 'Whenever you are.'

Hawke looked over at Caitlin questioningly.

She nodded. 'Come on. The sooner we get this over with the better.' She climbed into the cockpit.

'We'll be in touch.' Hawke said to Michael.

'Good luck.' Michael murmured as Hawke shook his hand and followed his wife. Saint John and Rivers said their farewells to Jo and Locke and climbed into Airwolf. Rivers took the jump seat at the back with Caitlin; Saint John took the counter-specialist seat whilst Hawke sat in the commander's chair.

Hawke sighed. The day before he'd been sure he wouldn't be sat in Airwolf ever again. He wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad. He checked over his shoulder at Caitlin when the engines came online. 'Are we ready?'

Caitlin grinned back at him. 'All systems in the green.' She felt the usual hum of enjoyment spill through her veins; she loved flying this machine. A wave of guilt flooded her and she concentrated on the monitor to avoid thinking about the small baby she was leaving behind.

'Great.' Hawke checked everyone on the ground was clear and lifted off; Airwolf rose up the funnel of the cave with speed and grace.

Saint John couldn't believe how fast they cleared the Lair or how quickly they went to mach speed. He frowned. If he'd thought the machine's response during his brother during the fight with Yahara was unusual, he was blown away now; she was positively revelling under String's light direction, flying as though it was nature's plan for her to be part of the sky. He looked across at his brother. Hawke was practically merged with the machine. His focus on his flying was complete as he sent Airwolf swinging over the contours of the land below, mere feet from the ground.

Rivers cleared his throat nervously and realised he needed to breathe. He took a shaky breath. This was weird, he thought. It felt like she was a completely different aircraft. She was executing turns and subtle manoeuvres that he would not have believed possible. For the first time since he'd learned Hawke had beaten the Thor system, he actually believed it.

Caitlin tweaked first one system and then another; she had needed Airwolf airborne to be able to make the final alterations. Half of the systems had been out of alignment completely. It was a wonder Airwolf hadn't been blown out of the sky in the last few months, she mused. She glanced at her monitor and saw Airwolf herself making adjustments. The intelligence was definitely with them for now. She looked across at Rivers and smiled. He was sat so forward on the jump seat trying to peer over Saint John's shoulder that he was almost falling off. Her attention returned to her monitor.

Hawke was enjoying the flight. Airwolf was back to full capability and she seemed to be as thrilled as he was to rediscover her innate balance and power. If he ignored the others he could almost be back in time when it had been just him, the machine and the sky. He acknowledged Caitlin's five minute warning on the fuel pick-up and started to climb. He almost smiled; he was certain the fact that Cait knew him so well that she was anticipating him was disconcerting his brother and Rivers even more than his flying.

The fuel pick-up was completed and they had resumed their course north when Rivers couldn't keep silent any longer.

'So, Hawke, you worked with Moffett?' He asked.

'Yeah.' Hawke shifted position a little.

Caitlin's lips twitched at Rivers' confusion when Hawke didn't expand on the simple answer.

Saint John decided to take pity on his flatmate. 'You want to give us a briefing on this guy, String. Our info is pretty minimal.'

Hawke grimaced; talking about Moffett wasn't going to be easy for him. 'We didn't get along.'

'Why not?' Rivers asked.

'Mainly because Moffett is a sadistic monster with the morals of a slug.' Hawke returned. 'Moffett systematically tortured, raped and killed ten women at White Sands.' He swallowed against the memory of an abused body lying out in the desert sand. 'He was also a genius at aeronautical engineering and computer design. The FIRM made a deal with the government and Moffett after his arrest. His actions would be strictly limited but he would be free of the conviction and would work on the Airwolf programme.'

'I can't believe you worked with those guys.' Saint John muttered.

Hawke ignored the comment. 'Moffett figured that his best chance of getting more freedom was to lead the flight test team.'

'Your job.' Saint John said.

'Yeah.' Hawke sighed. 'Moffett plotted to get me removed from the programme and he succeeded. He faked test results which gave the impression that I wasn't pushing Airwolf to her limits; the Committee fell for it. I basically told them that they and Moffett deserved each other and not to come running to me when it all went sour.'

'But they did ask you to recover her when Moffett stole Airwolf.' Rivers said.

'Michael asked me to recover Airwolf.' Hawke corrected him.

Saint John sighed at the mention of the spy. 'And when you recovered Airwolf that was the last time you saw Moffett?'

'I only saw him that final moment before I launched the missiles at him.' Hawke shook his head. 'I don't understand how he survived.'

'Exactly what happened?' Saint John asked.

Hawke pressed his lips together. It was a question he didn't want to answer, not just because of the events that had led him to go after Moffett but because he'd chosen to fire every single weapon at his disposal at the man in revenge.

'String?' Saint John prompted him.

'Moffett killed one of the FIRM agents in Libya. She…' Hawke tightened his grip on the controls. 'We were involved. When Dom and I found her body out in the desert, I went after Moffett and got a little carried away.'

Saint John looked at the tense lines of his brother's profile and realised why he'd found it difficult to talk about the incident. 'That's understandable, String.' He said gently.

Rivers glanced at Caitlin. The story obviously wasn't news for her and she was simply looking at her husband with concern.

As though he sensed her regard, Hawke glanced back at Caitlin. The brief contact with his wife, seeing her understanding and the same unswerving trust in him as always drained his tension and he gave a sigh as he turned to the front. 'It's understandable but no excuse. If I'd been doing my job that day we wouldn't be flying off to finish it now.'

'If he was at ground zero when the missile hit I can understand why you thought he was dead.' Rivers said.

'There is still the possibility this isn't Moffett.' Caitlin pointed out.

'It's possible when the first missile exploded he might have been thrown clear of the immediate area.' Hawke murmured. 'He would have been badly injured but if someone found him before he died, he would have had a chance.'

'If it is him,' Saint John said, 'do you think he's working with the Russians willingly?'

'Moffett would work for anyone so long as he got a supply of women to murder and torture.' Hawke commented.

'So we're flying into a trap.' Rivers said with a grin. 'My favourite kind of mission.'

'Well you're going to enjoy this because whatever else this may be,' Hawke said, 'it's definitely a trap. Somebody provided that tape to the Company to get us to come after Moffett.' He adjusted their course.

'Theories?' Saint John asked.

'A couple,' commented Caitlin, 'either the Russians and Moffett arranged for the video to get his hands on Airwolf, or the Russians faked Moffett and arranged for the video to get their hands on Airwolf.'

'So we're thinking this is a plot for someone to get their hands on Airwolf.' Rivers smiled at her.

Caitlin smiled back. She checked her monitors and made some changes to their radar profile. 'Hawke, we're five minutes from Russian airspace.'

'OK. Let's keep sharp. We'll go in low.' Hawke slipped the visor down and dived.

Saint John automatically leaned back in his chair turning his head away from the ground as it speeded up towards them; Hawke evened them out mere feet off the earth. Saint John took a deep breath. He would never have made that pull up and he wasn't sure Mike would have either, more importantly he wasn't sure Airwolf would have made the pull up a week before.

'There's something different about Airwolf.' He said aloud.

'You think?' Hawke was impressed that his brother had worked it out.

'I know.' Saint John punched in a scan on the front monitor. 'Everything about her seems sharper.'

'I'd have to agree. She seems…different.' Rivers concurred.

Saint John frowned at his brother. 'What is it about her that the two of you know that we don't?'

'The list is endless.' Hawke said dryly.

'Hawke, play nice with your brother.' Caitlin laughed.

'You know?' Rivers asked her.

'I may do.' Caitlin said teasingly.

'Don't tell them, Cait.' Hawke said, his voice filled with amusement, 'they should work it out on their own.'

She was about to reply when the monitor caught her attention. She ran another scan to confirm. 'Hawke, I'm picking up MIGs coming towards us at twelve o'clock. We should be invisible to their radar.'

'Let's hold position.' Hawke said. 'Give me a rundown.'

Caitlin counted the time to intercept until the MIGs would fly over them. Saint John and Rivers both held their breath and tried to fight the urge to make a grab for the flight controls.

'They're past us, moving away.' Caitlin punched in some commands. 'I don't think they spotted us with the cloud cover.'

'How far to the clinic?'

'Thirty minutes.'

'Find us somewhere to land.' Hawke ordered. 'We need to rest up. I want us all to be fresh going up against Thor at daybreak.'

'There's a forest five miles due north. I have a clearing by a small freshwater stream. Coordinates are on your monitor.' Caitlin said.

'Got it. Adjusting course.' Hawke confirmed.

It took them no time at all before they were on the ground. Hawke, Saint John and Rivers built a small camp and fire whilst Caitlin stayed on the scope and set up ground scans that would alert them to any patrols in plenty of time for an exit. Eventually she was bundled into a warm outdoor coat by Hawke and sat by the flames with a plate of stew and a mug of coffee.

'We head out in five hours.' Hawke said scraping the last of his stew off the plate. 'We'll take out the air defences including Thor, drop you guys on the roof. Are you clear on your entry plan?'

Saint John nodded. 'Moffett's location was in the video. Third floor, room one-twenty. There are two stairwells either end of the corridor both leading to the roof.'

'We'll jam the internal cameras and security communications.' Caitlin said. 'They'll be deaf and blind to your movements.'

'We'll immobilise Moffett with the knock-out drug and get the hell out of there.' Rivers concluded.

'At which point it'll be a flat out chase back to US airspace.' Hawke completed.

'Sounds like fun.' Rivers commented.

'Glad we're keeping you entertained, Rivers.' Hawke said wryly.

'Call me Mike.' Rivers grinned across the flames at him.

Hawke gave a small pleased nod. He was rapidly coming to like the other pilot. They weren't that far apart in age and Rivers had an easy way about him; he reminded Hawke of his old friend Jason 'Doc' Gifford. He gathered up the discarded crockery. 'I'm going to head down to the stream, wash up.'

'I'll come with you.' Caitlin started to rise to her feet and he pushed her down.

'Rest.' Hawke ordered. He could see how exhausted she was and knew she needed the down time if she was going to be ready for Thor.

'You shouldn't go on your own.' She argued.

'I'll keep him company.' Mike said, springing up.

'Saint John…' Hawke began.

'I'll stay and protect the camp.' The look he exchanged with his little brother confirmed he'd be protecting Caitlin too. She rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink.

Hawke led the way down the small path away from the camp which ended at a small babbling brook. He leaned down and pulled off his gloves, flinching at the cold icy water. Mike crouched down beside him and started to help. He was surprised when Hawke spoke.

'So you're sharing a flat with Saint John huh?'

'Yeah. Wasn't in the plan but it's turning out great.' Mike said with an easy smile. 'You should come over.'

'Maybe I will.' Hawke replied. It occurred to him that he'd never visited his brother's place since they'd gotten back from Switzerland.

'You know he feels really bad about staying away so long.' Mike said.

Hawke's hands slowed momentarily in the act of washing the plates. 'He talked to you about it?'

'A little.' Mike admitted readily before realising that perhaps Hawke would be uncomfortable with the idea of someone discussing his relationship with his brother. 'I mean…not a lot…just…well really, it was nothing.'

Hawke's lips twitched at Mike's furious back-pedalling. 'It's OK, Rivers. It's good he has someone to talk to.'

'Really?' Mike asked cautiously.

'Really.' Hawke said. He caught the other man's disbelieving stare. 'I'm not thrilled about it,' he admitted, 'but I know having Cait has made this whole thing a lot easier for me so if Saint John has someone who makes it easier for him,' he shrugged, 'that's got to be a good thing.'

'Your wife's an incredible woman.' Mike said admiringly.

Hawke slapped a wet hand on the other man's shoulder. 'Just keep in mind I'm a jealous husband.'

'Right.' Mike agreed hastily. They both returned their attention to the dishes.

Back at the campfire, Saint John glanced at the path and sighed. 'I don't know why but I'm surprised those two are getting along so well.'

'Now why wouldn't they?' Caitlin asked amused.

'Mike can be pretty irreverent at times even for me.' Saint John said, topping up her coffee mug. 'I figured he'd irritate the hell out of String and I was going to have to spend the whole time refereeing between them.'

'He seems like a good guy.' Caitlin commented.

'He is.' Saint John said. 'They all are.' He continued referring to his team.

'It must be a relief to get everything out in the open.' Caitlin said taking a sip of her coffee.

'Yeah. At least I don't have to keep making up stories when I come visit you guys.' Saint John said. He glanced over at her. 'Are you comfortable about everybody knowing the truth?'

Caitlin shrugged. 'The truth is always better although I might have liked the protection for a while longer whilst Nicky's so young.' Her voice was wistful.

'You miss him already?'

'The minute I left him.' Caitlin said biting her lip.

'He'll be fine.' Saint John said reassuringly.

'I know.' Caitlin said. 'I just want the mission over and done with.'

'You know you could have stayed with Nicky.' Saint John giving into the need to express what had been bothering him since she'd taken the mission. 'Everybody would have understood and maybe String would have stood down.'

'Your brother was always going to take the mission.' Caitlin said firmly. 'This is personal for him.'

'Because of Moffett?'

'Yeah,' Caitlin sighed, 'and as much as I hate leaving my son at home, hate taking the risk he might lose us both, I know having me in the cockpit increases the odds that his daddy comes back alive. That's why I'm doing this.'

'I take it you knew about what happened with Hawke and Moffett in Libya?' Saint John said changing the subject.

She nodded. 'It took him a long time to get over it.'

'Every so often it just hits me that there's something he went through that I don't know about, wasn't there for.' Saint John commented sadly.

Caitlin patted his arm. 'You're here now.'

'Yeah.'

Their heads turned as the bushes rustled and Saint John aimed his gun at the path just as Hawke and Rivers emerged. He set the gun down again and topped up their mugs as they resumed their places back around the fire.

'You know you never told me about why Yahara was after Dad.' Hawke said breaking the silence.

'Yahara was a kamikaze pilot in the war. Dad shot him down when he was doing an exchange with the navy.' Saint John explained. He hadn't known about his father's stint as a navy pilot; Mike had found out the details. He wondered how much of his parents' lives remained a mystery to himself and String; how much would continue to remain a mystery now Dom was gone too.

'It was a stain of honour that Yahara had to redress.' Mike noted. 'He would have preferred to have gone after your Dad but in his absence, eldest son and all that.' He waved at Saint John.

'What is it?' asked Hawke seeing a strange look cross Saint John's face.

His brother shrugged. 'I'm not sure it's anything.' He sighed. 'When I was in Yahara's office and he was talking about Dad, I thought he'd got his information completely wrong.' He gestured with the mug. 'He called dad a navy Lieutenant and said that Dad died of a coronary thrombosis five years ago.'

'So he got his information mixed up.' Hawke said.

'Well that's what I thought until Mike told me about how Dad had done a stint with the navy during the war. And if that was right…'

Hawke's eyes narrowed on his brother. 'What are you getting at, Saint John?'

'I don't know. Yahara seemed to be very thorough, very organised.' Saint John tapped the side of his mug wondering whether his thinking was muddled. 'If he was right about the navy then maybe he was right about how Dad died.'

'It had to be a mistake, Saint John.' Hawke said. 'You and I both know only too well how our folks died in a boating accident when we were kids.'

'How much do you remember about that summer when Mom and Dad died?' Saint John asked.

'Saint John, I was twelve.' Hawke pointed out. 'The only thing I clearly remember about that summer at all is trying to find a way to get a peek at Susan Cattrick's bedroom.'

'Exactly what are you saying, Saint John?' Caitlin asked seeing the frustration gleaming from Hawke's otherwise impassive gaze.

'It's just the more I think about it, the more it doesn't add up.' Saint John said. 'There was something going on. I can remember coming home and finding Dad locked in a conference with a bunch of lawyers and FBI types. Mom was tense and we were shanghaied into that sailing trip. I remember I had to cancel a flight lesson because Mom was insistent that I go, you had to cancel a day trip.' He tapped the side of his mug thoughtfully. 'I remember when we were in the office at the marina and Dad was talking to the owner, he warned Dad that the storm was coming in. and we stopped at a very specific location as though they were meeting someone.'

Hawke and Caitlin exchanged a sudden look of understanding.

'Saint John,' Hawke began, 'I think I know what you're going with this.'

'You do?' Saint John said surprised.

Hawke nodded. 'You think the boat accident was a cover for Mom and Dad entering some kind of witness protection scheme.'

Saint John swallowed his surprise at his brother's calm voice. 'Yeah, I do.'

'Well, you're kinda right.' Hawke confessed.

Saint John blinked at him. 'What?'

Hawke gestured at Cait.

'We found out about it earlier in the year when Dom got kidnapped…' Caitlin began.

'Dom got kidnapped?' Saint John interrupted.

Hawke sighed. 'Do you remember how we were told grand-pa died in an accident?' He didn't wait for a reply. 'Well, turns out it wasn't an accident. It was a professional hit by a Mafia family called Cordelli.'

'The hit man Sallis and the Cordelli son directly involved were both brought to justice by your father.' Caitlin added.

'With a little help from Dom.' Hawke murmured.

'Exactly.' Caitlin frowned. 'Anyway, your father was offered witness protection for your whole family by the FBI.'

'So the boat accident was a set-up?' Saint John checked amazed.

'It was.' Hawke confirmed. 'But it went wrong.' He dropped his gaze to the fire leaving it to Caitlin to explain.

'The FBI agent in charge admitted that they were going to scupper the family boat, whisk you all away and use the storm to give credence to the cover story that you were all drowned at sea. But then the storm came in faster than they had expected. You and Hawke went overboard and you know the rest.'

'And you discovered this when Dom got kidnapped?' Saint John asked.

Caitlin nodded. 'Angelo Cordelli was killed by his own family whilst he was awaiting trial but Sallis did get time. He got let out on parole and went after Dom.'

'Why?' Mike asked.

'Well, Sallis figured that Dad would go into witness protection and he didn't believe there really had been a boating accident. He thought Dom would know where he was.' Hawke shrugged. 'Sallis did a number on him. Dom was lucky to get out of it alive.'

'What if Sallis was right?' Saint John asked.

Hawke blinked at him. 'What?'

'What if Sallis was right?' Saint John repeated. 'What if Mom and Dad survived the boating accident and went into witness protection like they had arranged?'

Hawke's startled blue eyes met Saint John's. 'You have got to be kidding me.'

'Why else would Yahara think Dad died five years ago?' Saint John said. 'And think about, String. Neither of us saw the bodies.'

'They would never have left us behind.' Hawke said furiously.

'Maybe they had no choice.' Saint John said. 'Or maybe the FBI lied to them and told them we were dead.'

Hawke's mouth opened to reply angrily before he snapped it shut. His mind drifted back to his confrontation with Dawson, the FBI agent, when they had been searching for Dom…

Dawson's muddy brown eyes met Hawke's. 'You said Santini went missing earlier?'

'That's right…'

'What time?'

Hawke scowled and ignored the question. 'Why did you visit Dom?'

Dawson reached for a pack of cigarettes on his sitting room table. 'I'm not here to answer your questions…'

'Actually you are.' Caitlin laid a hand on Hawke's arm before he could react to the other man. 'We're not leaving or telling you anything until we have some answers.'

Dawson sighed and sat down in an old chair.

'Why did you visit Dom?' Hawke repeated. 'We know you were the investigating agent who helped my Dad entrap Sallis and Cordelli.'

Dawson lit a cigarette. 'Yeah, I was.' His eyes flickered back to Hawke. 'You're like your old man, you know, especially the eyes,' he paused, 'and the attitude.'

Hawke glared at him.

Dawson gestured with the cigarette. 'Sallis is out on parole.'

'Sallis got parole?' Caitlin frowned. 'But he confessed to murder.'

'Yeah but he wasn't the one we wanted.'

'Cordelli.' Hawke said working it out angrily. 'He gave you something on Cordelli.'

'Not enough. He only rolled over on Angelo who the Cordelli's were quick to disown by killing him in prison as he awaited trial. Sallis wasn't an idiot; he didn't want to go the same way.' Dawson sighed. 'Sallis got twenty-five years for Elijah's murder. That was the deal I made with your Dad. He didn't walk completely.'

'But that would mean, he's been released early.' Jo said.

'Good behaviour.' Dawson gave a hitching laugh. 'I've managed to get the parole board to keep him in every other time but this time…bunch of liberals.'

'So you came to warn Dom.' Caitlin said.

'Informing the victims of the original crime is SOP.' Dawson said stubbing the cigarette out.

'Why would Sallis go after my uncle Dom after all this time?' Jo said puzzled.

'Revenge.' Dawson suggested.

'For putting him away?' Caitlin frowned. 'I wouldn't have thought Dom would have played a significant part in that; he was unconscious. If Sallis was going to go after anyone I would have thought it would be Hawke's father…' Her eyes met Hawke's in startled realisation.

'He took Dom because he thinks Dom will lead him to my father.' Hawke shook his head. 'But why? He has to know he's dead.'

'Maybe…' Caitlin glanced at Dawson who was staring at the ground. 'Maybe he doesn't believe it.' She crossed her arms over her chest. 'It was SOP for key witnesses to organised crime to be offered witness protection back then.'

'Give the lady a big round of applause.' Dawson snapped. 'Only it went wrong.'

'The boat accident.' Jo murmured.

'Correct again. End of story.' Dawson muttered.

Only maybe it wasn't the end of the story at all, Hawke thought. His eyes slid to Caitlin's and saw she had come to the same conclusion.

'I think we need another chat with Dawson.' Hawke stated.

Rivers shivered at the icy anger in the blue depths of Hawke's eyes.

'Dawson?' Saint John asked.

'The FBI agent in charge of the investigation.' Caitlin supplied when Hawke remained silent.

'You think Dom knew?' Saint John asked.

Hawke stared down at his mug. Had Dom known? The idea seemed unlikely but then…Dom had been unusually quiet after the kidnapping. Hawke had put it down to the trauma of being tortured; that it would take the older man sometime to get over what had happened but what if it had been more than that? Hawke raised his eyes to his brother. 'I don't know.'

'I don't think he did.' Caitlin said quietly.

Hawke held her gaze for a moment. 'He was real quiet after that whole thing with Sallis.'

'He was badly beaten up, Hawke.' Caitlin said firmly. 'And OK, maybe his own conviction about your parents' fate got a little shaken by it but if Dom had known for certain your parents were still alive he would never have kept that from you. He loved you far too much.'

Hawke breathed out deeply and nodded. She was right.

There was an uncomfortable silence as they all considered that the Hawke's parents might still be alive.

Caitlin cleared her throat. 'Saint John, you said Yahara talked about your father dying five years ago?'

Saint John nodded. 'Yeah, of a heart attack.'

'Then he must have followed some kind of investigation to come up with that answer whether it was right or wrong.' Caitlin pointed out.

'You think we should back track his investigation?' Hawke asked.

'Well, I don't think Dawson is going to give us anything more.' Caitlin said. 'And if we understood how Yahara came to think your father died five years ago, maybe we can find some answers.'

Hawke looked at his brother. 'Sounds like a plan.'

Saint John nodded. 'I'll get Locke to start checking it out.'

'We can get Michael to check.' Hawke stated.

Caitlin sighed. 'We can get both of them to check. They have different intelligence connections and the wider we spread the net, the more likely we are to find something. It's not going to be easy trying to find the thread Yahara picked up on.'

'Good idea.' Mike said.

'Great idea.' Hawke corrected with a small smile. He reached over to squeeze her hand gratefully.

'We should turn in.' Mike said.

Hawke gestured at the small two-man tent. 'You guys take the tent. Cait and I'll take Airwolf.'

In the small tent, the two men made themselves as comfortable as they could.

Mike looked over at Saint John's pensive profile. 'You really think your parents are alive?'

'In the last few months, I've realised that pretending people are dead to protect themselves or others isn't a weird concept.' Saint John said. 'Yahara was certain my father died five years ago.' He shook his head. 'If that boat trip was the start of a protection scheme, it might have gone wrong when they lost String and me but there was no reason why they couldn't have gone ahead and lived. My father might be dead but my mother could be alive.' He looked over at Mike. 'I know it's a stretch.'

'Your brother doesn't seem that keen on the idea.' Mike commented.

'If it's true then we're both going to have to live with the fact that our parents left us behind, that won't be easy especially for String since I've done that to him too recently.' Saint John sighed.

'Caitlin's great.' Mike said.

'She is.' Saint John agreed. He glanced over at Mike. 'I wouldn't bother, Mike. She's devoted to my brother.'

'Don't worry I've already been told to keep my distance.' Mike said laughing.

'My little brother warned you off huh?'

'Can't say I blame him. She's something.' Mike said.

'He's been real lucky to find her.' Saint John agreed.

'Do you really think we can do this tomorrow?' Mike asked.

'Put it this way.' Saint John said. 'if we can't, we won't be around to worry about it.'

'That's not reassuring, Saint John.'

'Get some sleep, Mike.'