Chapter 16

Somewhere in Maryland, Colonel Charles Lynch marched down a deserted corridor flanked by two marines. A necessary measure he felt, for this clandestine meeting in a disused building, once owned by the FIRM. The irony was certainly not lost on him. He cut a formidable figure in his pristine military fatigues, the medals on his chest serving as a reminder of all he had given for his country. Of the men he'd lost in war.

Over twenty five years in the Military, it had taught him never to underestimate an opponent, and with Stringfellow Hawke he'd almost made a fatal error. He had done just that. A brilliant strategist out in the field, he did what had be done and he truly admired the man for that reason alone. He was a worthy opponent.

Lynch came to a halt and rapped on the solid oak door. He glanced down the corridor as he waited, his hard gaze travelling over the stark magnolia walls where paintings of presidents gone by once hung in their element. He almost shivered as a ghostly chill nipped at the sleeves of his jacket.

The door finally opened, and Lynch stepped into the dimly lit room. His gaze alighted in the oval table in the middle, bathed in a funnel of sunlight from the only window in the room.

"Charles. What brings you here?" Sam Cullen sat at the head of the table, his hands clasped together on top of a pile of Manila folders. Any surprise at the Colonels arrival quickly vanished as he rose to greet his unexpected visitor.

"I want answers" Lynch demanded, nodding towards his protection detail who took their places outside the door.

"Really Colonel. Is that necessary?" Cullen asked, nodding towards the two marines guarding the door.

"As you know, Cullen. I never take chances. "

"Of course not"

The two men glanced over their shoulders as a small flame emanated from the right hand of Marcus Jensen.

"Marcus-"

The young man looked up and quickly snapped his zippo lighter shut.

"Sorry Boss" he replied, stashing his lighter back in his pocket.

" Get the door, Marcus" Cullen ordered inclining his head towards the open door.

"Sure"

Jensen shoved his hand through his mass of dark curls and quickly crossed the room to the open door.

" I believe you know my associates" he said, holding out his hand to encompass the table.

Lynch's gaze slid to the others seated at the table.

"Jim Roach. Field operative with the FIRM I believe " he said as the Agent stood and took his hand in a firm handshake. "I've read your file. Impressive"

"Thank you, Colonel" the sandy haired Agent replied, before taking his seat. The younger man next to him shot to his feet.

"Agent Perrott, FBI" He said eagerly, shaking the Colonels hand with vigour. Lynch looked the Agent up and down before his gaze slid to the third person who stood with a little less enthusiasm. He raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued . Dressed in a sharp black trouser suit, her dark hair pulled back into a pony tail, the Colonel grasped the female Agents outstretched hand.

"Agent Ava Torres. NSA" she said steadily, her dark eyes meeting the Colonels.

Cullen retook his seat and gestured towards any empty chair next to Roach.

"Please have a seat"

Lynch rolled his shoulders and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Fine. Suit yourself"

Cullen reached forward and plucked a file from the top of the pile. He opened it and began to scan the contents.

"I heard about the debacle in Pennsylvania."Cullen continued "It seems we all left empty handed"

"My team were compromised" Lynch replied, "But I think you already know that"

Jim Roach shifted in his seat before he spoke

"Hawke is a more than capable operative" He offered, earning a glare from Torres. " It's a mistake to underestimate him. Nobody can truly to be ready for a man like Hawke"

Cullen closed the file and and returned his gaze to Lynch

"Maybe I have underestimated Hawke, and overestimated your abilities, Colonel?" Cullen said, leaving the military man wondering where'd he'd found this new found confidence. Cullen was no more that a petty criminal, a nuisance.

Lynch inclined his head as a figure stepped from the shadows, the silver handle of a rosewood cane glinting in the shaft of sunlight.

"Charles. It's good to see you again"

"I wish I could say the same, Archangel" Lynch replied, taking a step forward "You deliberately omitted the fact that Santini can fly Airwolf"

Eyes of hazel met flint grey and Michaels unwavering gaze didn't confirm or deny the accusation.

"We had Hawke and the FBI Agent pinned down. They had nowhere to go until Santini and Airwolf almost took out my men"

Cullen's eyes widened at this new piece of information.

"So, Santini can fly Airwolf" He tapped a finger on the file. "What about Hawkes lady friend?"

"She has nothing to do with Airwolf. "Michael replied "Which brings me to the reason why I called this meeting"

Michael rounded the table and stood at the end opposite Cullen.

"This morning, I paid a visit to the hospital. Five days ago, parties unknown attempted an unauthorised hit on a jeep belonging to Santini Air"

His gaze slid from Cullen to Lynch.

"A hit, Sir?" Roach asked " You sure they just weren't in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Michael shook his head

"Hawke and Caitlin O' Shannessy were shot at by a vehicle we have so far, been unable to identify, before their vehicle suffered an almost catastrophic malfunction" he glanced at Roach who raised an eyebrow. "It was a miracle no-one was killed"

"What makes you think this was anything more than an accident?" Cullen asked

Michael hesitated before he spoke. He quickly decided against revealing that his people had been first on scene, transferring Hawke and Cait to the nearest FIRM facility and the fact they'd also conducted a thorough inspection of the Santini Jeep and found the brake lines cut.

"Hawkes word"

The room fell into silence as Michael took the opportunity to glance around the table and mentally congratulated himself when he noticed Agent Perrott's head duck lower than the others.

"Which brings me to the question, if I didn't authorise it..."

The Spy glanced at Lynch.

"Come on Michael. You've known me ten years" The Colonel replied with a twisted smile. "You know that's not how I operate. If I wanted someone dead, they'd never find the body"

Michael tapped his cane on the floor.

"What about the assault team?"

Lynch cleared his throat.

"We were surprised. Hawke and Agent O'Connor were never meant to find those men"

A slight movement caught Michael's peripheral vision as Agent Torres shifted uneasily in her chair.

"I know that, Charles " The Spy replied, turning back to Cullen.

A sickly smile settled on his tanned features and he sat back in his chair

"You got me, Mike" he said "After the Colonel failed to capture Hawke and secure Airwolf, I was forced to take action"

Michael limped towards Cullen, desperately trying to smother the anger that threatened to explode.

"That action was not authorised!" Michael exclaimed, in a growl of a voice he hardly recognised as his own.

"I gave you Stringfellow Hawke on a plate" Michael spat, swivelling on his heel to face Colonel Lynch "No repercussions, and you-" he continued, jabbing the bottom of his cane into Lynch's broad chest. "Colonel Lynch, muffed it"

Lynch's steely gaze hardened as he shoved the cane away and took a menacing step towards the white clad Spy.

"I think you're forgetting who's in charge here, Archangel" Cullen replied calmly, rising from his chair. "It would have worked if I hadn't underestimated the capability of Miss O'Shannessy at the wheel"

Michael's gaze dropped to a spot on the floor and pushed as visions of Cait's unmoving body draped over Hawkes permeated his mind.

"Believe me, nothing would please me more than to see Hawke getting what he deserves" Michael replied quietly. He pushed his his wire framed glasses up his nose "But Caitlin O' Shannessy has nothing to do with what we're trying to achieve, Sam"

Cullen dipped his head to meet Michaels good eye.

"It sounds to me like you're having second thoughts about the whole operation"

Cullen stepped across the room and stood beside Colonel Lynch.

"Are you in love with her?"

Michaels head snapped up

"Who? The girl? Don't be absurd!" Michael exclaimed, bringing himself to his full height.

"Tell me again, Michael. Why is it you've turned your back on the FIRM and your deal with Hawke?"

"I have my reasons" Michael replied. "Hawke and I had a business arrangement that is no longer beneficial to me"

Looking suspiciously at the Spy, Cullen returned to the table and pulled out another file which bore the FIRM insignia, marked classified.

Michaels eye widened as he instantly recognised the file number. A56-7W

"Where the hell did you get that?"

"You're not the only one with connections in high places, Michael"

Michaels mouth opened, then closed again as he attempted to gather his thoughts.

"Agents-" Michael said, swivelling on his heel to face the table. "If you wouldn't mind giving us a few minutes-"

The scraping of chairs brought the meeting to an abrupt end. The Agents gathered up their things, and Agent Torres followed a guilty looking Agent Perrott out of the room.

Michael quickly filed it away for later use. Jim Roach placed the last of his files in his briefcase and snapped it shut, taking his time in stark contrast to the other two Agents. As he drew level with Michael he hesitated, and caught the flicker of worry in his blue eye before it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. With a quick nod, Roach made to leave the room, but not before barrelling into the athletic frame of another dark suited Agent, who seemed to materialise from thin air. Eyes of Hazel met Chocolate brown, and Roach almost smiled at the brief recognition that flitted across his weathered features. With a nod of acknowledgment, Roach rounded the newcomer and left the room.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Michael" he said as Jensen closed the door behind him.

"Traffic"

Michael dipped his head and stroked his mustache as attempted to conceal his widening smile.

"I have those files you asked for"

"Thank you Alex " Michael replied, taking the files from his outstretched hand.

Michael turned to face Cullen and Lynch.

"This is all we have on St John Hawke" Michael told them, handing them the files as Alex Marshall perched on the edge of the desk and rolled up the sleeves of his crisp, white shirt.

Lynch snatched the file from Michaels hand before Cullen could, covering both men in a thin layer of dust. Lynch cleared his throat as he quickly scanned the contents before handing it reluctantly to Cullen.

"As you can see Gentlemen, the search for St John Hawke over the past three years has turned up nothing but dead ends" Michael explained. "We have every reason to believe St John Hawke is dead, which renders the deal between Hawke and I obsolete"

"If this is true "Lynch began, his gaze flickering over the Spy's shoulder to Alex Marshall.

"What is it that you want?"

The question hung starkly in the air between the men, before Michael's southern drawl filled the silence.

"I want Airwolf"

AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW

Hawke healed quickly.

Dom had appointed himself nursemaid, flying up to the cabin most days much to Hawkes chagrin, bringing the soup and groceries, enough to feed a small army. Despite a few grousing comments about 'Mother Santini' or simply being absent when he arrived, truthfully he was grateful for Dom's attentions, although he would never admit it. If not for himself, but for Caitlin. He'd even volunteered to have Le for a few days after Hawke had been discharged to give the couple time to recouperate without a teenager charging around the cabin and had also arranged for Doc to pay a visit to the cabin to check on Cait's wound. Cait's injury had been a little more serious than first thought. The bullet had caused some minor damage to the muscle around her shoulder, and although out of the sling, menial tasks were still proving a little difficult despite her protests to the contrary. The final blow had came when Dr Shipp grounded her for the next two weeks, and with the mixture of painkillers she was taking, Hawke had quickly found out that a grounded Cait was like taking a red rag to a bull. Unfortunately, due to their current living situation, Hawke bore the brunt of her frustrations. Several times a day she reemed the pilot out over Tet's domestic habits, from chewing up her favourite tennis shoes, to drooling all over the couch. One evening, she'd even accused Hawke of breathing too loudly when they'd been eating dinner, solidifying firmly in Hawke's mind, why he'd steered clear of cohabitation for so long. Hawke had taken several spontaneous fishing trips with Doc after that.

"Shoot!"

Stringfellow Hawke frowned as a loud clatter emanated from the kitchen, and grabbing a sweater, Hawke quickly descended the stairs from the sleeping loft.

"Cait?" He called, pulling the sweater on as he reached the last step.

"Caitlin? Is everything alright?" He asked as he entered the kitchen. His gaze alighted on the Red head, who crouched down and began snatching up various pots and pans from the floor.

"Everythin's just dandy"

Hawke almost smiled at the thick Texan drawl he loved so much. Cait pushed herself to her feet and dumped the offending utensils on the counter.

"You need help with anything?" He asked cautiously, his trained eye scanning the room for the quickest means of escape as Cait resumed her flurry of activity in the kitchen.

"Nope"

Cait reached up on tiptoes in a futile attempt to grab the skillet off the top shelf.

Hawke shoved his hands into his jeans pocket and rocked back on his heels as Tet relinquished his favourite position by the hearth and cowered behind the couch.

"Chicken" Hawke thought to himself before turning his attentions back to Cait.

"You sure?-"

"I said I'm fi-"

The words died on her lips as a sharp pain rippled through her shoulder.

"Hell!" Cait mumbled under her breath, massaging her shoulder in attempt to rid the dull ache that had settled there. Hawke crossed the kitchen, his hand dropping to her hip as he reached up and grabbed the skillet from the top shelf. Cait turned and found a set of piercing blue eyes staring back at her.

"Your shoulder still hurt?" Hawke asked, gesturing towards Cait's injured shoulder.

"It's a dull ache" Cait admitted, taking the skillet from Hawke's hand.

"Thanks for the save, by the way"

"No problem"

Giving in to a tug of attraction, Hawke reached out and gently tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

"Cait? You sure you're ok?" he asked, his brow furrowing. Cait shook her head and pulled away from him, bowing her head and grabbing the counter for support.

" I keep runnin' the crash over in my mind" Cait told him "wonderin' if I coulda done somethin' differently"

"Caitlin-"

"No, Hawke, hear me out. " Cait said firmly, turning back to face him. " You're used to all this kinda stuff. Me, I'm-"

She shook her head as words failed her, and Hawke's heart almost broke as he realised, this feisty, ex cop from Texas was actually doubting her herself. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to scoop her up in his arms and tell her just how much she meant to him.

"Cait I want you to listen to me" Hawke said firmly, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You are the smartest, most capable person I know. You did everything you possibly could"

Cait cuffed away a solitary tear

"I don't know why I'm crying"

"Shock" Hawke replied succinctly, gently rubbing the tops of her arms.

"I heard what you said to Michael in the hospital."

Hawke hesitated, inclining his head.

"I'm sorry I scared you"

Cait held her breath as she saw a mere hint of something in those blue eyes before it quickly disappeared.

With a heavy sigh, Cait made her way to the couch and flopped down, staring pensively into the flames that flickered cheerfully in the hearth. Deciding the coast was clear, Tet slinked from his hiding place and jumped up on the couch and with a wide yawn, he settled himself protectively at Cait's side.

"Maybe we're lookin' as this thing the wrong way"

Cait looked at hopefully at Hawke

"Maybe this isn't anythin' to do with The Lady"

Hawke scraped a hand across his jaw

"Maybe"

Cait looked back into the flames, looking for any sort of inspiration, an epiphany of sorts.

"Y'know, It could be-" her voice trailed off and she shook her head

"I don't know, Hawke"

Cait leaned her head back against the cushions and closed her eyes, gently massaging her temples in a bid to rid her of the headache that had settled there.

"I still can't believe Michaels involved." Cait continued, vaguely aware that Hawke was no longer in the kitchen. She felt his leg brush against hers as he sat beside her on the couch. "I don't even know how to act when he's around. Hell, all I wanna do right now is bean him with a two by four!" She exclaimed, eliciting a chuckle from Hawke. A mad Caitlin O'Shannessy was certainly a force of nature.

"Act as you always have" Hawke replied, watching her carefully as she scratched Tet absently between the ears

"Put those acting lessons of yours to good use"

Cait opened her eyes and looked at Hawke.

"Act 'normal' you mean" Cait said, quirking an eyebrow "Y'know, lately, I'm not even sure what 'normal' is anymore"

A twinge of guilt niggled away in the pit of his stomach. He and Dom hadn't meant her to get so involved with Airwolf yet, he'd been the one to draw her further into his life.

Pushing himself to his feet, Hawke made his way to the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey! Half-Pint!"

Cait's brow furrowed as the younger Hawke appeared at the top of the stairs looking quizzically at his uncle. He was no longer in his school uniform, instead opting for his basketball shorts and his favourite 49 er's shirt.

"How about we all catch a movie?"

"Now?" Le asked as he bounded down the stairs

"Why not?"

Le glanced over Hawkes shoulder at Cait, who shrugged, indicating she had no idea what had prompted the suggestion. They were both well aware of Hawkes's dislike for crowded places.

"We can grab some dinner at the Texas Roadhouse too if you want. My treat"

Cait's eyes widened in surprise as Hawke caught her gaze. The Burger place wasnt particularly to his liking, but it was Cait's favourite and he knew his nephews penchant for their Ranch Burger. He was suddenly in the mood to indulge his family.

"What about my homework?" Le asked, his dark eyes surveying his uncle suspiciously.

"It can wait a coupl-a hours"

Hawke leant down, using his hand to conceal his lips

"Truth is, " Hawke murmured in Le's ear, not so quietly that Cait couldn't hear "Cait here, needs cheering up. I need my favourite wingman to show the lady a good time"

Hawke winked conspiratorially at his nephew.

"Why didn't you say so!" Le exclaimed as Hawkes eyes collided with Cait's. She bowed her head and bit her lower lip in an effort to conceal her small smile.

"Don't worry Uncle String" Le said, striding nochalantly down the rest of the staircase.

"I've got your back"

"That's good to know" Hawke chuckled, squeezing his skinny shoulder. Le grabbed his jacket from the stand as Hawke rounded the couch and held out his hand to the confused Texan

"You ready?"

"Ready?!" Cait exclaimed as Hawke grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"String, I-" the words died on her lips as she glanced around the kitchen that looked like it had been hit with a maverick rocket. Hawke leaned in, his light breath against her neck sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

"C'mon woman" Hawke said, his deep gravel tones reverberating in her ear. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards the cabin door.

"Get your coat"

Hands still firmly on her shoulders, Hawke marched her towards the coat stand.

"Hawke! I can't just-" Cait protested, turning in Hawkes arms. "Dom needs me to go over the Bellasarius contract. He'll be here in an hour"

"So?" He said with a shrug "Dom can wait"

"C'mon, Cait" Le pitched in, opening the cabin door. "Uncle Dom will be fine as long as there's a steak in the refrigerator"

Cait had to admit the kid had a point. Feeling her last excuse evaporate, She jammed her hands on her hips as her gaze slid between the two Hawke's.

"Do I even get a say in all this?"

"No" they replied in unison, before Le took off up the jetty to start the pre-flight checks. Hawke held out her jacket, and with a sigh she slid her arms through and Hawke eased it gently onto her shoulders.

She turned to face him, his hands still on her shoulders.

"You don't have to do this, Y'know"

"I know I don't"

Cait's breath caught in her chest as she caught Hawke's unguarded expression.

"Thank you"

Without warning, Hawke hooked a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her against his chest.

"You're welcome"

He dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head as the sound of the choppers rotors filled the cabin.

Hawke instantly felt her loss as she pulled away, and resisted the urge to take hold of the hand against his chest.

"You're a good guy, Stringfella Hawke" She said, flashing him one of her 100 watt smiles.

"Just don't let it get around, huh?"

They smiled at each other contentedly, before Hawke held out an arm.

"After you"

Cait had barely taken a step out of the cabin, when she swivelled on her heel and rushed over to the cabinet where Hawke kept his radio.

"I almost forgot-"

She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and quickly scribbled a note to Dom telling him where they were, and that there were steaks in the refrigerator for him and Tet.

"Now I'm ready"

Hawke watched as Cait walked up the jetty, signalling animatedly with his nephew who sat in the co-pilots seat. In fact he was still watching as they swapped places, Le laughing at something Cait had said, before clambering into the back, his usual position when the three of them flew together. From his position at his masters feet, the blue tick hound cocked his head to the side and let out a whine as Hawke retrieved his Aviators from his jacket pocket and hooked them over his ears.

A pair of doleful brown eyes met his, as Hawke glanced down at his faithful companion.

"Yeah"