Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

Stringfellow Hawke leaned against the bright yellow rail, crossed his legs at the ankle, folded his arms across the partially zipped lilac flight suit and scowled at the sleek, black helicopter in front of him. Dominic Santini watched the frown cross the younger man’s boyish looks and gestured impatiently.

‘I’m telling you, String,’ Dom said taking his red satin cap off to reveal the flattened grey wisps of hair as he rested a foot on the railing, ‘there’s nothing wrong with her.’

Hawke glanced at the man who was by turns a surrogate father, mentor and friend to him. It seemed to him that Dom looked older than ever before with his craggy face deeply lined, and the dark eyes without their usual hint of mischief. Hawke sighed. It had only been a couple of days since Dom had escaped being killed by a woman he had thought he loved and who he had thought loved him; it was going to take time for the older pilot to bounce back. He wrenched his attention back to the matter at hand…

‘Something’s not right.’ Hawke pushed off the railing and took a couple of steps towards Airwolf, rubbing his hand through his short brown hair. She was the world’s most technologically advanced helicopter; mach capable, with fourteen weapons and a highly sophisticated surveillance system. Her systems were always sensitive and temperamental but he’d been flying her for too long not to know when something was seriously off.

‘I don’t see why you think there’s a problem.’ Dom said dismissively.

Hawke’s blue eyes caught Dom’s in a steady gaze. ‘You know what happened the last time she went screwy.’

‘That was totally different.’ Dom said heatedly. ‘That was that logic bomb and we fixed that!’

‘She’s taking control like she did then.’

‘We don’t know that!’ Dom denied.

Hawke pointed at the machine. ‘Somebody opened the basement door for me on our last mission when the building security system was linked into the Airwolf computer. You said it wasn’t you. So who does that leave?’

‘OK,’ Dom reasoned, ‘maybe it was Airwolf who opened the door for you but like you say String, her computer was linked into that security system…’ His voice trailed away suddenly.

‘What?’ Hawke demanded seeing something in the other man’s eyes.

Dom met Hawke’s determined gaze reluctantly and straightened. ‘It was probably nothing.’

Hawke raised an eyebrow.

Dom gave a dismissive shrug. ‘Well, she kinda…she kinda gave me an assist when we hacked into the system.’

‘What do you mean she gave you an assist?’

‘She kinda took over…’ Dom admitted reluctantly, ‘but it wasn’t what you’re thinking!’ He said hurriedly as Hawke spun away from him and paced over to the helicopter’s wing. ‘She figured out what I was doing and she just did it quicker and maybe…maybe she recognised the code when you entered it and opened the door for you thinking that security system was an extension to her own programming.’

‘Maybe.’ Hawke rubbed his chin and tapped the black amour lightly.

Dom sighed. ‘Should we tell Michael?’ He said referring to the deputy director of the FIRM, the intelligence agency that had built the helicopter, and the man who had made a deal with Hawke for the pilot to fly her on missions of national importance in exchange for the FIRM finding Hawke’s missing brother.

Hawke sighed. ‘Not yet.’ He shrugged. ‘Besides, according to you there isn’t anything to tell him.’

Dom gestured heavenwards.

Hawke checked his watch and started to unzip the Airwolf uniform. ‘We should get back.’

Dom followed him to the lockers Michael had installed along with the communications, security and computer systems when they’d finally revealed the location of the Lair to him. They changed clothes and clambered into the Santini Air jeep they’d parked just inside the entrance. Dom gunned the engine they moved out of the Lair and into the Valley of the Gods, the jeep bouncing off the rough trail.

Dom glanced over as Hawke stared out at the stark landscape. ‘You want to tell me what else is bugging you?’

Hawke looked back at him surprised enough that it showed in his blue eyes but he didn’t answer the question.

‘You and Caitlin OK?’ Dom pressed. He’d been pleased when Hawke had finally settled into a relationship with Caitlin O’Shaunessy, the young female pilot that made up the final third of the Airwolf crew. The couple had recently moved into Hawke’s cabin together and the only small cloud on the horizon seemed to be the disapproval of Caitlin’s parents.

‘We’re OK.’ Hawke said, his blue eyes warming as he thought of his girlfriend.

‘Are you worried about attending this wedding of her sister’s with her in Texas?’ Dom tried another angle.

‘No.’ Hawke shifted in his seat, aware of the defensive tone and crossed his arms against his chest anyway. ‘Although I don’t think either of us is exactly looking forward to it with the way her parents feel about us being together.’

‘You’ll be OK, String.’

‘Yeah.’ Hawke nodded.

‘So if it’s not that, then what?’ Dom asked.

Hawke fidgeted for a moment and sighed giving in to the urge to confide. ‘I was thinking about the information that Michael gave me the other day.’

‘You mean the folder on your brother?’ Dom swung the jeep onto a better track and the bouncing eased. ‘It was a stroke of luck Tania Bening finding that buried in her father’s papers.’

‘Maybe.’

‘Maybe?’ Dom’s eyes shot across to the younger man. ‘Kid, that folder did everything but tell you where he is.’ The information had confirmed that Saint John Hawke had been rescued from the Vietcong two and a half years after being captured. It had noted that Hawke’s brother had joined a Special Forces unit which had operated highly secret incursions into enemy territory, confirming information Hawke had found previously but there had been more…Saint John had ultimately left the army to join an unidentified intelligence agency working deep undercover. Michael was sure the new information would lead them to Hawke’s brother eventually.

‘I know, it’s just…’ Hawke began.

‘Just what, kid?’

‘Just…I’ve been thinking,’ Hawke took a breath, ‘if he’s been alive all this time and not a POW, why hasn’t he ever contacted me?’

Dom sighed at the younger man’s plaintive tone which echoed with the memory of the boy he’d raised. ‘We don’t know for certain he was in any position to contact you. You know what deep undercover work is like, String.’ He gave a huff of laughter. ‘Hell, I seem to remember when you joined the FIRM as an operative, you almost fell off the map for two years.’

Hawke flushed. It had been true that when he’d worked as an operative he’d barely stayed in touch with the older man. ‘Sorry about that, Dom.’

‘You were out saving the world, I forgave you, kid.’ Dom said.

‘And Saint John’s out saving the world so I should forgive him for not bothering to pick up the phone in the last fifteen years?’ Hawke said sharply.

‘That’s not what I’m saying.’ Dom denied.

‘Maybe he blames me for leaving him.’ Hawke said past the lump in his throat.

‘How can you think that?’ Dom demanded. ‘Your brother wouldn’t have blamed you for something like that. He knew full well what the risks were when he went to ‘Nam.’

‘Maybe.’ Hawke sighed deeply. ‘I can’t help but think about how Mace acted last year though.’

‘Huh.’ Dom grunted. ‘He was just plain wrong, String. Just…’ he waved a hand in an absent-minded gesture reminiscent of his Italian heritage, ‘just give your brother the benefit of the doubt, don’t go jumping to any conclusions.’

Hawke could see the wisdom in the advice but it didn’t change the hurt that was gnawing at his gut and would be until he could ask his brother the same question; why hadn’t he gotten in touch? He sighed again and slumped back in his seat.

Dom turned his attention back to the road unsettled by Hawke’s words. If he stopped to think about it, he really didn’t understand why Saint John hadn’t been in touch himself. The Hawke brothers had been close as kids and as young adults they’d been inseparable; the shock of losing their parents seeming to strengthen the bond between them even further. Hawke had even followed his brother to ‘Nam, into a hellish war, as soon as it had been humanly possible to do so. It had almost destroyed Hawke to leave Saint John behind in the jungle and it seemed to Dom that the younger man had spent a good proportion of his adult life searching for his brother. He hadn’t exactly wasted time but…Dom sighed. If Saint John had truly chosen not to contact Hawke all these years because he blamed him…the happy ending that Hawke wanted, that Dom himself had always hoped for, might not be possible.

Dom pushed his thoughts aside as he joined the main road and headed for the Van Nuys airfield. ‘So you packed already?’ He asked.

‘Just about.’ Hawke said. ‘Caitlin wants to leave early tomorrow.’

‘Are you sure you don’t want to take the Lady?’

Hawke shook his head. ‘I think we’ll have enough to deal with without having to explain Airwolf.’

Dom chuckled. ‘It might not be so bad you know.’

‘Jo still coming to give you a hand?’ Hawke asked changing the subject. Dom’s niece was due to arrive the next day for a visit.

Dom nodded. ‘It was a stroke of luck her calling and asking to come for Christmas.’

Luck had nothing to do with it, Hawke thought. He’d made the call to her himself. The older man had been through a lot and Hawke wasn’t comfortable leaving him on his own even for a few days. Dom had a soft spot for all his nieces and nephews but Jo was his favourite; she’d lived with Dom and the Hawke brothers for a while when they were kids. She’d been surprised to hear from Hawke but had quickly agreed to come and visit when he had explained what had happened.

‘What she up to these days?’ Hawke asked. He hadn’t asked her during their brief conversation.

‘She’s still freelancing as an interpreter or as a pilot or as both.’ Dom said. ‘She must have mentioned half a dozen countries in one breath telling me where she’d been in the last month. I tell you my brother Tony did a number on that girl.’

Hawke smiled wryly at the outraged tone. ‘It wasn’t Tony’s gypsy ways that she had the problem with, Dom; it was the being left behind when he went off again.’

‘Hmnph.’ Dom grunted. ‘She should be settled down with some nice boy by now.’

‘Maybe you can convince her to stick around.’ Hawke said idly.

‘You think she would?’ Dom said delighted at the idea.

Hawke shrugged. ‘Never hurts to ask, huh?’

‘You’re right, kid.’ Dom sighed dramatically. ‘Ah but it’d be good to have her home.’ The pleasant thought kept him quiet the rest of the journey back to Van Nuys.

—

Hawke shifted in his seat, looked out at the blue sky in front and inwardly sighed with contentment. There was nothing like flying for making everything, anything seem possible. It was cramped in the small two-seater plane they’d hired but he didn’t mind the close quarters. He glanced over the cockpit at Caitlin sitting beside him and wondered again at how lucky he was. With her red hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing jeans and sweater under a brown leather flying jacket, she looked younger than her years. Her freckled face with its delicate features and curious blue-green eyes did nothing to detract from the impression of youth and for a moment Hawke had to remind himself that the age gap between them wasn’t a chasm. Thinking he was too old for her had been one of the reasons why he’d initially resisted a relationship with Caitlin.

Caitlin’s eyes flickered to him as though she was aware of his regard. ‘You want to take over?’ She was currently at the controls.

Hawke shook his head. ‘Nah.’ He smiled at her. ‘I was just enjoying the view.’

She smiled. ‘You know we could have stayed another hour if you’d wanted.’

He shrugged. ‘I’ll see Jo when we get back.’ Dom’s niece hadn’t arrived by the time they’d left.

‘You’ve never really said how well you know her.’

‘She lived with Dom for a while when we were all kids. Her father Tony is a bit of a flake; a nice guy but a flake and a bit of a gypsy. Her mother couldn’t cope with his absences at times…’

‘So Dom stepped in?’ Caitlin asked.

Hawke nodded. ‘She came to live with him the first time the summer after we lost our folks. Mostly she was like a pesky younger sister. She worshipped Saint John, followed him around everywhere, but we were all pretty close back then. Dom taught us all to fly.’ He shook his head, dislodging the pull of childhood memories. ‘It was a long time ago. We’ve kind of lost touch except for the odd Christmas card, that type of thing.’

‘What does she do?’

‘Freelance stuff mostly according to Dom.’ Hawke said. ‘Flying but interpreting, mainly; she speaks some ridiculous number of languages, travels around a lot.’ He gave a small huff of laughter. ‘As much as Dom would like to deny it she has as much gypsy in her as her father.’

‘It sounds like she kept her word and pretended you didn’t have anything to do with her coming to visit.’

‘Yeah.’ Hawke nodded. ‘I’m just glad she agreed.’ He glanced across at her again. ‘I wouldn’t have felt right leaving Dom on his own after what happened with Rosa. He says he’s fine but I can tell it hit him hard.’

‘We could still go back.’ Caitlin said with a smile.

‘Nice try,’ Hawke said, ‘but we’re going to your sister’s wedding.’ He sighed. ‘Besides, Jo’s real fond of Dom. She’ll make sure he’s OK.’

‘She sounds nice.’ Caitlin said.

‘You’ll like her.’

‘I hope so.’ She murmured a little uncertainly; the last niece of Dom’s she’d met, Holly, had tried to kill her.

‘Don’t worry,’ Hawke said picking up on her worry, ‘Jo’s completely sane.’

‘Well, that’s a good start.’ Caitlin grinned at him. ‘You know,’ she said thoughtfully after a few moments silence, ‘Dom never talks about Holly.’

Hawke raised his eyebrows in surprise at her comment. ‘Well, I think it’s kinda because he’s worried it’d upset you.’

‘She wasn’t well. I understood that.’ Caitlin said.

‘Yeah.’ Hawke sighed deeply.

‘It’s funny, though.’

‘What?’

‘Well, the reason why she tried to hurt me was because she thought you and I were going to end up together…’

‘…and now we have?’ Hawke finished.

‘Hmmm.’

‘I guess she saw the chemistry between us better than we did.’ Hawke said quietly.

‘We were both trying to pretend it wasn’t there.’ Caitlin pointed out.

‘That too.’ He admitted ruefully.

‘In fact I had to get shot before we stopped pretending.’ She continued.

‘Don’t remind me.’ The image of her lying motionless on the ground, blood seeping from the gaping bullet wound in her shoulder flashed in front of his eyes and his heart lurched with the momentary panic that he would lose her like he’d lost so many before. He took a deep breath; steadied himself.

‘I’ve been thinking that finding out about what I really do after I got shot has a lot to do with my parent’s attitude towards us being together.’ Caitlin commented. ‘They never really liked the fact that I wanted to be a cop and when they found out I was doing something similar…’

‘I think maybe it was that you got shot.’ Hawke pointed out.

‘Maybe.’ Caitlin sighed. ‘And it probably didn’t help that I chose to return to LA against their wishes afterwards.’

Hawke sighed. After the shooting and strongly encouraged by her mother, he’d told Caitlin to stay in Texas where she was safe; his fear of losing her raising its head. He’d hurt her badly although she’d given into his request, thinking it was what he really wanted. He’d lasted a month before he realised that his decision had caused him to lose her anyway…he’d been about to leave for Texas to ask her to come back when she’d turned up at the airfield. Her mother had confessed to interfering and Caitlin had decided that she had nothing to lose by returning to LA. Their reunion had been the start of their relationship.

Hawke frowned. ‘Dom reckons they just need to see us together.’

‘He does?’ Caitlin worried at her bottom lip with her teeth. ‘I hope he’s right.’

Hawke silently agreed as he realised that her face was pinched with tension. ‘It’s going to be fine.’ He assured her.

Caitlin looked over at him. His blue eyes were hidden behind the aviator sunglasses but she figured they were fixed on hers. ‘You’re right; it’s not too late to turn back.’ She joked.

‘Why don’t you brief me on your family?’ He asked trying to distract her from worrying.

She rolled her eyes. ‘I’ve told you all about them a dozen times.’

‘Well,’ Hawke said firmly, ‘just assume I wasn’t listening before.’

Caitlin gave him a sharp look; she had a feeling he was actually telling the truth.

‘Come on.’ Hawke encouraged her.

She sighed. ‘Well, my eldest brother Brian works on the ranch with my Dad. He’s married to Elaine and they have two children…’

‘Jacob and Rebecca.’ Hawke interjected smoothly.

‘So you have been listening.’

He glanced across at her and quirked an eyebrow upwards, not admitting to anything. ‘So your eldest brother…’

‘He’s a good guy, a little reserved. He was always serious because of knowing he’d take over the ranch from my Dad.’ Caitlin paused for a moment as she adjusted their course. ‘He served in ‘Nam and came back even more serious.’

‘It had that effect on a lot of people.’ Hawke said quietly.

Caitlin nodded and cleared her throat. ‘His wife’s OK. They were childhood sweethearts. She’s very religious. ‘

‘Kinda got that from the names of the kids.’ Hawke gestured. ‘What about your other brother?’

‘Callum’s only a year younger than Brian. But he was the one all my friends swooned over; school quarterback, Prom king, class president. He works for my grandfather’s business now and before he got married to Jenny he was a bit of a…a rake. He’s been married a couple of years now, seems to have settled down.’

‘The kids aren’t his, right?’ Hawke murmured.

‘Right. Emily and Justin are Jenny’s from her first marriage.’ Caitlin confirmed. ‘Nice kids though. Jenny’s very grounded.’

‘You like her.’ He commented.

‘Yeah, I do.’ Caitlin agreed. ‘Then there’s Erin.’

‘Your elder sister.’ Hawke had met Erin in the hospital when Caitlin had been shot. He’d liked her; she’d been the only one who’d been friendly towards the Airwolf team and she’d reminded him a lot of Caitlin.

‘Erin’s only a year older than me.’ Caitlin continued. ‘She’s married to Paul who’s a nice guy even if he is a little dull and the baby is very cute.’

‘What did they call her again?’

‘Sophie.’

Hawke mentally counted up the siblings. ‘Which leaves your younger sister.’

‘Yeah, Fiona.’ Caitlin sighed. ‘She’s five years younger than me and I think she was a bit of a surprise to my parents. She’s spoiled and a brat but I love her anyway.’

‘And the guy she’s marrying is your ex?’ Hawke was still astounded that her sister had hooked up with someone Caitlin had dated. There had always been an unwritten rule between him and his brother that they avoided each other’s exes. He’d thought the rule was standard in most families.

‘Kinda.’ Caitlin gestured weakly. ‘Tom’s from the neighbouring ranch. We’re the same age, grew up together. Our families always joked about the two of us getting together but I think they kinda expected it. We dated in high school, went to the prom together, exchanged friendship rings.’ She hesitated. ‘He proposed to me when we graduated.’

Hawke yanked his sunglasses off to stare at her. ‘You haven’t told me that before.’

‘I know I…’ Caitlin shrugged awkwardly and glanced over at him apologetically. ‘I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.’

‘So you turned him down?’

‘We were eighteen. Neither of us was ready for that kind of commitment.’

‘You guys must have been serious though for him to have proposed.’ There was a question in the statement and Caitlin bit her lip.

‘Actually, I think he proposed mainly because he wanted to have sex and thought that was the only way he was going to get it.’

‘You guys didn’t…’ Hawke let the question trail away; he wasn’t sure whether he wanted the answer.

‘No.’ Caitlin quickly confirmed. ‘We didn’t do more than some heavy…’ She stopped as Hawke’s searing blue gaze met hers. ‘Anyway, we were teenagers. We might have thought ourselves in love but we were only playing at it really.’ Her heart sank at his stern profile. ‘Hey.’ She waited until he glanced over at her again. ‘Compared to how I feel about you, well, there is no comparison.’

Hawke took a deep breath and reached across to squeeze her shoulder. ‘Sorry. I guess the proposal thing kinda threw me.’

‘I should have told you about it before,’ Caitlin admitted ruefully, ‘but really both Tom and I put the whole thing behind us years ago. We’re friends, I mean we’re not close, but friends enough that it wasn’t going to be awkward if we bumped into each kind of friends, and we’re kinda nostalgically fond of each other but nothing more than that.’

Hawke briefly wondered if Tom felt the same way before he mentally kicked himself; the guy was about to get married to another woman, Caitlin’s sister no less. If Tom had any residual feelings for Caitlin they’d obviously been sorted out long ago. Maybe. He found he was suddenly looking forward to the wedding and seeing the other man get hitched.

‘So…anything else I should know about?’ He asked dryly.

Caitlin pressed her lips together. ‘Well, I guess I haven’t really explained about my grandfather.’

‘I get the feeling I’m not going to like this either.’ Hawke said sighing at her nervous tone.

‘My grandfather’s Chester Mitchell.’ She confessed.

‘Chester Mitchell.’ Hawke repeated. ‘The Chester Mitchell? The oil tycoon?’

Caitlin nodded. ‘My mother’s his daughter.’ She explained hurriedly. ‘But it doesn’t really make that much difference. He might be very rich but we aren’t; my Dad was pretty insistent that he wouldn’t let him get involved with the ranch or help out at all. The only thing he agreed to was letting Grandpa put us all through college.’

‘He’ll be at the wedding I take it?’ Hawke asked.

‘Yeah.’ Caitlin sighed.

‘How did your folks meet?’ Hawke asked curious. Chester Mitchell was Texan high society; he couldn’t quite work out how his daughter had ended up marrying a rancher.

‘My Mom was on her way to a ranch my grandfather owned near by and decided to take a detour. She broke down at the bottom of our ranch drive. My Dad helped her out and by the time she got back on the road, she knew he was the man she was going to marry.’ Caitlin shrugged. ‘Apparently, she and Dad got married in secret and there was a big estrangement for a while until Brian was born.’

Hawke glanced over at her. ‘Any more big secrets?’

‘That was the last one.’ She promised. Her eyes caught his. ‘Do you have any I should know about?’

The corners of his lips tilted upwards. ‘Well, you know about my uncle Alex and he was pretty much the family secret.’ His mother’s brother had been a spy who’d deserted the orphaned Hawke brothers; he’d turned up a couple of months before claiming to have found Saint John only for Hawke to discover that it was a con to get Hawke to save Alex’s son, a cousin he hadn’t known anything about. Alex had been killed in the rescue.

‘How did your folks meet?’ Caitlin asked.

Hawke smiled. ‘Alex. He and my Dad were in the army together with Dom. They were injured and brought back to a VA hospital to recover. My mother was visiting Alex and was introduced to my Dad who is in the bed beside him. Two months later they were married.’

‘Wow.’ Caitlin said. ‘That was fast.’

‘My Dad said he wanted to get the ring on her finger before she had a chance to change her mind.’ Hawke remembered fondly. ‘He used to tell the story of how he proposed every year on their anniversary.’

‘I wish I could have met them.’

‘Me too.’ Hawke said.

They smiled at each other before she returned her attention to her flying.

Another thirty minutes passed and Hawke took over the controls to give Caitlin a break. He’d been flying for only a short time when he frowned suddenly and turned his head.

‘What’s the matter?’ Caitlin asked.

‘Do you hear that?’ He responded.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. ‘Sure. I developed super-hearing overnight.’

Hawke shot her a look. ‘There’s a plane.’

‘Where?’ Caitlin glanced out at the blue sky, craning to spot the plane. ‘I thought air traffic told us we had a clear path.’

‘They did but this guy’s definitely above us.’ His eyes were glued to sky trying to peer into the blue above. ‘Getting closer.’

‘Real close.’ Caitlin frowned. ‘I can hear it now.’

Hawke’s whole body was tense with anticipation; there was something very wrong…the plane was too close.

‘Doesn’t he know we’re here?’ Caitlin asked. Her heart pounded in her chest as the noise of the light plane engine got louder and louder. ‘He’s right on top of us.’ She switched on the mike. ‘This is Sierra-Delta-Foxtrot to the plane at angels-twenty. We are directly below. Do you copy?’

There was no reply but the sound of the plane engine filled the cockpit.

‘This is Sierra-Delta-Foxtrot. Do you copy?’ Caitlin said urgently.

‘Hold on.’ Hawke saw the shadow of the plane and reacted without thought, veering left suddenly. It was an instinctive move that saved their lives as the plane nosedived on their right side, slamming through the space they had just occupied, and close enough that Caitlin cringed away from the door. There was a horrible crunching sound and their small aircraft spun and lurched. Hawke wrestled with stick trying to keep them steady; Caitlin desperately gripped her seat, her knuckles turning white as she looked out the side window and swallowed; the right wing was mangled.

‘He caught the right wing.’ She fought to keep calm and then felt the engines stall. She reached forward tried for a restart. The plane rocked precariously, losing altitude.

Hawke swore loudly and tried to keep them level, fought against the pull of gravity and physics as the plane tilted ominously; the engine restart was unsuccessful. He could dimly hear Caitlin calling through the mayday on the radio giving their last known coordinates but his whole being was focused on controlling the machine, trying to keep her straight, trying to keep her balanced, trying to glide her down in a controlled way. He used every trick he could to slow the descent and desperately searched for a landing site in the rocky, mountainous ground below.

‘There!’ Caitlin pointed at a tiny strip of flat land in the barren landscape. He steered them towards it and knew they were going to hit the ground too fast.

‘Brace yourself!’ He yelled roughly, still wrestling with the controls, still trying desperately to make the landing.

The plane’s wheels hit the rocks below; they bounced once; twice. He got the plane down; it jolted hard as they landed throwing them forward. His expression tightened at the sight of the stony wall racing up towards them and he hit the brakes hard. The plane skidded over the ground, barely slowed. They both threw up their hands protectively as the nose hit the wall, crumpled. The plane gave a wrenching screech and came to a sudden stop. The cockpit was silent except for the harsh pants of their shallow breathing.

Hawke immediately turned to Caitlin. ‘You OK?’

She nodded and sniffed the air, her eyes widening at the smell of fuel. ‘We need to get out. Now.’ Her hands shook as they unlocked the straps holding her.

Hawke tried his door; it was jammed. ‘Out your side.’

Caitlin shoved against her door. ‘It’s not moving.’

Hawke frowned and leaned back almost in her lap to get enough room, enough purchase to kick his door open. He jumped out and reached up to help Caitlin. She threw out a rucksack of emergency equipment stowed in the cockpit before she followed him out. Hawke grabbed the bag and Caitlin’s arm. They ran away from the plane. It exploded suddenly behind them; the force lifting both of them off their feet and sending them sprawling.

Hawke hit the ground hard, felt the breath leave his body in a rush. He shifted and looked back at the burning debris of their aircraft briefly before his eyes sought Caitlin. She had landed close by him and she was in a similar position; her shocked blue-green eyes pinned to the wreckage. He crawled over to her and she reached for him, hugging him tightly. Hawke could feel her body trembling against his and wrapped himself around her; he couldn’t seem to get close enough. They stayed that way for a long moment; both needing the reassurance of holding the other to steady them.

Hawke eased back and kissed her before he pulled away just enough for his eyes to lock back on hers furiously. ‘Marry me.’ It was a demand.

Caitlin’s eyes widened and she reached up to brush his fringe out of his stormy blue eyes, her fingers lightly touching his face as she cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand. It wasn’t how she’d imagined and she figured he would probably change his mind once they were safely home but it didn’t matter, it wouldn’t change how she would answer. ‘OK.’

He breathed out in relief and kissed her again. They might have stayed locked in the embrace but for a cold brush of wind that sharply reminded them of their situation. They eased away from each other ruefully and gingerly made to stand up.

Caitlin’s face blanched white as a flash of pain shot up her leg and she yelped, staggered. Hawke’s arm immediately locked around her waist and he lowered her to sit on a rock as she hopped keeping the weight from the injured ankle. He crouched down next to her and put the ankle through a couple of simple physical tests without removing the boot; if it was broken or sprained it would provide her with support.

He looked up at her. ‘I think it’s a sprain.’ He said finally.

Caitlin nodded. ‘I must have landed on it badly. Damn!’ Her eyes smarted suddenly and her shaking fingers wiped away the tears that spilled onto her cheeks.

Hawke framed her face with his hands. ‘Hey.’ His eyes held hers firmly. ‘We’re going to get through this.’

‘I know.’ Her voice was thick with emotion. She took a deep, wobbly breath and breathed out slowly. ‘I’m OK.’

Hawke saw the resolve creep back into her eyes, start to push out the shock. He gave a small sigh of relief and glanced around at the surroundings. The landscape was mainly grey rock with brown dry ground peeking out here and there with green brush breaking up the unremitting barrenness.

‘Do you know where we landed?’ Caitlin asked.

Hawke sighed. ‘We were clipping the top of the White Sands Missile Range over the San Andres Mountains when we got hit by that plane. It’s possible we’ve come down just inside the boundary.’

‘Maybe the military picked up on the mayday.’ Caitlin said hopefully.

‘Maybe.’ Hawke gestured at the smouldering wreckage. ‘Staying in the plane isn’t an option and we can’t stay with it; this place is too exposed.’ Another gust of harsh wind underscored his point and had them both shivering.

Hawke reached for the rucksack and pawed through the items to find the map. He spread it out on the rock next to where Caitlin was sitting. ‘What were the last coordinates you radioed?’

She gave them to him and he stabbed a finger at the location. ‘That’s where we were.’ He took out the compass, checked his watch and the position of the sun. ‘I think we’re here.’ He traced a finger across the map; they’d drifted a good fifty miles from their last known position. It was going to take time for any rescue party to find them. He frowned. The nearest road was a good twenty kilometres away over rocky and barren terrain; the nearest town wasn’t even a remote possibility. His eyes drifted to Caitlin. She couldn’t walk on the ankle, at least not far.

‘We need to find some shelter close by and wait for them to come get us.’ Caitlin surmised. She could read the map as well as he could.

Hawke nodded.

‘Or…’ She took a deep breath.

‘Or?’ Hawke asked wondering what other option she figured they had.

‘You could leave me. You’d make good time walking out on your own…’

‘No.’

‘Hawke, you’d be able to bring a rescue team back within twenty-four, forty-eight hours tops.’ She argued.

‘I said no.’ Hawke caught her eyes in a fierce gaze. ‘I’m not leaving you.’

She nodded slowly. She knew his answer was rooted in the memory of leaving his brother behind and losing him. ‘We need to find some shelter then.’

‘I need to find us some shelter.’ He corrected her.

She raised an eyebrow. ‘What happened to the ‘I’m not leaving you’ position?’

He sighed and gestured at her. ‘You need to rest that ankle and I won’t be gone long. Whatever I find has to be close by.’

‘I can help…’

‘Caitlin.’

The slightly exasperated tone had the words dying on her lips.

He looked around. ‘I’m going to help you over to the wall. It’ll give you some protection. You stay on the radio and have the flares ready if you see a rescue plane.’

It only took a few minutes to make his words a reality. He handed her the radio, the flare gun and a water bottle. He hesitated by her side.

She’d been involved with him too long not to see past the impassivity and pick up on the minute clues to how he was feeling. She caught his hand in hers. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.’ She attempted a wry grin. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

Hawke didn’t smile but he dipped his head and kissed her. ‘I’ll be back soon.’ He let go of her hand and walked away before he could change his mind.

—

Dom grinned and waved wildly at the chopper coming into land. He barely waited for the rotors to slow before he was ducking underneath them to help the small blonde pilot from the cockpit and wrap her in a bear hug. He pulled back and gave his niece a gap-toothed smile as her blue eyes sparkled back at him.

‘Ah, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.’ Dom said.

‘You look good, Uncle Dom.’ Jo Santini smiled. Her eyes scanned over him anxiously. Hawke’s phone call had been brief and to the point; Dom had met a woman in Italy, fallen for her and she’d tried to kill him. That Hawke had called her at all was a worrying sign of how badly he thought their surrogate father had been affected and now she could see for herself the tense deep lines on her uncle’s face and the hint of sadness lurking in his eyes even as they smiled at her in welcome, she agreed with Hawke’s assessment that the older man needed company. Jo also figured there was more to it than Hawke had told her but she knew better than to try to get the answers from him; she would have more luck with her uncle. She hugged him again.

‘What’s that for?’ Dom asked with a laugh.

‘I just missed you.’ Jo said pulling back.

‘Well, maybe you should come visit more often, huh?’ Dom chided her gently and without heat; he’d accepted a long time ago that his fledglings had left the nest.

‘Maybe I should.’ She admitted surprising herself at how much she meant the comment.

Dom released her and reached into the back of the chopper for her bag. ‘Well how about we get you settled into my place and have some lunch whilst we catch up properly?’

‘Sounds good to me.’ Jo slipped an arm around his expansive waist as they walked over to the Santini Air hangar.

Dom’s apartment was only a short drive from the airfield, the noise of the landings and take-offs clearly audible as they walked up the path. Dom ushered her inside and Jo smiled as they walked straight into the small sitting room. She’d never stayed on her previous visits back to see him and she hadn’t been back to the apartment since she’d graduated high school. It hadn’t changed at all, she thought. The wallpaper was still the same green and yellow lurid print that screamed of the Sixties; the matching green carpet was clean but worn and the pale beige leatherette sofa and chair were original Sixties design. A battered coffee table took up floor space in the centre; an old sideboard crowded one wall, its surface covered with pictures of family and friends along with an old record player. A Formica table and four chairs took up the back wall where an open door led to a narrow corridor.

It was smaller than Jo remembered and she wondered with some bemusement how three teenagers and her uncle had managed to fit into the small space as she followed her uncle through to the bedrooms. He opened the first door on his right and placed her bags on one of the twin beds. Jo scanned the room and gave a brief sigh of relief that Dom seemed to have updated this room at least. It had been the Hawke brothers when they’d lived there but their old stuff had been cleared out, the walls painted in a fresh blue colour, the floorboards in a whitewash. The bedding was simple and not overly fussy, a deeper shade of blue that didn’t quite match the paint or the curtains hanging at the window.

‘I hope this is OK for you.’ Dom said.

‘It’s great, Uncle Dom.’ Jo smiled at him reassuringly.

‘Good, good.’ He said. ‘Kitchen’s across the hall, my room is just next door like always and the bathroom’s down the hall to your left.’

‘I remember.’

‘Well, I’ll get started on lunch if you want to get settled in.’ Dom rubbed his hands together and backed out of the room, leaving her alone. Jo took another look around the small space. She hadn’t been allowed in the room when she’d lived in the apartment with the Hawke brothers; it had been a real no-go zone. Not that it had stopped her from trying she remembered with rueful amusement…

Jo skipped into the apartment, threw her school bag onto the sofa with a careless abandon, turned on the old transistor radio on the sideboard on her way to the kitchen. The music blared out; a Beatles song…she started singing along, slightly off-key, as she grabbed some cookies from the jar on the kitchen counter and made her way back to the sitting room. Jo was half-way through the first cookie when it occurred to her that she was alone in the apartment.

She turned eagerly and made her way to the forbidden door; the Hawke brothers’ room. The sign on the door said ‘Keep Out’; she paid it no attention but slowly lowered the handle and swung the door open. Her nose wrinkled at the musky smell. The room looked as though it had schizophrenia. The half by the window was a mess; the bed was unmade, dirty clothes littered the floor, the dresser was covered in junk, books, socks, other stuff she didn’t want to examine too closely. The half by the door was orderly, neat with everything put away in a certain order; a cello and bow hung neatly from the wall; String was such a neat-freak, so uncool not like his brother, she thought with the type of disgust only teenagers could muster, casually forgetting her own belongings were similarly ordered.

She ventured in and made immediately for Saint John’s haphazardly stacked record collection; he’d bought the Rolling Stones album and she wanted to listen to it. She flipped through the records till she found it, holding it aloft triumphantly. Her glee was short-lived. The sound of the apartment door opening had her dropping the record back into the pile and hastily making for the door. Jo stopped in her tracks as she heard the brothers’ voices coming closer. She was going to be discovered. Quick as a flash she noiselessly closed the door and scurried under the first bed just as they entered.

‘…I don’t see why you want to go to Vietnam, Saint John.’

‘I was always going to join up, String, you know that.’ Saint John replied.

‘But why now? You haven’t even finished school.’

‘I told you.’ The bed creaked as the brothers slumped onto their respective bunks. ‘It was just like Pauley said, the new recruitment officer didn’t even look at my id.’

Jo’s eyes widened; Saint John was leaving? He was going to join the army and go to Vietnam? She shivered. She didn’t know much about the war but she did know soldiers went there and didn’t come back. She frowned; String was asking what he was going to do if Saint John went…

‘You’ll be OK.’ Saint John said. ‘You’ve got Dom.’

‘It’s not the same, Saint John.’

‘We were going to have to go our separate ways eventually, String. I mean, you want to go study the cello like Mom wanted you to, don’t you?’

‘Yeah but…’

‘And I want to be an army pilot.’ Saint John insisted. ‘Like Dad.’

‘But does it have to be now?’

Saint John sighed. ‘You’re going to have to stand on your own two feet sometime, little brother.’

Jo’s nose suddenly twitched. She made a futile effort to stop the sneeze which exploded from her and brought the conversation between the brothers to a sudden halt. There was a moment’s deathly silence before hands grabbed her and yanked her from under the bed. She struggled and managed to kick Saint John’s shin whilst she elbowed String in the stomach.

‘What the heck is going on here?’ Dom’s grumpy voice had all three of them breaking apart and looking guiltily at their guardian. They stayed quiet, bound by the unwritten teenage rule that you didn’t squeal even if it meant you all got into trouble.

Dom crossed his arms and stared at the three teenagers. ‘I’m not going to ask you again.’

‘It was my fault, Uncle Dom.’ Jo said hurriedly knowing the older man would go easier on her than on the boys. ‘I was in their room. I wanted to borrow a record.’

‘You know you’re not allowed in here.’ Dom chastised her. His dark eyes flickered to the boys. ‘But that’s no excuse for manhandling her; she’s only twelve and you don’t treat a woman like that. Ever.’

‘No, Uncle Dom.’ The brothers said in unison.

‘Well, we’ll figure a punishment out later. String, you’re due at Mrs Gantree for your music lesson. You’d better get going.’

‘Yes, sir.’ He took his cello and bow off the wall and reached for the cello-case in the wardrobe.

‘Jo, you can start the dinner.’ Dom gestured at Saint John. ‘I need to have a word with Saint John.’

Jo opened her mouth to protest and closed it again at the stern look her uncle gave her. She shuffled out of the room and into the small kitchenette across the hall as String made his way out of the apartment. She glanced back and saw with surprise that her uncle had closed the bedroom door. What was so important he’d closed the door? She hurriedly put a large pot of water on for the pasta and tiptoed back to press her ear up against the wood.

‘…better example.’ Dom finished.

‘Yes, sir.’ There was a sulky undertow to Saint John’s voice.

Her uncle must have heard it too because he sighed loud enough for the sound to travel through the door. ‘I had a call earlier from the army recruitment office. It seems you tried to join up today.’

There was a silence.

‘Nothing to say for yourself?’

‘I want to join up, Uncle Dom, you know that.’

‘I know, we talked about it but this…this isn’t the way. Lying and cheating. You’re lucky the guy in charge down there is an old buddy of mine and your Dad’s; he recognised your name and called me.’ Dom said. ‘You’re too young.’

‘I’m almost eighteen…’

‘And you haven’t finished school yet.’ Dom interrupted. ‘Look, Saint John, if you knew what war was really like you wouldn’t be in such an all-fired up hurry to get there. It’s bloody and it’s brutal and it’s hard. I could tell you stories…’

‘I know. I’m ready for it.’ Saint John insisted.

‘And is your brother?’

‘He’ll be OK here. He has you.’

‘But he won’t stay here, will he? He’ll follow you. You know that.’ Dom pointed out.

‘I can’t live my life always thinking about String.’ Saint John’s voice rang with frustration.

‘I know that and he knows that.’ Dom said. ‘But there’s a time for these things, Saint John and this isn’t it.’

Another silence.

‘Saint John, you’re not going. Not yet anyway. You understand?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘And if I catch you at that recruitment office again before you finish school, you and me are going nose to nose, you understand that?’

‘Yes, sir.’

Jo hurried back to the kitchen and was putting the pasta into the furiously boiling water when her uncle joined her.

‘So what you’re cooking?’ He asked her.

‘Pasta.’

‘Pasta, huh?’ Dom smiled at her. ‘What sauce do you want to go with that?’

‘What sauce do you want to go with your pasta?’

Jo shook herself free of the memories and turned to smile at her uncle who was stood a little awkwardly in the doorway.

‘You OK? You seemed miles away.’ Dom noted.

Jo’s smile widened. ‘Just thinking about how I used to sneak in here all the time and how it always made the guys mad.’

Dom returned the smile. ‘So, tomato and basil sauce OK?’

‘Sounds perfect.’ Jo gestured. ‘I’ll just finish unpacking.’

Dom nodded and headed back to the kitchen. It took her no time at all to put her few clothes away, arrange her cosmetics and lotions on the dresser along with a cherished picture of her parents. She sighed. Her mother was long dead and she hadn’t seen her father for years…Dom had always been more of a parent to her than either of them, she thought. Another wave of guilt curdled in her stomach; with all her travelling she was as bad as her father at staying in touch. She shook herself and headed out to join her uncle.

An hour later, she threw her napkin on the table and groaned dramatically. ‘I’m going to need to run an extra mile tomorrow to get rid of the damage that chocolate cake’s just done.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Dom gestured at her. ‘There’s hardly anything to you. Ah, you girls are all the same. Caitlin’s always complaining if she eats this or that, she’ll put weight on and there’s hardly anything to her.’

Jo smiled. ‘What’s she like?’

‘Caitlin?’ Dom shrugged. ‘What do you want to know?’

Jo rolled her eyes. ‘I mean is she pretty, smart? You know, what’s she like?’

‘Sure, she’s pretty and smart.’ Dom said agreeably.

‘Uncle Dom!’ Jo laughed. ‘You know what I mean.’

Dom smiled. ‘She’s a good pilot.’

‘Ah, a good pilot. Well, I guess that is the highest form of compliment.’ Jo said.

‘And she’s a sweetheart.’ Dom finished. ‘She left you her car. It’s parked out front if you want to use it whilst you’re here.’

Jo smiled; she liked the sound of the other woman already. ‘She must be special if Hawke’s serious about her.’

‘Oh he’s serious about her.’ Dom said. ‘Like I told you, they’re all moved in together.’

It had been a surprise to hear that Hawke had moved in with somebody. She’d always thought that he would end up as some crusty old hermit living alone on his mountain. She sighed. ‘I take it she is the same Caitlin that Holly tried to…er…kill?’

Dom’s eyes narrowed on hers. ‘How’d you hear about that?’

‘Please. It was like Auntie Marie’s favourite story last year. It was in her Christmas letter. I don’t know if there was someone in the family who didn’t hear about it.’

‘Hmmm.’ Dom pressed his lips together. ‘Well, Holly’s doing OK.’

‘She still in the…er…’ Jo gestured unsure what to call it.

‘Yes, she’s still at the clinic but she’s doing much better.’ Dom said quickly. ‘You should go see her. She is your cousin.’

‘Does she know Hawke and Caitlin got together?’ Jo asked avoiding the subject of her visiting; she’d always thought Holly was weird.

‘No.’ Dom shook his head and gestured. ‘The doctor thinks it might bring on a relapse after the way she kinda fixated on String.’ He sat back in his chair and regarded Jo fondly. ‘So String called you, huh?’

Jo shifted uncomfortably. ‘What makes you say that?’ She reached for her coffee. They’d never been able to fool him, she thought ruefully.

He raised a bushy eyebrow at her.

‘OK,’ she caved under the parental stare, ‘he called me. He was worried about you.’

‘Well, you don’t have to be. Either of you.’ He gestured. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Hawke didn’t tell me much about what happened.’ Jo said. ‘Just that you’d met someone and they’d tried to kill you.’

‘That pretty much sums it up.’ Dom said. ‘But I’m OK. I don’t need a babysitter.’

‘You want me to leave?’ Jo stiffened surprised at how much she really wanted to stay.

‘Of course not!’ Dom smiled at her and reached over to pat her hand. ‘I love having you here but I want you to know you don’t need to worry about me, that’s all.’

Jo nodded and was about to say something when the phone rang.

Dom shoved his chair back and went to answer it. ‘Santini.’ He said curtly as he picked up the receiver.

‘Dominic, why aren’t you at the airfield? I’ve been trying to contact you.’

Dom rolled his eyes at Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III’s exasperated tone. ‘Hello to you too, Michael.’ He said sweetly. ‘Make this quick, huh, because my niece is here…’

‘Dominic,’ Michael interrupted the older man, ‘Hawke and Caitlin’s plane went down over White Sands Missile Range this morning.’

Dom froze. ‘Are they…?’

‘All I can tell you is that Caitlin called in a mayday.’ Michael said. ‘There’s more but I can’t tell you about it on the phone. I’m at the Lair, can you meet me?’

‘You’re at the…’ Dom’s brow lowered angrily. ‘I thought we told you…’

‘Dom, this is serious.’ Michael snapped. ‘Now are you coming to meet me or not?’

‘I’m on my way.’ Dom slammed the phone down and met Jo’s questioning gaze. ‘I have to go out. That was…an irate customer.’

‘I’ll come with you.’ Jo took a step toward him.

‘No, no.’ Dom waved her back. ‘You stay here. I’ll be back in a little while.’ He was already shrugging on the bright blue Santini Air jacket and adjusting the red satin cap. ‘Bye now.’

He quickly stepped out the front door and closed it. He sighed worriedly; if anything had happened to Hawke and Caitlin….he headed for the jeep and his meeting with Michael.

—

Hawke lowered Caitlin to the floor of the cave he’d found slowly. It was only a short distance from where their plane had come down with a natural spring nearby that would provide them with water but it had taken them a good thirty minutes to get there with Caitlin’s injury slowing them down.

Caitlin couldn’t prevent the small moan that escaped her lips as she rested her ankle on the ground but seeing the look of concern on Hawke’s face wished she’d found a way. She took a deep breath. ‘I’m OK.’

‘You’re in pain.’ He corrected her. He should have insisted he carry her, he thought. He went over to the backpack and took out the small first aid kit. He frowned at the dozen painkillers; that wasn’t going to hold her for long. He squeezed one from the foil packet and handed it to her with some water. She took it without an argument which worried him even more. He checked his watch. Early afternoon; they’d gone down two hours before. If they were lucky a search plane would already be out looking for them and they’d only have to spend a few hours in the cave. They’d left an arrow in stones by the plane letting any potential rescue group know where the direction they had taken.

‘What d’ya think happened to the other plane?’ Caitlin asked interrupting his thoughts.

Hawke sat down next to her and took the water bottle she offered him. He took a sip and screwed the top back on. ‘There was some black smoke a few miles away.’

‘You think he crashed?’

‘That’d be my guess.’ Hawke said. ‘It wasn’t a knock he gave us.’

‘True.’ Caitlin said. ‘What the hell was he playing at? He could have killed us. If you hadn’t…’ she swallowed, ‘we’d be dead right now if you hadn’t moved out of the way like you did.’

‘We made it.’ His fingers rubbed hers soothingly. ‘You know I kinda think he was in trouble. Nobody flies like that unless they’re seriously out of control.’

‘Maybe.’ Caitlin agreed. She sighed deeply. ‘My Mom’s never going to believe this. First I miss Erin’s wedding because my plane gets hijacked and now I’m going to miss Fiona’s because our plane got smashed up.’

‘The wedding’s not till the day after tomorrow. We have time.’ Hawke pointed out. ‘With any luck we’ll get rescued before the end of the day.’

‘You think?’ Caitlin asked.

He slipped an arm around her and she cuddled into his side. ‘I think there’s a good chance. Dom’s likely to bring the Lady out to look for us as soon as he hears we went down.’

‘I hope so.’ Caitlin said. She shivered; a combination of shock and pain.

‘I’ll start a fire.’ Hawke said and eased away from her. She watched as he gathered together twigs and branches before lighting them with a match from the pack in the rucksack.

‘How are we doing on provisions?’ Caitlin asked.

Hawke shrugged. ‘We have two apples, two chocolate bars and two packets of unsalted nuts.’

‘Yummy.’ Caitlin murmured. ‘We should probably ration in case.’

‘Yeah.’ He handed her a packet of nuts. ‘We’ll share.’

He sat back down next to her and they ate their meagre lunch looking at the flickering flames. Hawke tipped out the rest of the rucksack and organised the items; a torch, the flare gun, the small radio, a map, binoculars, matches, rope, first aid kit and the gun with its ammo.

‘It’s just as well you thought to grab the bag.’ Hawke said as he loaded the gun. The cave was set well back in the wall of the mountain and the fire would deter most predators but they were fairly vulnerable.

Caitlin nodded. ‘I almost forgot about it.’

‘At least we have the basics.’ Hawke said nodding at the items he’d laid out. ‘I’m going to sit outside and keep watch for search planes.’

‘We can sit outside together.’

‘You stay by the fire. Stay warm.’ He leaned over and kissed her. ‘I’ll be right outside.’

Caitlin watched him wander out with the radio and both the flare gun and the automatic pistol. She sighed and looked round the cave. ‘Next time I’m packing a book in that bag.’ She muttered.

—

The Santini Air jeep screeched to a halt by the white FIRM open-topped version in the Lair. Dom threw open the jeep door and hurried over to the platform where Michael was waiting for him. Dom barely noticed that the pilot was dressed in his usual all-white three piece suit.

‘What’s happened?’ Dom demanded. ‘Are they OK?’

‘They haven’t found them yet.’ Michael said rising to his feet.

‘They?’

‘The CIA.’

‘The CIA?’ Dom checked. ‘They have jurisdiction?’

‘For this they do. Let me explain.’ Michael held up a hand to stop the barrage of questions he could see in the other man’s eyes. ‘The CIA warned the President this morning that they believed a group of terrorists planned to fly a plane into the Range with the purpose of detonating a nuclear bomb.’

‘So?’

‘So just before Caitlin’s mayday, a plane was spotted flying on a parallel course to Hawke and Caitlin’s plane. Now they know Hawke and Caitlin had a legitimate flight path which was close to the top of the range but they think the terrorists were trying to confuse the radar by flying close enough to fool the sensors. They think the terrorist’s plane accidentally collided with Hawke and Caitlin’s and they think both planes went down in the same terrain.’ He gestured at a monitor which was displaying a map of the White Sands Missile Range. ‘Here.’ He stabbed at a point on the map.

‘You mean Hawke and Caitlin could have crashed along with a group of terrorists?’ Dom gestured at the spy.

‘That’s exactly what I mean.’ Michael’s good eye stared seriously at the older pilot. ‘If Hawke and Caitlin made it down in one piece, there’s a good chance those terrorists made it too. These guys are determined to set this bomb off and if they come across Hawke and Caitlin…’

‘You think they’re in trouble?’ Dom concluded.

Michael nodded. ‘I’m afraid so.’ He sighed. ‘There’s also the CIA to consider.’

‘Oh?’

‘They got permission from the President to handle this and they are looking for the terrorists that went down but it’s not a rescue operation.’ Michael turned the cane around in his hands, an uncharacteristic nervous gesture. ‘They told me they’re looking for Hawke and Caitlin too but I know how this works, Dominic…’

‘And?’

‘And the likelihood is that there has been no order for the men on the ground to distinguish between the terrorists and Hawke and Caitlin. They can’t waste time rescuing innocents when they could be being fooled by the terrorists.’

‘Are you telling me that the CIA is looking for Hawke and Caitlin so they can shoot them?’ Dom’s voice rose.

‘I think so.’ Michael said anxiously.

‘We need to find them.’ Dom said and started to strip his jacket off. ‘Before those terrorists or the CIA do.’

‘Dominic, I’ve orders to stay out of it.’ Michael admitted. I’m taking a risk just being here. Marella’s covering for me but she won’t be able to do that for long.’

Dom’s eyes hardened. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

Michael shook his head. ‘I’m not.’

‘After everything String’s done for you, you’re going to just leave him and Cait hanging out there?’ Dom said furiously.

‘Don’t you think I know that? Dammit, Dominic, I care about them too.’ Michael said heatedly.

‘Then help me find them.’ Dom insisted.

‘I can’t.’ Michael said forcefully. ‘I have to attend a Committee meeting back at the FIRM this afternoon…’

‘So you blow off a meeting…’

‘If I’m not there then suspending me might be the best of what happens to me.’

‘So you get suspended…’

‘I said suspension was the best option not the only one.’ Michael pointed out. ‘I’m no use to Hawke if I’m dead, Dominic.’ He saw the realisation of what the consequences might be dim the anger in the older man’s eyes. ‘I can’t take that risk not now.’

Dom sighed. He knew the spy was referring to his newly discovered ten year old daughter. Michael had turned into a doting father and Dom knew it wasn’t fair to ask the other man to risk his life and leave his daughter fatherless. He levelled a determined look at the other man. ‘I’m still going.’ He braced himself for an argument.

Michael simply nodded. ‘I thought you would.’ He pointed at the computer console. ‘Marella’s put everything we know about the situation on disc. It’s compatible with Airwolf’s computers.’

‘Thanks, Michael.’

The spy nodded again and headed down the steel ramp to his vehicle. He threw his cane into the passenger seat and turned to look sadly at Dominic. ‘I wish…’

‘I know, Michael.’

Michael smoothed his moustache. ‘Good luck.’ He got into the jeep and backed out of the Lair.

Dom watched Michael leave and sighed. He glanced up at the computer console and walked over to the lockers to change. He was just tying the last knot on his boot laces when he heard the sound of footsteps. He picked up his gun and crept along the edge of the platform to stand next to the wall just before the entrance. A shadow appeared forewarning of someone about to enter the Lair. Dom let them take another couple of steps so they were parallel with him. It looked like a young kid; trainers, jeans, a baseball jacket and a baseball cap pulled low over their face.

‘That’s far enough, friend.’ Dom took the safety off the gun and the audible click echoed in the cave. ‘I’ve got a gun trained on you. Put your hands on your head and turn around real slowly to face me.’

The intruder followed the instructions and Dom’s eyes widened with recognition before they filled with anger. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’

‘I followed you.’ Jo admitted unashamedly. She gestured at the gun. ‘You want to put that away, Uncle Dom?’

Dom looked down at the pistol in his hands as though surprised to still find it there. He lowered it immediately. ‘You shouldn’t be here.’

‘I was concerned.’ Jo said lowering her hands. ‘You just took off.’ She glanced around the Lair. ‘Exactly where is here anyway?’ She asked as her eyes landed on the black and white helicopter sat in the shaft of sunlight in the centre of the Lair. ‘Oh my God! This is incredible.’ She walked over to peer into the machine, run her hand against the glossy black armour even as her eyes met his. ‘What’s going on?’

‘It’s a long story,’ Dom said gesturing impatiently, ‘and I don’t have time to tell it to you right now. I have to go.’

‘Something’s wrong isn’t it?’ Jo followed him across the Lair to the lockers. ‘Tell me.’

Dom marched up the steel platform and ejected the disc from the computer console. ‘You stay here and I’ll explain later.’

‘Is it Hawke? Is he in trouble?’ Jo grabbed his arm as he went to walk past her to the helicopter. ‘Maybe I can help you.’

Dom stopped and looked at her. She gazed back at him with eager, concerned eyes. ‘OK, OK.’ He said. He waved at the lockers. ‘Caitlin should have a spare uniform in there. If you’re changed by the time I do the flight check, you can come with me.’

It wasn’t long before he was settling her into the engineer’s console.

‘This is amazing.’ Jo said awestruck as he helped her put on the helmet.

The memory of Hawke recounting Caitlin’s first time in the Lady bubbled to the surface of his mind. ‘Do not touch anything.’

‘OK.’ She agreed quickly.

He harrumphed and took the commander’s seat at the front. He switched on the engines, heard the systems powering up and breathed a sigh of relief. His hand hovered over the cyclic. ‘I mean it, Jo. When I say do not touch anything, and I mean do not touch anything without my telling you to.’

‘Yes, Uncle Dom.’ Jo withdrew her hand that had wavered over the computer console. She took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her ears as the helicopter rose smoothly up the funnel. Her chest was tight as they cleared the walls and hovered over the Valley of the Gods. She realised belatedly that she needed to breathe. She took another breath and lost it immediately as the helicopter shot forward, the g-force pressing her back into the seat. Were they doing mach speed? In a helicopter? Jo slowly released her grip on the console.

Dom headed for White Sands and filled Jo in on what had happened to Hawke and Caitlin before he told her the story of how Hawke had recovered Airwolf.

‘So let me get this straight,’ Jo said, ‘Hawke’s flying this helicopter for this intelligence agency, the FIRM, whilst they look for Saint John?’

‘That’s right.’ Dom said.

‘And you and Caitlin help him fly her?’

‘Yeah.’

‘And the weird guy in the white suit I saw leaving the cave, he works for the FIRM and helps you guys?’

Dom almost smiled at her description of Michael. ‘He helps as much as he can.’

‘But isn’t Saint John MIA?’

‘As it turns out, no.’ Dom said. ‘We got some information recently that proves he escaped from the Vietcong.’

‘So where is he?’

‘Well according to the information we got, he went to work for an intelligence agency after he left the army and kinda disappeared again.’ Dom admitted.

‘My God.’ Jo shook her head. ‘I can’t believe it.’

‘I know it’s a lot to take in, kid.’

‘So Hawke really might find Saint John?’

‘He really might.’ Dom said. ‘If we can find him and Caitlin first.’

‘We will, Uncle Dom.’

‘OK.’ Dom checked their coordinates. ‘We’re almost there. I need you to access the information on the disc. I need the exact coordinates Caitlin radioed in with her mayday.’

‘I’m ready.’ She said.

Dom gave her the instructions carefully and Jo punched in the commands to the Airwolf computer. The disc whirred and the information came up on the monitor. Jo obediently recounted the coordinates and Dom adjusted their course. He brought Airwolf to a hover over the exact location and instructed Jo on running the surveillance scans.

‘I have something.’ Jo said excitedly.

‘Well don’t keep me in suspense, what have you got?’ Dom demanded.

‘Oh no.’

‘Oh no?’

‘There’s wreckage.’

Dom stilled. ‘Is it theirs?’

‘I can’t tell.’

He told her how to zoom in on the picture, clear it up.

She swallowed. ‘It’s not theirs. It looks pretty intact.’

‘Is there anybody down there?’

‘No, not in the immediate area.’ Jo shook her head.

‘Well keep looking. If that was the terrorist’s plane, Hawke and Caitlin’s must be close by.’ Dom encouraged.

Jo nodded. The monitor suddenly went blank; pictures of aircraft zipped across the screen. ‘Uh…Uncle Dom?’

‘What?’

‘The computer’s doing something back here. All I’m getting is a…a search on some aircraft?’

‘That’s the automatic identifying program. There must be aircraft approaching.’

Jo nodded as the computer settled on an id and flashed a description up on the screen. ‘We have two US attack helicopters vectoring in on the terrorist plane.’

Dom veered away and ascended to a safe height. ‘We need to raise our radar suppression.’

‘Why are we leaving?’ Jo asked.

‘Because we can’t take the risk of those helicopters attacking us.’ Dom said before he told her how to work the radar and infrared jammers.

‘I don’t understand.’ Jo said following his instructions. ‘Why would they fire on us?’

Dom sighed. ‘I told you, Jo. We don’t have any friends in Airwolf.’ He looked helplessly at the clouds hiding the ground below. ‘Besides if we stay, we’ll lead them right to them.’

‘So what do we do now?’ Jo asked despondently.

‘We wait,’ Dom said reluctantly, ‘and we pray they’re alright.’

—

Hawke recognised the sound of the helicopters before he saw them. He raised the flare gun and lowered it peering through the binoculars. He frowned. The choppers were heading for the area where he believed the other plane had crashed and they were heavily armed. He lowered the binoculars thoughtfully and retreated back into the cave.

‘Hey.’ Caitlin greeted him. ‘What’s going on?’ She hoped they were getting rescued soon because if she had to stay looking at the walls of the cave for very much longer…it was beyond boring.

‘I’ve seen a couple of choppers.’ He gestured behind him.

‘Great.’ Caitlin’s smile fell away as she caught the unease in his expression. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I don’t think they’re here to rescue us.’ Hawke admitted thrusting a hand through his hair. He gestured again. ‘They’re armed; looks like they’re carrying a small team each. Black fatigues. They reminded me of some of the CIA task teams I’ve seen in the past.’

‘The CIA?’ Caitlin repeated. ‘Oh, come on Hawke. Why would they be involved?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘But you have a theory.’ Caitlin stated.

Hawke nodded slowly and rubbed his chin. ‘I think that other plane was dogging us today, trying to fool the White Sands radar.’

Caitlin sighed as the implication hit her. ‘They were trying some kind of attack?’

‘I think so.’ He sat down next to her. ‘I think the pilot got too close, panicked he was going to hit us and lost control.’

‘So if they crashed and survived like we did, they might still be attempting to complete their attack.’ Caitlin concluded.

‘That’s not the really bad news.’

‘No.’ Caitlin agreed. ‘The really bad news is that the CIA is after these guys and they’re not bothered about rescuing us.’

Hawke hesitated for a second and subsided into silence. Caitlin didn’t need to know that it was likely the CIA wasn’t planning on leaving anyone alive on the ground.

Caitlin’s eyes narrowed on his face. ‘What else?’

‘Nothing.’ Hawke shook his head and avoided her eyes.

‘There’s something else isn’t there?’ Caitlin frowned. ‘Something you’re not telling me.’

Hawke sighed but remained silent.

‘I’m not a child and I don’t need protecting. Whatever it is I can deal with it.’ Caitlin argued. ‘Now what is it? What are you not telling me?’

He regarded her serious face for a long moment. ‘I think they’re on a shoot to kill mission.’ He admitted. ‘Leave no-one alive.’

Caitlin’s eyes shot to his. She tried to retain her bravado and failed. ‘Great.’ She muttered.

Hawke glanced across at her pale white face and sighed heavily. He reached over and took her hand, entangling their fingers. ‘We’ll get out of this, Cait. I promise.’

Caitlin squeezed his fingers. ‘You have a plan?’

‘Maybe.’ He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘I’m going to head back to the plane and remove the sign we left saying what direction we took.’

‘Good plan.’ Caitlin agreed.

‘We’re not in a bad position, we could hide for quite a while here and it’s defensible but I think we should leave as soon as we can.’ He gestured. ‘But I think Dom’s here. I thought I heard Airwolf earlier before the attack helicopters showed.’

‘You probably did.’ Caitlin said. ‘He would have brought her as soon as he found out.’

‘We’re going to have to find someway of letting him know we’re here.’ Hawke said.

‘But without alerting the bad guys or the CIA.’ Caitlin murmured.

Hawke nodded. ‘If he can pinpoint our location, he can swoop in and pick us up before they can react.’

‘Maybe…’ Caitlin bit her lip, a frown of concentration wrinkling her nose. ‘Maybe, we could use the radio.’ She gestured. ‘I mean, not to talk to him but if we used Airwolf’s emergency frequency and sent a message with a series of clicks…’

‘It’s not a bad idea,’ Hawke said, ‘but someone could pick up Morse code.’

‘Maybe.’ Caitlin admitted. ‘But it has to be a worth try.’

Hawke raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s a long shot.’

‘You have a better idea?’

Hawke made a face and handed her the radio and the gun. ‘Take this. If anybody tries to enter shoot them. We’ll try your idea when I get back.’

‘You should take the gun.’ Caitlin said.

‘Caitlin.’

She rolled her eyes but she took the gun. ‘I’ll get started on working out that code.’

Hawke reached over and kissed her lightly on the lips before he got to his feet and made for the entrance.

‘Be careful.’ She said as he stepped out onto the mountain. He glanced back at her and nodded before disappearing from view.

Hawke made his way back to the wreckage of their plane swiftly. He moved silently across the terrain, keeping vigilant for any sign of the CIA helicopters or any other movement. He had destroyed the makeshift arrow and was about to head back when he heard voices. It took one quick scan to realise the only hiding place was underneath a blackened rock near to the wreckage. He barely slid behind the boulder when two men entered the clearing. He peeked around the corner. One of the men was about his age, blond haired, blue eyed and built like a body-builder with a gash on the right side of his head; the other was small and dark with a neat beard and a moustache. Both were wearing smoke smudged, dirty, sweaty clothes and carrying two large suitcases. Hawke stayed still and listened.

‘Hey, Billy, it looks like this is where the other plane went down.’ The blond gestured at the burned wreck. ‘You think they got out?’

‘If you’re that interested Gerry, Check the plane.’ Billy put his suitcase on the ground and sat on it. He pulled a dirty handkerchief from his coat pocket and mopped at his brow.

‘I’m not checking the plane.’ Gerry shook his head. ‘What if they’re burned like a couple of crispy critters? There’s no way I’m seeing that.’

‘Fine. Then don’t check the plane. I don’t care.’ Billy stood up. ‘Come on. We need to get some more distance between us and these crash sites.’

‘Billy, man. Can’t we rest a bit longer?’

‘No.’ Billy hefted his suitcase. ‘This bomb needs to be in a precise location and thanks to your idiot cousin’s flying we’ve had to walk with the damn thing.’

‘Yeah, Vince never could fly worth a damn.’ Gerry took the other suitcase. ‘Well, guess that’ll not be a problem anymore.’ He chuckled.

‘Come on, will ya?’ Billy took a couple of steps down the incline heading away, Hawke realised with relief, from the direction of the cave.

‘I don’t see what your hurry is.’

‘Cal’s bringing in a chopper to come pick us up in another twenty minutes.’ Billy shouted over his shoulder. ‘We’ll detonate the bomb remotely when we’re in the air.’

‘I just don’t see how this small bomb is going to make anyone give a damn, Billy.’ Gerry picked up his suitcase and lumbered after his friend.

‘Because when it explodes it’s going to poison the soil with radiation deep into the water basin.’

‘But I don’t see how that’s going to make the government give us money, Billy.’

‘You just carry the case, Gerry and leave the thinking to me.’

Hawke remained motionless until he was convinced the men were too far away to hear him move. He started back to the cave and paused. His head cocked to one side; the CIA attack choppers were closing. He quickly made his way back to the cave.

Caitlin greeted him with a smile of relief. ‘I was getting worried.’

‘I’m OK.’ He assured her. ‘But we have to get to Airwolf fast.’ He filled her in on what he’d overheard.

‘God, Hawke, if they set off a nuclear bomb…’

‘I know.’ Hawke gestured impatiently. ‘Are you ready to try this?’

Caitlin took the radio and switched it on, checked the frequency. ‘Here goes nothing.’ She started her signalling.

‘SOS?’ Hawke asked curious.

‘SOS.’ Caitlin said continuing to keep track of the code in her head, her eyes pinned to the radio. ‘OK. It’s sent.’ She met his serious blue gaze. ‘We should know in a minute if they got it.’

Hawke hoisted the rucksack onto his shoulder and helped her to her feet. He provided a support for her as she limped out of the cave and took a seat on a nearby rock. Hawke scanned the sky anxiously.

‘Come on, Dom.’ He muttered under his breath. His head turned at a faint sound…

It was one of the attack helicopters.

Hawke pulled Caitlin onto the floor and covered her with his own body as the chopper unleashed a barrage of gunfire. Bullets impacted the ground around them, ricocheted off the rock. Hawke lifted his head…

A howl echoed through the sky and Airwolf shot past the side of the mountain in a screaming run, unsettling the helicopter which spun and lurched in the sky, the pilot fighting for control.

Dom’s lips pressed together tightly as he swung Airwolf back around to pick up Hawke and Caitlin. He hovered as close as he could as the couple got to their feet. He frowned as Hawke picked Caitlin up and helped her into the helicopter. Jo reached forward to help Caitlin into the back and smiled apologetically as the redhead stared at her in shock.

Hawke flung himself into the front seat and gestured at Dom to move. Dom hit the button that fired the turbos, sent them straight to mach speed just as the helicopter fired a missile into the side of the mountain where they had been. Hawke reached back for his helmet and did a double-take at Jo. She smiled weakly. His eyes moved deliberately to Dom.

‘I can explain…’ The older pilot began.

‘Later.’ Hawke interrupted. He turned to the back. ‘Jo, swap places with Cait. Dom, give me the controls, we have to stop those guys from detonating the bomb.’

‘Sure.’ Dom waited until Hawke had adjusted his helmet before he relinquished the stick.

‘Cait, run a scan for helicopters in the area. Those guys were going to set off the bomb when they got airborne.’

‘On it.’ Caitlin’s hands were already moving competently over the console. Jo watched her a little wistfully. ‘We have a Jet Ranger leaving coordinates just South of here; it’s been heavily modified. I’m reading sidewinders.’ Her eyes widened. ‘Hawke, that bomb is on the ground and it’s active.’

‘Jam the frequencies, Cait.’ Dom advised his face creased with worry.

‘Jamming.’

‘That should buy us a little time.’ Dom said.

‘Yeah.’ Hawke adjusted their course took them on an intercept vector to the Jet Ranger.

‘Hawke, we have two attack helicopters closing.’ Caitlin frowned. ‘They’re targeting us.’

‘Ignore them.’ Hawke ordered. ‘Give me a redeye.’

‘Missile ready.’ Caitlin said punching the button to load it into the ADF pods. She sent a chaff after a missile the CIA threw at them.

Hawke had caught up with the Jet Ranger and he angled Airwolf into a dive that shrieked by the chopper’s rotors. It still managed to fire a missile and Hawke barely registered that Caitlin dealt with it with another chaff before he pressed the trigger. The redeye flew from the pods, locked on the Ranger and impacted into the metal with a huge explosion.

Airwolf was already flying away, ascending into the sky to an altitude the CIA helicopters could not reach.

Hawke flicked the radio on. ‘Give it up, guys. You have better things to do.’

‘Yeah,’ Dom agreed laughing, ‘like defusing that bomb, huh?’

Hawke flicked the radio back off and headed for home.

—

‘Mom, no.’ Caitlin picked up the wrench by her hand and whacked it into the workbench. Hawke and Dom exchanged an amused look and concentrated even more intently on the rotor they were fixing.

‘No, I told you yesterday. We’re coming later today, we’re just waiting on getting some replacement documentation…no, of course we won’t miss the wedding.’ Caitlin sighed and raised her eyes upwards, praying for patience. ‘It was an accident; another plane collided with us. Yes, of course we were looking where we were going.’ She said gesturing with the wrench. It missed the coffee percolator by inches. She listened for a while and dropped the wrench with a clatter to rub at the pain in her forehead, leaving a grease mark across the freckles. ‘Well at least we didn’t get hijacked.’

Jo looked up from her position underneath the helicopter and sent a quizzical look towards her uncle. Dom shrugged; he remembered only too well the drama of the plane hijacking that had caused Caitlin to miss her sister Erin’s wedding.

‘No, that wasn’t funny. Yeah, we’ll see you then. OK. Bye.’ Caitlin pressed the button to end the call and lowered her head onto the workbench.

Hawke jumped off the ladder and walked over to her. He massaged her tense shoulders. ‘You OK?’

She raised her head and sighed, leaning back into the massage. ‘You know I don’t think my ankle is up to going.’

Hawke dropped a kiss on the top of her head. ‘We’re going. It’s only a couple of days.’

‘Right.’ Caitlin repeated doubtfully. She gestured at the office. ‘I’d better get us started on the insurance paperwork.’ She rose to her feet, kissed Hawke’s cheek and hobbled out of the hangar.

‘When did Marella say she’d be by with those documents?’ Dom said coming down from the ladder to stand by Hawke who was staring after Caitlin with a worried frown.

‘Huh?’ Hawke’s eyes flickered reluctantly to Dom and the question finally registered with him. He shoved his hands in his beige overalls. ‘It wasn’t an exact time.’

‘Hmmm.’ Dom lifted the coffee pot and shook it hopefully. The sound of liquid swishing was music to his ears. ‘You want a cup, Jo?’

‘Sure.’ She slid from under the chopper and pushed herself to a standing position. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, shoved through the back of the baseball cap she wore. It was colour coordinated with her blue overalls. She happily accepted the mug her uncle handed her.

‘Now remember, when Marella gets here…’ Dom reminded her.

‘I know,’ Jo raised her mug, a twinkle in her blue eyes, ‘I know nothing.’ She quickly took a sip of her drink, hiding her face in her mug as Hawke’s icy blue eyes shot to her. He’d been barely mollified by Dom over her impromptu Airwolf experience and she could see that he was struggling to trust her to keep quiet even given their history. She lowered the mug. ‘I won’t tell anyone, Hawke. I promise.’

Her sincerity shone from her eager face and Hawke sighed before he winked at her. It had always been his way of letting her know they were OK. She gave a pleased nod of acknowledgement.

‘Before I drop the subject, never to mention it again, I just want to say…she’s an incredible machine.’ Jo murmured.

‘Yeah.’ Hawke agreed readily.

‘Although the way she runs those scans automatically like that…’ Jo shook her head, ‘I didn’t realise surveillance equipment could be that sophisticated.’

‘What do you mean?’ Hawke asked shaking the coffee pot and realising it was empty; he put it down.

‘I mean the way she picked up on your SOS through the communications system. One minute the computer was completely quiet and the next all I had all over the screen was the SOS before she pinpointed your location.’

Hawke stared meaningfully at Dom who avoided his eyes.

‘I’m telling you it was incredible.’ Jo completed a little hesitantly as she scanned their expressions thoughtfully.

‘Incredible,’ repeated Hawke sarcastically to Dom.

The older man gave him a dirty look.

‘I don’t suppose I could come with you guys when you go to Texas later?’ Jo asked hopefully.

‘No.’ Hawke and Dom said in unison.

Jo sighed. ‘Fine.’ She headed back to her original position grumpily.

Dom rolled his eyes and glanced at the clock. ‘I’d better head out for those supplies we need. I’ll be back in an hour.’ He didn’t wait for a reply as he headed out of the hangar, pulling on his trademark red cap as he went.

Hawke wandered over and crouched beside Jo. He handed her the wrench she needed. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey.’ Jo replied.

‘I just wanted to say thanks.’ Hawke smiled at her surprise. ‘For yesterday and for coming.’

Jo slid back out and sat up. ‘He’s hurting.’

Hawke looked down before he met her eyes. ‘I know.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s going to take some time for him to get over what happened.’

‘I’m glad you called me.’ Jo admitted.

Hawke rubbed his chin and gestured absently. ‘He misses you.’

‘I know I should visit more but…’ Jo sighed and met his eyes ruefully. ‘Life, you know?’

Hawke nodded.

‘He knows you called me.’ Jo gestured with the wrench. ‘He figured it out.’

‘We never could fool him.’ Hawke muttered embarrassed he’d been found out.

‘You know,’ Jo said chuckling, ‘it’s weird but I was stood in your old room at Uncle Dom’s thinking the exact same thing yesterday.’

‘You never could keep out.’ Hawke complained with the nostalgic hint of old fights and accusations echoing in his voice.

‘I miss you guys.’ The words slipped out before she had time to think about them and she was surprised at the heartfelt yearning that grabbed at her.

‘You could come back.’ Hawke offered casually.

She grinned lightening the moment. ‘Maybe I’ll think about it.’

The sound of footsteps interrupted them. Hawke rose to greet Marella. The dark haired Hawaiian was smartly dressed as always in a white suit. He indicated the office with a jerk of his head and left Jo watching curiously after them.

Caitlin looked up from the forms she was filling in as Hawke and Marella entered. She greeted the other woman with a smiled. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi.’ Marella reached into her purse and brought out a small brown envelope. ‘I think you’ll find everything in order.’

Caitlin flipped through the contents; drivers’ licenses and new passports along with flight certificates and other paraphernalia. ‘This is great, Marella. Thanks.’

‘Michael told me to tell you he’s glad you’re both OK.’

Hawke leaned against the desk, crossed his legs as he braced his weight on his arms. ‘Dom told us about yesterday. Is Michael OK?’

Marella nodded. ‘He’s in Washington trying to get to the bottom of what’s happening with the Senate Oversight Committee.’

‘Are they still looking at amalgamating the FIRM with another agency?’ Caitlin asked. Michael had told Hawke about the proposal after the end of their previous FIRM mission.

Marella nodded again. ‘I’m afraid so.’

‘Is there anything we can do?’ Caitlin asked.

Marella’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement. ‘Try not to crash any more planes.’

Both pilots made a face at her.

‘Who’s the new mechanic?’ Marella asked curious at the glimpse of the young blonde woman she’d seen out in the hangar.

‘Dom’s niece, Jo.’ Caitlin answered before Hawke could gesture for her to remain silent.

‘Dom’s niece?’ Marella repeated.

‘We didn’t want to leave him on his own when we went to the wedding.’ Hawke explained.

Marella’s expression cleared with sudden understanding. ‘I have to get back to the FIRM. Let me know if you need anything else.’

They murmured goodbyes as Marella took her leave.

Caitlin looked down at the desk. ‘I guess we’re all set to go then.’

Hawke’s lips twitched at her obvious misery. ‘As soon as Dom get backs.’

She sighed and pushed her chair back. ‘I’m going to finish packing.’ She kissed him on her way past. ‘You know,’ she said grumpily, ‘you’re going to be wishing you hadn’t insisted we go when we get there.’

Hawke waited until the office door was closed before he silently admitted she might be right.

—

Hawke fumbled with the tie and wondered why he’d insisted on accompanying Caitlin to her sister’s wedding. Admittedly, he thought, it hadn’t been as bad as he had feared. Caitlin’s father, Patrick, had been the one to greet them at the ranch’s tiny airstrip where Dom had dropped them off. He figured the other man had been so taken aback by Airwolf that it had completely arrested any kind of confrontation that might have happened. When they’d gotten to the ranch itself, it was so crawling with relatives and friends for an eve of wedding dinner that Hawke had found it easy to fade into the scenery. Erin, Caitlin’s older sister and the most supportive relative of their relationship had dealt with the only potentially awkward moment when they’d been shown to their accommodation. They’d been given the pool house which afforded them a great deal of privacy but kept them out of the main house. Hawke wondered briefly at the motives behind the choice. He frowned in the mirror. The tie was a mess.

‘Here.’ Caitlin’s hand nudged him round to face her. She undid the knot and started over with the tie as he took the opportunity to run his eyes over her outfit. His lips twitched.

‘You laugh and you will die.’ Caitlin warned him seeing the spark of laughter in the blue gazing back at her.

‘But you look so…’

‘Green?’ She said sweetly looking down at the bridesmaid’s dress with rueful amusement. It wasn’t her usual style. The top was a close-fitting forest green satin with spaghetti straps. It did nothing for her but the colour wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately the bottom half of the dress wasn’t quite so kind. It was a fussy full skirted set of lacy layers all in slightly differing variations of green that flared out from the waist and fell to the ankle. She was fairly certain she was going to trip on the concoction at some point.

‘It’s OK. Bridesmaids are meant to be dressed in something cringingly embarrassing and it is Fiona’s day after all.’ Caitlin wondered how many times she would have to say it before she would believe it herself. She adjusted his tie and smoothed it straight before running her hands over his shoulders. The new suit fitted him perfectly.

Hawke’s eyes landed on the strappy sandals. ‘Are you going to be able to walk in those?’ Her ankle was still swollen from the sprain she’d acquired from their plane crash.

‘No.’ Caitlin admitted. ‘I was planning on wearing my trainers but the dress isn’t long enough to hide them.’ She shrugged. ‘I’ll guess I’ll hobble.’ Her eyes flickered to the clock. ‘I’d better go do the dutiful sister thing and spend some time with the bride before the ceremony.’

‘I’ll help you over to the house.’ Hawke offered an arm and she took it gratefully as they left the pool house and made their way across the pool to the ranch.

Patrick O’Shaunessy stared out of the window at the couple as they approached. His green eyes narrowed on the way Caitlin was limping and then at the way Hawke’s arm slid around her waist to support her. He sighed deeply. When they’d met Hawke after Caitlin had been shot it had been obvious that the pilot cared deeply about for her but seeing them now they were a couple…Patrick sighed. Hawke wasn’t the man he would have chosen for his daughter. He went to the French doors to help Caitlin over the back step. He frowned at her shoes. ‘You shouldn’t be wearing those.’

‘I know that, Dad.’ Caitlin said as Hawke helped guide her to a chair. ‘Try telling Fiona.’ She slipped her shoes off with relief and stood up. ‘I’d better go upstairs and help.’ She glanced from her father to Hawke a little worried.

Hawke gave her a small smile. ‘Take it easy on the stairs.’ He watched with her father as Caitlin shuffled out of the room.

Patrick sighed and gestured at the bar on the other side of the den. ‘Drink?’

Hawke shrugged. It was early but he figured it was the older man’s way of building some kind of bridge between them and for Caitlin’s sake he was prepared to do whatever he needed to make that happen. He took the small tumbler of whiskey and raised it before both men knocked it back. The liquor burned down the back of Hawke’s throat and he glanced around the room whilst he caught his breath and Patrick refilled their glasses. A family portrait of the O’Shaunessy’s caught his attention and he wandered over to it. His gaze slid over a young Caitlin. The artist had done an incredible job at capturing the mischief in her eyes.

‘She was sixteen when that was painted.’

Hawke turned to Patrick briefly before his eyes were drawn back to the painting. ‘The artist did a great job.’

‘My mother was the artist.’ Patrick explained, walking up to stand beside him. He gave a small laugh. ‘Caitlin’s a lot like her.’

‘She must have been quite a woman then.’ Hawke commented.

‘She was.’ Patrick sighed and gestured at the painting. ‘When my mother painted this, Caitlin had just got her pilot’s license. She’d seen me teaching her brothers and bugged me until I taught her too.’

‘She’s a hell of a pilot.’ Hawke said.

‘As rumour has it, so are you.’

Hawke raised an eyebrow questioningly.

‘I had you checked out.’ Patrick explained unashamedly, handing him a glass of whiskey.

‘Oh.’ Hawke folded his arms and waited.

‘Of course given how much of your life is classified it was quite difficult for my investigator to get any information at all.’ Patrick noted. ‘But what was in there…was enough to worry any father especially given the work you’re involved isn’t exactly without risk.’

‘I guess I can understand that.’ Hawke said slowly.

‘Can you tell me honestly you think she should be mixed up in…whatever it is you’re mixed up in?’

‘Whatever she decided to do, it’s not in Caitlin’s nature to stay on the sidelines when people are in danger.’ It was a truth that Hawke was coming to terms with himself. ‘You should be proud of her. There are a number of people who owe her their lives.’

‘Including you.’ Patrick said tersely.

‘Including me.’ Hawke returned evenly.

‘I actually invited you for a drink because I wanted to apologise.’ Patrick surprised Hawke into looking at him.

‘What for?’

‘We needed a scapegoat for Caitlin getting shot and you were handy. That was wrong of us. I think it’s because we never really knew what actually happened.’

Hawke heard the question in the statement and sighed. ‘We were on a mission to extract a man who had stolen some Russian designs for a new helicopter. The Russians ambushed us because the guy’s wife betrayed him. The tail rotor on our chopper got hit on the way out and we had to put down for repairs. The guy was pretty upset about his wife, went for an unscheduled walk out in the open. I went after him. Cait realised we were about to be attacked, came to find us and pushed me out of the way of the bullet.’ Hawke’s eyes clouded with the heart-stopping memory of seeing Caitlin not moving and covered in blood. He shook himself. ‘We got her back to the helicopter and flew back, got her to a hospital as soon as we could.’

Patrick heard the tumult of emotions buried in the simple statements and his heart suddenly seemed very heavy as he realised Hawke was head over heels about his baby daughter. He sighed. ‘Thank you.’ He raised his glass. ‘It helps to know what happened.’

‘It must have been frustrating.’

Patrick knocked back his drink. ‘I remember when she used to run to me with her skinned knees and her monsters under the bed.’ He raised his eyes and pinned Hawke with a frank stare. ‘Now she runs to you.’

Hawke decided silence was probably the best policy but he was beginning to sweat when Patrick dropped his gaze and turned his attention to the painting.

‘So, tell me a bit more about you.’ He said. ‘I understand you lost your folks when you were quite young and that Dominic Santini raised you?’

‘And my elder brother.’

‘He’s still MIA?’

‘Yeah. But I’m still looking.’ Hawke looked down at the floor.

Patrick stroked his chin trying hard not to feel for the man in front of him. ‘You work for Dominic when you’re not flying missions?’

‘I help out.’

‘Part time.’

Hawke found himself very near amusement. ‘Are you trying to find out if I have money?’

‘Do you?’

Hawke swallowed the retort that came to mind. ‘I have enough.’ He said shortly.

Patrick saw the flash of annoyance in Hawke’s eyes and felt some paternal satisfaction. ‘So what are your long term plans? You find your brother? Carry on working for Dominic and this intelligence agency you’re all mixed up in?’

‘Pretty much.’ Hawke said.

‘And how does Caitlin fit into that picture?’

Hawke sighed, irritated at being pressurised into talking about his feelings and torn about whether he should mention his proposal to Caitlin; they hadn’t discussed it since Dom had rescued them and he had no idea how Caitlin felt about it in the cold light of day. ‘Any way she wants to. Caitlin’s important to me.’ He bit out, his words coated with frustration.

Patrick smiled at his reaction. ‘Hell, son, even I can see you love her.’

Hawke looked at him startled.

‘Of course,’ Patrick continued, ‘if you hurt her, I’ll have to break every bone in your body.’

‘Of course.’ Hawke agreed faintly.

‘Welcome to the family, son.’ Patrick held his hand out and Hawke took it a little bemused.

The moment’s solemnity was broken as the wedding planner rushed in. A middle-aged woman with hair dyed a startling shade of red and dressed in a pale cream suit clapped her hands together in horror. ‘Mr O’Shaunessy why are you in here? We’re about to start. Please.’ Her hands waved them out of the room. ‘Places!’

The next few minutes were chaos as the guests made their way out of the house, past the stables and riding paddocks to the back lawn had been set out with two sections of chairs and a specially constructed arbour acted as the altar where the happy couple would be married. Hawke could see the groom and best man already standing waiting for the ceremony to start as he wandered over to the crowded seats and wondered briefly where he was meant to sit. Erin’s husband waved at him and he made his way to sit by the other man.

‘Saved you a seat.’ Paul said succinctly.

‘Thanks.’

‘Figured we had to stick together.’ Paul said with an easy smile.

Before Hawke could reply, the band started up and everyone quieted, rising to their feet and glancing back up the aisle as the traditional wedding march began.

Everyone looked expectantly as the music continued.

The wedding march came to the end of the refrain and Hawke saw the conductor urgently gesturing from them to begin again. People were beginning to get restless in the crowd, whispers started up and then murmurs as the wedding march played through again. Hawke’s eyes flickered to the front where Tom, the groom, was beginning to fidget.

The music began again.

‘Maybe one of us should go and find out what’s happening…’ Paul suggested just as Patrick walked quickly up the aisle. The music was abandoned mid-refrain as Caitlin’s father spoke urgently with Tom. The younger man strode back down the aisle breaking into a run as he headed to the house, followed by his best man.

Patrick turned to the congregation. ‘I’m sorry, folks, but there’s been a change in plans. You’re welcome to stay for some food and drink but I’m afraid there won’t be a wedding today after all.’

Hawke and Paul exchanged a surprised look and they made their way back to Patrick as the crowd broke up and headed for the buffet tables on the other side of the lawn.

‘What happened?’ Paul asked when he reached his father-in-law.

Patrick sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. ‘Fiona’s ran off. She left a note saying she was sorry but she couldn’t go through with it.’

‘But wasn’t someone with her?’ Paul asked.

‘She asked the other girls to leave her alone for a few minutes to gather her thoughts.’ Patrick sighed heavily again. ‘Brian and Callum have gone after her. They think she’s headed for the airport; the honeymoon tickets are missing.’

‘Is there anything we can do?’ Hawke asked.

Patrick shook his head. ‘Poor Tom. I just don’t get why.’ He said with exasperation. ‘And why didn’t she say something earlier?’ He gestured. ‘I’d better circulate, smooth the ruffled social feathers.’ He said with a grimace.

‘I’ll come with you,’ offered Paul.

‘Hawke, could you go back to the house and check on the girls?’ Patrick asked.

‘Sure.’ Hawke agreed readily.

They headed off in separate directions and Hawke made his way back up the lawn to the house. He slowed as he recognised Tom standing leaning against the fence by the stables looking off into the distance. He hesitated, uncertain if he should go over. He glanced to see if anyone else was around to offer the guy some support and sighed when he realised everyone else was occupied. Hawke wandered over. He and Tom had been introduced briefly the night before. He’d found himself reluctantly liking the younger man.

‘Hey.’ Hawke joined Tom by the fence. ‘How are you doing?’

Tom gave a small huff of laughter. ‘I’m going to get asked that a lot, aren’t I?’

Hawke quirked an eyebrow. ‘I guess.’

Tom shook his head and turned to lean his back on the fence, crossing his legs and his arms. ‘Hell of it is she warned me last night after the dinner she was having second thoughts. I just ignored her, told her everyone got cold feet.’

‘Maybe the two of you can still work it out.’ Hawke shoved his hands in his pockets.

Tom shook his head again. ‘I think this is it.’ His brown eyes met Hawke’s. ‘Truth is; Fiona wasn’t really the sister I wanted to marry.’

Hawke’s eyes iced over but the pain in the other man’s voice cooled the urge to punch him; he couldn’t blame Tom for falling for Caitlin, after all, he’d done the same himself.

‘You have no idea how lucky you are.’ Tom said looking away from Hawke’s intent blue stare.

‘Believe me, I know.’ Hawke said quietly and sincerely. He saw Tom’s best man approaching. ‘I’d best leave you to it.’

‘Thanks.’ Tom nodded his head in acknowledgement as Hawke continued on his way. The ranch house was almost in as much chaos as it had been in the run-up to the wedding. Hawke dodged the kitchen and den and made his way up the stairs. He paused on the top step when the sound of a baby’s squalls competed with the noise from the downstairs. He approached tentatively and peeked around the door into the bedroom.

‘Everything OK?’ He asked as he took in the distraught and frustrated expressions on Caitlin’s and Erin’s faces. He tried not to smile at the image of the two of them still in their bridesmaid dresses.

‘She won’t stop crying.’ Erin said rocking her daughter. ‘I think she wants her dummy but we can’t find it.’

‘I’ve looked everywhere.’ Caitlin blew her fringe out of her eyes. ‘It’s not in her bag.’

‘Maybe I left downstairs in the kitchen.’ Erin patted the baby’s back and headed for the door. She suddenly turned and handed the baby to Hawke. ‘Hold her for me? Thanks.’ She hurried out leaving Hawke holding the baby, his face frozen with shock. He and the baby stared at each other; the baby hiccupped and stopped crying.

‘Wow.’ Caitlin said.

He adjusted his hold and walked into sit on the bed next to Caitlin who smiled at her niece.

‘You want to hold her?’ He asked.

She shook her head. ‘And take the risk of her crying again. No thank you. I think she likes you.’

‘It’s probably just the surprise of someone new.’ Hawke jiggled the tiny person in his arms and smiled as her blue eyes blinked at him.

‘So how are you surviving?’ Caitlin asked.

‘I’m OK.’ Hawke said. He glanced at her. ‘How about you?’

‘Erin and the baby have been a good excuse to keep out of most of the drama. My mother’s furious. Fiona’s in so much trouble, it’s not funny. I mean when we left her she was dressed and looking beautiful…poor Tom.’ She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder as she leaned into him. ‘I’ll be glad to get home tomorrow.’

They looked up as Erin came barrelling back in, the elusive dummy in her hand. She stopped arrested at the sight of the couple sitting in a shaft of sunlight, the baby falling asleep in Hawke’s arms, her tiny body curling trustingly into his.

‘How did you do that?’ Erin asked, collapsing into the rocking chair.

Hawke shrugged. ‘I think it was the shock of someone new.’

‘Or maybe not being held by her increasingly panicking mother.’ Erin said cheerfully. She accepted the baby back with a smile of thanks and immediately put her down in the crib. ‘Mom’s asking for us.’ She said over her shoulder. ‘She wants us to entertain the guests.’ She made a face.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. ‘Great.’ She looked down at her dress and then at Erin’s blue version. ‘Do we have to do it in these outfits?’

‘I think,’ said Erin with a grin, ‘that the dresses are the entertainment.’

The laughter carried them all downstairs and through the rest of the day.

—

Caitlin woke slowly and stretched out under the covers sleepily. It was so good to be back at the cabin, she thought. They’d stayed an extra day at the ranch to help out with the aftermath of the cancelled wedding. Fiona had been caught at the airport and dragged back at the ranch to face the consequences of her actions but the younger woman still seemed oblivious to the amount of trouble she’d caused for Tom, her parents, everyone. The only good thing that had come out of the visit, Caitlin mused as she yawned widely, was that somehow her parents seemed more accepting of Caitlin’s relationship with Hawke. Still, it had been a relief to leave and come back home. She smiled. Home. The cabin felt like home to her now…she frowned suddenly realising she was alone and it sounded like Hawke was pottering in the kitchen.

She sighed grumpily and glanced at her watch. She groaned. It was early. Too early for Christmas morning; it was still dark outside for crying out loud. She rubbed her eyes and yawned again. Well, she might as well get up; they had guests arriving for lunch and she’d better make a start on it. So much for the romantic day alone together they had originally planned, she thought regretfully. She staggered out of the bed, dragging on Hawke’s shirt and into the en suite bathroom.

Caitlin walked back in a few moments later to find Hawke standing next to the empty bed, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a perplexed expression. She bit back a smile. He was holding a small breakfast tray complete with a red rose in a vase. She was amazed that he had managed to hide the flower from her; she had no idea where it had come from.

Hawke noticed her at the bathroom doorway and sighed. ‘I was planning to surprise you.’

‘I’m surprised.’ Caitlin smiled and walked over to kiss him. ‘Merry Christmas.’

‘Yeah.’ He said capturing her lips again, the tray still between them. He raised his head. ‘You need to get dressed.’

‘You sure about that?’ She asked reaching for him again.

Hawke stepped back. ‘I intended to bribe you out of bed with breakfast so we could watch the sunrise.’ He smiled at her confusion. ‘I seem to remember you asked for romance and what’s more romantic than a sunrise?’

‘OK.’ Caitlin caved with his obvious eagerness.

They both dressed and headed out to the porch steps. Hawke bundled them under a blanket to keep off the chill and they shared a mug of coffee watching the first rays of light touch the barely rippling silvery lake. The sky turned from deep purple to lilac to blue. An eagle cry rent the morning air. Hawke tucked Caitlin under his arm and gave her the mug to warm her hands around.

‘It’s so beautiful.’ She leaned her head against his shoulder and yawned.

‘Yeah.’

Something in his voice raised her head and she smiled when she found him looking at her. She snuggled closer to him. ‘You know I don’t think I’ve thanked you.’

‘For what?’

‘For putting up with my family.’ She smiled. ‘They can be a bit overwhelming en masse particularly when there’s a family crisis.’

‘It was fine.’ Hawke said.

Caitlin smiled more broadly. ‘You hated every minute.’

Hawke felt his own lips twitch. ‘Not every minute.’ He sobered a little. ‘I have to admit it was weird being part of a family again.’

Caitlin heard the longing he couldn’t quite keep out of his voice and her heart flipped. ‘We’ll find him, Hawke.’

He waited a beat before he leaned in to kiss her soundly.

She sighed and took another look at the sunrise. ‘I guess I should head in and start lunch.’

‘In a minute.’ He took hold of her wrist and turned it over to look at the time on her watch.

‘You waiting for something?’ Caitlin asked amused.

Hawke nodded.

‘What?’ She asked.

He cocked his head and smiled. ‘That.’ He pointed at the sky and an old bi-plane zoomed into view. ‘Come on.’ He pulled her up and over to the landing pier, so she was standing in front of him. He slid his arms around her waist and tugged her so she was leaning back against his chest, her head tilted on his shoulder as she watched the plane’s acrobatics.

‘Is that Dom?’ Caitlin said shielding her eyes.

‘Yeah.’ Hawke said. ‘I’d forgotten how good he was.’

‘He’s great.’ Caitlin smiled. ‘I knew you guys were up to something, the way you disappeared off together when we got back.’

‘Keep watching,’ Hawke said, hugging her. He took a deep breath, marvelling at the nerves crowding in his stomach and catching in his throat. ‘There’s more.’

The plane started to emit a white stream and began sky-writing; ‘will…’

Caitlin froze. Her eyes widened in shock; ‘will you…’

Happiness bubbled up and spilled through her; ‘will you marry me?’

She spun in Hawke’s arms to face him, her blue eyes meeting his and wondering at the nerves she could see there, barely aware of the plane departing, leaving them alone.

Hawke laid a finger on her lips before she could speak. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a ring. Sunlight glinted from the metal and flashed fire in the depths of the solitaire diamond. He took a deep breath, a frisson of uncertainty tying his stomach in knots despite the smile he could see in her eyes. ‘I figured asking you when we’d just climbed out of a plane crash…maybe you thought I didn’t mean it but…I did, I do.’

Caitlin nodded; her eyes filled with unexpected tears and it took her a minute to speak. She smiled tremulously. ‘My answer hasn’t changed.’ The tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks.

He framed her wet face in his hands and kissed her. They both smiling as they separated and she held out her hand for him to slide the ring on her finger, the beautifully set stone winked at them in the sunlight.

She smiled happily. ‘So which proposal do you want to tell our kids on our wedding anniversary each year?’

Hawke hugged her closer, pleased she’d remembered his father’s tradition and warmed by the sentiment that she would want to continue it. The eagle cried overhead as he gently replied; ‘Both.’

fin.

Next Story: The Ex Factor