Home Is Where The Heart Is

by Rescue45

I got the inspiration for this story from a video on YouTube by Luvthatblueeyedsoul called Home Is Where the Heart Is. I would like to suggest that you watch the video first to enhance the story. Her videos are wonderful and as a friend said, "They're like fan fiction for the eyes." With her permission, I wrote this story. I hope it does her video justice.

I got the inspiration for this story from a video on YouTube by Luvthatblueeyedsoul called Home Is Where the Heart Is. I would like to suggest that you watch the video first to enhance the story. Her videos are wonderful and as a friend said, "They're like fan fiction for the eyes." With her permission, I wrote this story. I hope it does her video justice.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Chapter 1

"Did you tell your partner yet?" She asked.

Hutch was sitting on the couch in a green t-shirt and his favorite pair of tan pants. His shoes were lying on the floor and he had his feet propped up on the coffee table as he talked to Sue Ann Grainger on the phone. He took a swig from the bottle of Coors he was drinking straight from the bottle. The taste of the beer would go down smoother than the conversation he had to have with the man who was not just his partner but was also his best friend. "No. He's on his way here now." There was a single knock on the door and Hutch could hear Starsky fumbling for the key to let himself in. "He's here. I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said quickly.

"Okay, Sugar." Sue Ann talked with a southern accent that Hutch loved.

Hutch hung up the phone and walked to the kitchen. He finished the last of his beer and tossed the empty bottle in the trash. He opened the refrigerator and took out two more beers. He popped the tops off with the opener that hung on the refrigerator and sat back on the couch.

Starsky watched as Hutch sat down and knew that something was bothering the Blond Blintz. He knew from the minute Hutch called him and asked him to come over that something wasn't right. He watched as Hutch set one beer on the coffee table and started drinking the other one. Starsky sat on the couch next to Hutch. "What's wrong, Buddy?"

Hutch couldn't say anything at first. He didn't know how to tell his partner of six years that he was leaving the force. He didn't know how to tell Starsky that he wasn't going to be his partner anymore. He swallowed what he had his mouth and set the beer on the table. He looked at Starsky, "I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just going to get it out in the open, okay?" Hutch spoke very slowly. It was as if every word caused him physical pain.

"Hey, we're buddies, right?" Hutch nodded. "Well, just say whatever it is and we'll take it from there." Starsky always thought the best of most people and he knew whatever was bothering his partner, they could and would face it together.

Hutch lifted his head up and looked at Starsky straight in the eyes and said, "Starsk, I got an offer I can't refuse."

Starsky drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He stood up and walked to the other side of the small living room and turned his back toward Hutch. He stood there a minute before turning back around. "You're gonna go on tour with Sue Ann, aren't you?"

"How'd you figure that out?"

"I've noticed the way you've been singing along with the radio and I've seen you pick up that guitar just about every chance you get. You've been practicing for a month now, Hutch."

"You picked up on that, huh?"

"Yeah, I picked up on that."

"I told her no at first."

"I know you did. I heard you on the phone." Starsky sighed and sat back down next to Hutch. "When are you gonna tell Dobey?"

"A couple more days. I had to tell you first."

"Thanks." Starsky tried not to sound upset, but he was. He didn't want Hutch to know how upset he really was.

"Starsk, I…" Hutch chugged the last of his beer. He didn't know what he wanted to say next.

"It's your dream, Hutch and you'd be a fool not to follow it. I can't say that I'm happy about it, but I've expecting it."

"You've been expecting it?" Hutch sounded surprised. He wasn't sure he was going to take the deal until just last night when Sue Ann called, yet again.

There was a silence for almost half an hour as each man thought about what Hutch's decision was going to mean to them personally, and as friends. They both knew the partnership was over.

"Hutch, I've been thinking and I'm going to take the lieutenant's exam when it's offered next month. I can't work with another partner. I'm not going to."

"Starsk, I've been so worried about you being out on the streets without me watching your back."

"Now you won't have to. Just promise me something."

"Sure, anything."

"Promise me that we'll still be…" Starsky bowed his head. He wasn't sure which emotions he was trying to hold back. Fear at the thought of change, anger at Hutch for wanting to leave or the selfish feeling he had for wanting Hutch to stay. He decided to bury all his feelings and let Hutch believe everything could and would stay the same between them. Heck, he wanted to believe that too.

Hutch finished Starsky's sentence like he had done so many times in the past. "Friends?" Starsky glanced at Hutch and nodded ever so slightly. "Of course we'll still be friends. I'm quitting the force but don't think for a minute that means…aw, Starsk, you will always be my buddy. You're my best friend and nothing will ever change that."

"I take it you'll be leaving at the end of the month."

"In three weeks. Sue Ann's tour starts May third in Nashville. I'll need to meet up with her to practice at least a month before then."

"We'll, that gives us time to wind up the cases we've been working on and break the news to Dobey that his favorite team is splitting up."

"Starsky, you make it sound like we're getting a divorce."

Starsky had just taken a big gulp of his beer and he spit it out all over Hutch's coffee table. He glanced at Hutch and they both broke out into laughter. When the laughter died out, Starsky put the empty bottle down and said, "I want tickets to all of your shows, gigs or whatever you people in show biz call it."

Hutch grinned, "Front row seats to every concert, guaranteed." He cleaned up the spilt beer. "It's going to be hard, Starsk."

"What is?"

"Leaving you. All jokes aside, Buddy, you've been there for me through some of the worst times in my life."

Starsky put his arm around Hutch. "That goes both ways, Buddy. You've been there for me too, ya know. Like I said before, I knew it was coming. I've known it since you got off that stage after singing Loving knees."

Hutch frowned, "It was Loving Arms, Starsky."

"Knees, arms I knew it was some body part."

"Yeah."

"We've been partners for six years and I think we've done a hell of a job just keeping each other alive that long. To be honest, after that shootout last month, I was thinking about calling it quits myself. Maybe it is time we get off the streets. You'll always be my best friend and I promise I'll come see you whenever I get the chance."

"You mean that? You were really thinking about cashing it in?"

Starsky stood up, walked over to the refrigerator, opened it and saw three six packs of Coors on the top shelf and very little else. "You were planning on this taking all night."

"I thought you'd be mad." Hutch replied softly. He caught the bottle of beer Starsky tossed him.

Starsky sat back down. "I'm not mad, Hutch. I told ya, I saw it comin'."

"So you and me, we're okay?" Hutch asked, shyly. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Yeah, ya big lug. We're okay." Starsky pulled Hutch into a headlock and rubbed his blond hair. Hutch tried to fight his way free, but his heart wasn't really in it.

Starsky let Hutch go after a minute. Hutch used his fingers to straighten out his ruffled hair. He knew Starsky well enough to know that Starsky was putting up a front. He felt something between them he had never felt before—tension. Sure they had their share of disagreements but had never felt this kind of tension before. "Starsk, the truth. I want the truth. What are you feeling right now? And please don't tell me you're okay with all of this because I know you're not—I'm not sure I'm okay with my decision."

Starsky sighed, "What am I feeling?" He sat up and scratched the back of his head. "I don't have the right to ask you to stay."

"Yes, you do. You have every right."

"Hutch, I don't know what I'm feeling. If you want me to say it, I'll say it—I want you to stay. I don't want things to change. I also realize that things are gonna change anyway. If you stay because I want you to, eventually you'll end up resenting me for holding you back. And I don't want that. So, go."

"I won't resent you, Starsk."

"You won't see it happening. Look, there's nothing either of us can do about how we feel."

"I don't want you to be mad."

"Being mad about the situation won't change our friendship."

"No, that it won't."

"Are you going to keep your apartment?"

"Well, yeah. I still need a place to live and Bay City is my home." He paused then added, "You're my home."

"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. Let's talk about how we're going to wrap up our cases before you leave."

"Let's see if we can find out whose fencing for Little Al."

"I bet Huggy can give us a lead."

"Huggy. Oh, man. I almost forgot about him. I've got to tell him"

"Let's tell him tomorrow night, after work."

"Good idea."

Starsky and Hutch talked until the wee hours of the morning. Starsky stood up and stretched. "Hutch, let's get some sleep. We'll talk to Dobey in the morning and tell him everything."

"You're right. I could use some shut eye too." Hutch opened the closet door and took out a blanket and pillow and handed them to Starsky.

Chapter 2

"You mean to tell me that the two of you are quitting the department to sing!" Captain Dobey yelled so loud that Starsky thought the windows were going to shatter.

"Not both of us, Captain. I'm going to take the lieutenant's exam next month. It's just Hutch that's leaving."

"Thanks for clearing that up. I feel loads better!"

"Come on, Captain. I can't explain it. It's just something I have to do," Hutch said.

"We're going to finish up the cases we're working on. Just don't assign us anything else," Starsky added.

"And you," the captain said looking at Starsky, "you're okay with all this?"

Starsky was sitting on the arm of the chair that Hutch was sitting in holding a cup of coffee. He patted Hutch on the shoulder. "Yeah. I'm okay with it. We had a long talk last night. I don't want another partner, so please let me take the lieutenant's exam and move up. I need to be off the streets."

"Look at this way, Captain. You're finally getting what you've wanted for a long time," Hutch said.

"And what's that?"

"Us out of your hair," Starsky answered.

Captain Dobey tilted his head to one side and frowned. He had always joked about wanting them out of his hair but he didn't mean it. They were his best detectives and good friends. "Are you sure this is what you both want?"

"We're sure," was the simultaneous reply.

Captain Dobey tapped his pen he on the desk. "How long do you think you need to wrap up your cases, Hutch?"

"We're hoping to have everything wrapped in a nice big red bow in a couple of weeks, Cap'n," Starsky answered for Hutch.

"Thanks, Hutch," the captain said frowning at Starsky. He was going to miss the team of Starsky and Hutch. "I know you want to find out who's fencing for Big Al…"

"It's Little Al, Captain," Hutch corrected.

"We're going to stop by The Pits and talk to Huggy about that," Starsky added.

"You two are working on the liquor store holdups too, aren't you?"

"And we still want to find the creep that's beating up elderly women and stealing their Social Security money," Hutch added.

"Do you have any leads on that yet?"

"No, but we do have an idea on how to catch him," Starsky said.

"Do I want to know what your plan is?"

"Well, Captain, you know how these things go. I think it's best we don't tip our hand just yet," Hutch said. He took Starsky's cup of coffee. Starsky pretended not to notice.

"Is that your way of telling me that I don't want to know what you're up to?"

"Uh, Cap'n, do you really want an answer to that?" Starsky asked, grinning.

The captain looked at Starsky then tilted his head and turned his gaze at Hutch. He huffed and tapped his pen on his desk. "Get out of here."

"Yes, Sir. Your wish is my command," Starsky said, grabbing the coffee back from Hutch as he stood up.

"If my wish was your command, you'd have been out of here a long time ago," Captain Dobey mumbled. Starsky and Hutch shared a chuckle and quietly shut the door as they left.

Captain Dobey sat at his desk for a long time as he let Hutch's words sink in. He was really quitting the force. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head and huffed. Starsky and Hutch had been a pain in his backside for six years but he would miss that pain.

Starsky and Hutch's next stop was to visit their old friend Huggy Bear. Starsky pulled the Torino into the back alley and tapped his hands on the steering wheel. "Let's get this over with, Buddy."

"Do you think he'll go for it?" Hutch asked. He didn't wait for a reply before opening the door and exiting the car.

Starsky rested his hands on the roof of the car and said, "Sure he will. We'll tell him it'll be his last chance to help us."

Hutch shrugged and walked toward the door. "After you," he said making a sweeping motion with his hand.

Starsky grinned and walked into the kitchen. Starsky stepped aside as one of the bus boys practically ran him down carrying a trash can outside. Hutch looked around and saw Huggy at the grill with a spatula in one hand and a basket of fries in the other. He put the fries in the vat and flipped the hamburgers that were sizzling on the grill over. Hutch moved closer and saw beads of sweat forming on his friends face. "Where's your help?"

Huggy looked up and frowned. "Help! You call that lazy…no good cousin of mine help? I'll tell you a secret Hutch—don't ever hire family. Especially third cousins."

"What's wrong, Huggy? He call in sick again?" Starsky asked.

A beautiful waitress dressed in a low-cut white blouse and a short black skirt walked up to Huggy and said, "Huggy, you got my burgers yet? The natives are getting restless."

"Yeah, yeah. I got your burgers." He flipped two of the burgers onto their buns and added ketchup and a pickle. Then he put the top bun on. He removed the basket of fries from the vat and shook the grease off. He added the fries to the plates and handed them to the waitress. "I hope we're caught up now." He said, wiping his brow.

"Thanks, Huggy." She pointed to the last two burgers on the grill and added, "That's the last order."

Huggy sighed. "Good." He looked at Starsky who was watching the waitress walk away.

Starsky whistled softly. "She can bring me my burgers anytime she wants. Or anything else for that matter," he mumbled.

Hutch frowned and shook his head. It was just like his partner to get distracted by a beautiful woman, especially one carrying food—his second favorite thing. "Starsky?" No answer. "Starsky?" Hutch said a little louder and with a little authority in his voice. Not that he thought he had any authority over his partner, but sometime that voice would bring Starsky out of his daze and back to reality.

Starsky turned his head but kept his eyes on the waitress as she pushed open the swinging door to the dining room. "Huh?" He watched as the door swung back and forth until the rocking motion stopped. Only then did he turn his eyes and his full attention to Hutch. "What?"

Huggy handed the spatula to a young man who had just entered the back door. "Thanks for coming in on short notice, Clyde. Here take this."

Clyde took the spatula. "Sure, Huggy. Thanks for calling me. I need the hours."

Huggy nodded at the young man and tugged at Starsky's shirt. "Come on, lover boy. Let's go find a seat." Hutch followed Huggy and Starsky to their favorite booth.

Starsky sat down and Huggy sat next to him. Hutch sat in the seat across from them. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company on this fine day, gentlemen?" He paused and looked at the ceiling. "Oh, let me guess." He rubbed his chin. "You want some info of some kind?"

Hutch looked around the restaurant and leaned forward. He whispered, "Not exactly."

Huggy stared at Hutch for a moment then he looked deep into Starsky's eyes. "Okay, you want me to do something for you, what?"

The same waitress Starsky had been goggling a few minutes before approached the table. She set a beer down in front of Huggy then Hutch. She took the last beer off her tray and smiled at Starsky. "Here you go, handsome," she said in a voice so sweet Starsky thought it could melt sugar.

He took the beer from her hand and rubbed his fingers over hers as he did. He flashed a big grin at her and said, "Thank you, miss uh…" Huggy and Hutch sighed and shook their heads. Starsky did like to flirt and it was almost comical sometimes to watch the master at work.

Her face turned a slight shade of rose red but she managed to say, "It's Ramona. My name's Ramona."

"I'm Starsky and this here's Hutch," he replied pointing at Hutch who nodded and smiled politely.

"Ramona, tell Clyde to fix a couple of burgers and fries, will ya?" Huggy asked her.

"Sure." She turned and walked away.

"Okay, now that Romeo here knows what her name is, can we get down to business?"

"Sure, Huggy," Hutch answered.

"Have you heard about some creep knocking over elderly women, right after they cashed their Social Security checks and robbing them?" Starsky asked. He took a sip of his beer.

"Yeah. I heard all about it. The people I've talked to are anxious for the fuzz to bust that guy. Nobody knows who it is though."

"We have an idea that may help us catch him," Hutch said.

"Yeah?" Huggy said.

"It involves you," Starsky added.

"I was afraid you'd say that." There was a short pause. "Let me guess, you want me to dress up as some old man and flash a lot of cash around."

"Somethin' like that. But we were thinking more of the lines an old woman," Starsky said. He wanted to laugh at the sight of seeing Huggy dressed as a woman. He also knew that if he laughed, Huggy would never go for it.

Huggy's eyes grew big and his jaw dropped so far that Hutch thought he was going to have to pick it up off the ground. "You're serious, aren't you? A woman—me!" He shook his head back and forth. "No. No way. I'd be an ugly woman."

"You're an ugly man so I don't see a problem," Starsky muttered. Hutch laughed.

"Come on, guys. I've done a lot of things for you, but dress up as a woman is not one I want to have on my list."

"It's the best way to catch this creep, Huggy. Think about it. We'll follow you every step of the way. We won't let you get hurt," Starsky said.

"Right," Hutch added.

Huggy took a sip of his beer and studied his two friends' faces a moment. They weren't kidding and he knew they wouldn't ask him if they didn't believe it would work. He also knew that they wanted to catch this guy before anyone else was hurt. "Okay. I'll do it on one condition."

"No one will ever know," Starsky said anticipating Huggy's condition.

"We won't breathe a word of it to anyone," Hutch added.

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other briefly. Hutch raised his eyebrows and Starsky nodded. Huggy knew they had a way of speaking to each other without using any words. He wondered what this particular conversation was about.

"Huggy, there's one more thing," Starsky said.

Huggy noticed the change in Starsky's voice. It was as if Starsky didn't want to tell him something. "Of course there is. There's always one more thing," Huggy said.

"Hutch is quitting."

"Quitting what?" Huggy asked. He never dreamed Hutch would actually quit the department.

"The force. I'm leaving police work, Hug."

"Blondie, don't play around like that," Huggy said, but he could tell by their reactions that they weren't putting him on. "You're serious, aren't you? You really are quitting."

"Yes. I am."

"What are ya gonna do, live like a hermit in the mountains?"

"No, Hug. I'm not going to live like some hermit. I'm going to sing."

"He's going on tour with Sue Ann Granger."

"What are you going to do, be his manager?" Huggy asked, looking at Starsky.

"I'm going to take the lieutenant's exam."

Huggy sank into his seat. He couldn't think of what to say. He didn't know what to feel. His mouth gaped open. It was several seconds before he could speak. "What no more Starsky and Hutch. That's like Batman without Robin, peanut butter without jelly, it's like…"

"We get the idea, Hug," Starsky said. He felt the same way although he would never admit it to Hutch.

Huggy bowed his head and mumbled something that neither detective could understand. He lifted his glass of beer and swirled the contents around without taking a sip. He shook his head from side to side and set the beer back on the table. "Why? Don't tell me you're not friends anymore."

"Hug, it's okay. Hutch and I had a long talk about it. We're okay."

"It's nothing like that, Huggy. I promise," Hutch said holding up three fingers indicating the Boy Scout promise.

"That last shootout really got to you two, didn't it?" Huggy said as he picked his beer up and took a swig.

"Well, let's just say it was a little too close for comfort," Hutch said. He took a sip of his beer and added, "We almost bought it and I, for one, am getting too old to keep pushing the envelope like that."

"Me too," Starsky added.

"So, you want me to help you catch this creep for old time sake. One last big bust before you move on. I can dig it." He raised his glass in the air and added, "to stayin' alive and that ain't no jive." Starsky and Hutch chuckled and clanked their glasses together with Huggy's.

"Actually, we have a couple more cases we're going to wrap up before I leave," Hutch said.

"Oh yeah. You want to know who's fencing for Little Al, don't you? And you want the name of the dude that's responsible for the liquor store heists."

Starsky looked at Hutch, "Is there anything he doesn't know?"

"Well, he didn't know I was leaving the department. I think we got him on that." Hutch chuckled. Huggy nodded.

"What do know, Hug?" Starsky asked.

"I heard through an informer that wants to remain alive that Little Al's got Ezra moving his merchandise."

"Ezra? When did that slime get out of prison?" Starsky asked.

"A couple of months ago. Man, you two are slippin'. There was a time you wouldn't have let something like that go by." He drank the last of his beer and waved for Ramona to bring another round. Starsky turned to get a look at Ramona and kept his eyes on her as she made her way to the bar. He muttered something under his breath that Hutch couldn't make out.

Hutch rolled his eyes at Starsky and asked Huggy, "What do you know about the liquor stores?"

"Nothin'. But I got my ears open."

Ramona brought them another round of beers smiling sweetly, especially at Starsky. He kissed her hand gently as she handed him his beer.

Hutch took a swallow of his beer and asked, "So, are you in? You're going to help us?"

Huggy flashed them a half grin and said, "You know I can't say no to the two of you, especially when there's so much at stake. Yeah, I'm in. Just tell me where to be and I shall be there."

Starsky leaned in and whispered, "Good. Here's what we want you do…" Starsky continued filling Huggy in on their plan.

The next day, an elderly woman left the bank. She was wearing a plain, light blue dress that had a white laced collar. She had on a wide brimmed straw hat. Her shoes were brown and matched her brown purse that dangled at her side. Instead of nylons, she was wearing tan colored socks that were just a shade darker than her shoes and purse and were pulled up to her boney knees.

The woman was hunced over holding a walking cane in one hand a large amount of bills in the other. She stopped in front of the bank and leaned her cane against the wall by the front door. She stayed there long enough to remove her wallet from the purse and carefully count her money before placing it in the wallet. She put her wallet back in her purse and put the strap on her shoulder, allowing her purse to sway freely at her side. She grabbed her cane and continued walking down the street. She walked with a limp as if every step took great effort. She didn't see the young man watching her from across the street as she continued to walk down the sidewalk.

The young man ran up the street and crossed it so he was now on the same side. He stopped in front of Mark's Tattoo Shop and stared inside as the woman made her way past him. He looked up and down the street and watched for a moment as everyone went about their business. No one was paying attention to anyone or anything else. He walked slowly behind the woman and when she walked into the alley that led to a row of houses and an apartment complex, he followed. He quickened his pace as she was half way through the alley and near the dumpster. Suddenly, without any warning the man came up behind the woman and grabbed her purse. He yanked it so hard in a downward motion that the woman stumbled and fell to her knees crying out in pain.

The purse fell on the ground and he picked it up and was about to run when he found himself staring into the barrels of two guns pointed right at him. "I wouldn't take another step if I were you," Starsky said. He put his gun back in his holster and looked at Huggy. "You okay, Grandma?" Starsky held his hand out to help Huggy to his feet. Hutch was reading the suspect his rights as he put the handcuffs tightly on the man's wrists.

Huggy took Starsky's hand and stood up. He removed the straw hat and dusted the dirt off his dress. "I'm fine, Sonny Boy."

The sun rose and set so quickly the following two weeks that Starsky wasn't aware of the passage of time. Hutch was painfully aware of each passing moment. He knew that he would soon be leaving the department and the man who had been his partner for the past several years. Dave Starsky would be on the streets without the one person he trusted the most and that was him. Starsky said he was going to take the lieutenants exam but Hutch wondered if his partner really would. Starsky, after all, needed to be on the streets. It was what was in his blood. Sure, Hutch had had several conversations with Starsky since deciding he wanted to leave the department and Starsky assured him every time that he understood, but Hutch couldn't help but have his doubts. Tomorrow would be his last day as a police officer. He was grateful that they were able to arrest Ezra for fencing the stolen merchandise. He realized they were just plain lucky and happened to be in the right place at the right time and were able to walk in on a liquor store robbery. The suspects gave up without a fight when they realized that Starsky and Hutch were cops. They admitted to the other robberies under interrogation.

Hutch shut the door to the Torino and waved as Starsky drove away. He stood on the sidewalk and watched as the car he referred to as 'the tomato' turned the corner. "I hope I'm doing the right thing, Starsk," he said as he walked toward the front door. He walked slowly up the stairs and reached above the door frame for the spare key. He sighed as he unlocked the door. He went inside and took a nice long hot shower. He emerged from the bathroom wearing a red robe that was barely long enough to cover his knees. He opened the refrigerator and removed a bottle of Coors. He used the opener and popped the top off the beer and sat on the couch. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes. His mind drifted back to the day, a few short weeks ago, that made him change career paths.

Chapter 3

It started off like any other day. He was giving Starsky a hard time because his pride and joy was in Merle's shop getting another tune up. Starsky was complaining because they had to take Hutch's car for the day and the car horn kept blaring every time Hutch opened his door. The sound drove Hutch nuts too but he wasn't about to let Starsky know it. He even secretly took it to Merle's once when the horn stopped working. He had to pay Merle an extra twenty-five dollars not to tell Starsky.

They ate lunch at Huggy's then went back on the streets. It was a bright sunny day there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Starsky had a song stuck in his head and he rolled the window down and tapped out the beat on the roof of the car.

"What is that?" Hutch asked.

"What's what?"

"That noise you're making?"

"Just tryin' to drown out the noise of this junk."

Hutch smirked, "At least this junk isn't in the shop."

"Oh, yeah, well it spends more time at Merle's than Merle does." Starsky continued to tap on the roof.

Hutch opened his mouth to say something, but he refrained because he knew Starsky was right. He turned down the alley. A snitch, a young man in his early twenties who called himself Bull Dog, had called yesterday and arranged a meeting at the tattoo parlor he ran. It was called Bull Dogs Ink. He was usually pretty reliable. Well, as reliable as any snitch was in Bay City. They all wanted something in exchange for information. It was like a game between the cops and the snitches to see who could get the best deal. Bull Dog was pretty low on the food chain as far as Starsky and Hutch were concerned. He wasn't into anything more than a few petty thefts but he came up with some pretty valuable information more than once so they agreed to the meet.

They heard a loud popping sound followed by another one. Starsky pulled his hand inside the car, drew his weapon and yelled, "Get us outta here, Hutch." He couldn't see anyone. A shot hit the seat less than an inch away from Starsky's head. He instinctively scrunched down in the seat.

Hutch had already put the car in reverse and was backing out of the alley as fast as he could. "What do you think I'm doing, playing tidily winks?"

Starsky grabbed the mic and yelled, "Zebra Three to dispatch we're under fire. Repeat, Zebra Three is under fire at Marshall and Eubanks. We're in the alley."

"Ten-four, Zebra Three. Help is on the way." Starsky and Hutch heard the dispatcher as she quickly dispatched back up.

As soon as Hutch was out of the alley he brought the car to a stop. Starsky and Hutch shared a glance as they made a hasty retreat out of the car, weapons in hand. Hutch's horn started blaring and he quickly kicked it shut with his foot. "That car of yours is going to get us killed one day," Starsky whispered as he ran to the right side of the entrance to the alley.

Hutch ducked as another shot whizzed past them. He didn't respond to Starsky's latest comment. He peeked down the alley and didn't see anyone. He looked at Starsky and shrugged. Starsky squatted down and peered down the alley. Not seeing anything either, he shrugged back at Hutch and whispered, "What now?"

Hutch pointed his gun down the alley and nodded at Starsky. Starsky nodded back and knew that Hutch wanted them to work their way to the end of the alley. Hutch fired a shot and Starsky ran and took cover in a nook in the wall a few feet away. Then Starsky fired a couple of shots and Hutch ran past Starsky and ducked behind a dumpster. That's the way worked together. They covered each other and took turns running down the alley. Once Hutch was safe behind the dumpster, Starsky spotted a small trash can and was about to run for it when more shots rang out. Only this time, it was obvious there was more than one shooter. "Huuutch!" Starsky yelled looking back at dumpster. He couldn't see Hutch but Starsky knew where his partner was. He always knew, just as Hutch always knew where he was. It was just how things were between them.

"Yeah?"

"We gotta get outta here."

"Good idea, Starsk." Hutch hesitated a moment to give Starsky time to get ready. "Now," he yelled as he fired a couple of shots down the alley. Hearing the shots behind him, Starsky ran back to the nook for cover. He grinned at Hutch and nodded. He was glad for the eye-to-eye contact with his partner. They took a moment to slip a new clip in their guns. More bullets flew past them and they nodded at each other indicating they were both ready for the next step of retreating. Starsky fired a couple more rounds and Hutch ran past him. Hutch fired down the alley when he was safe and Starsky took off toward the end of the alley. A shot came so close to his ear he could feel the heat from the bullet as it sped past him. Hutch grabbed the sleeve of Starsky's jacket when Starsky reached the end of the alley.

Both men were out of breath. "Are you okay?" Hutch asked. He had his hand on Starsky's shoulder.

Starsky, still breathing hard, nodded, "I'm fine, you?"

"Yeah," Hutch replied. He took a couple of deep breaths then asked, "Did you get a look at who's shooting at us?" More shots were fired in their direction.

Starsky took one last deep breath and peeked down the alley. "No, but I sure want a piece of them. What do we do now?"

They heard sirens and felt relieved that their back up was there. The firing stopped and they could hear footsteps. They peered down the alley in time to see a door open and saw two men run inside.

"Well, that door," Hutch pointed to the old wooden door the two men entered, "leads to Bull Dog's." They heard tires screeching and knew whoever was shooting at them just got away.

"Damn it!" Starsky yelled as he kicked up some dirt.

"Are you guys okay?" One of the men asked as he stepped out of the black and white patrol car. "We heard you were being shot at."

"Yeah, we're peachy." Hutch returned his gun to its holster. "Thanks, Bernie. We're fine."

"Yeah, thanks. Hutch and I are going to talk to a dog." He patted Bernie's arm.

Hutch opened his eyes again and snapped back into the present. He stared at the Coors that he was holding in his left hand. Bringing the bottle to his lips he took a sip. "We got 'em though, Buddy." He continued talking as if Starsky was sitting in the room with him. "Thanks to a lead from Huggy."

Starsky noticed Hutch was watching him drive off after he dropped him off at his place. At first he thought that was a bit odd. Then he realized why. "Today's the last day I'll drop you off after work. Tomorrow's the last day we're gonna be partners, and you're driving in yourself," he said sadly. He turned the corner and sighed. He parked the car and pocketed his keys when he arrived at his place. He went inside, turned the TV on, took a Coors out of the refrigerator and flopped on the couch. He stared at the TV. He took a gulp of the beer and set it on the small coffee table. "Bull Dog, you did it. You did what Forest, Prudholm, a plague, Simon Marcus, and a couple hundred other guys couldn't do. You split us up. Hutch is quitting the department. You set us up to be killed by Roberts. And why? Why did Roberts want us? Because, he hates cops, plain and simple. Not because Hutch or I did anything to him. And you helped him for the same reason." Starsky and Hutch were used to the dregs of society hating them. That was their lot in life. But to be almost killed by someone they'd never heard of just because they were cops was another matter altogether. It was all part of the job, but still, they didn't like it and they had enough of it. And now Hutch was leaving the job and life he'd known so well.

Starsky allowed his mind to drift into the past. Memories of the last six years flowed through his mind like sand through an hour glass. He was sitting on a bed holding Hutch who was drenched in sweat and dirt. Hutch was grabbing his knee and pleading for his help. "That night was the longest night of my life, Buddy. You don't know how many times I almost caved in and gave you what you wanted." Tears rolled down Starsky's face as he remembered seeing Hutch fighting the addiction that was forced on him. He became sick to his stomach each time a wave of pain went through Hutch's body. He did what he could for Hutch and that was just to be there with him and hold him all night. The next day was spent fighting Hutch who desperately wanted out of the small room that was located upstairs in Huggy's bar.

Memories of Hutch carrying him across a restaurant came next. He remembered the burning pain in his shoulder and the weakness and helplessness that overcame him. It was Hutch who came up with the plan that eventually got them out of that mess. He secretly hoped Hutch would never figure out that he was brains of their little duo.

Starsky was dressed in a silk black robe with an inverted cross on it, his hands tied above his head. People dressed in the same black robes holding various sharp objects were chanting "Simon" over and over again. The sun had just come up and was shining brightly in his eyes. He shuddered as remembered seeing Gail coming at him with a large knife. He had shut his eyes in anticipation of the first of many, bound-to-be-painful slices into his flesh. Gail didn't make the first cut as she was ordered to. Instead, she had cut the rope that held him in place. His arms dropped like heavy weights to the ground. He opened his eyes to see Hutch taking on one after another of Marcus' groupies. He thought of Hutch saying 'Nice robe, ya got there,' after the suspects were lying defeated on the ground. "That gave me nightmares for weeks," Starsk said aloud.

He shook the memories out of his head. He stood up and paced back and forth in the living room. "Sure, there are plenty of bad memories. But there plenty of good ones too. Like just the two of us hanging out and being there for each other no matter what and always having each other to talk to about anything. I'm gonna miss ya, Buddy. I'm gonna miss 'Me and Thee.'" He looked around his apartment, "Look at me standing in the middle of my living room talking to myself like you were here." He chuckled and sat back down. "And tomorrow is our last day." He chugged the rest of the beer and swallowed it. "Let's make it a good one." He knew Captain Dobey wouldn't give them anything pressing to work on.

Hutch's last day was spent riding around their beat in Starsky's striped tomato. Starsky parked the car when he saw Elijah sitting against the wall of an abandoned store. Elijah was an old acquaintance who once offered to pray for them long ago.

"Starsky, Hutch, how you boys doing?" The old man asked.

"Fine, Elijah. We're just fine," Hutch replied, squatting down. Starsky squatted too.

The old man was wearing torn, light brown pants, a long-sleeved blue shirt that had a hole in the left elbow and shoes that looked like they were two sizes too small. He looked at Hutch then Starsky and back at Hutch again, "Is it true, Hutch?"

"Is what true, Elijah?" Starsky asked.

"Are you two giving up?"

"We're not giving anything up, Elijah. But, I am leaving the department."

"It's a sad day for everything good, Hutch. I never thought I'd live to see you two quit."

"I'm not going anywhere," Starsky stated.

"I heard you're moving up and getting off the streets too."

"Well, I am but I'll still come around and check on ya."

Elijah looked at the sky and rubbed his upper left arm with his right, "It's gonna rain tonight. I can feel it in my bones. It's going to be a cold one."

Hutch stood up and reached in his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to Elijah. "I want you to stay in a hotel tonight."

"Hutch, I can't take this," Elijah waved his hand and shook his head.

"A long time ago I asked you to pray for us and you did. I'm returning the favor," Hutch put the money in the old man's shirt pocket.

Starsky took a twenty out and added, "Buy yourself some new clothes, too."

"You guys don't have to do this, you know."

"We know," they said simultaneously.

Chapter 4

The sun was beginning to set and the wind started picking up. Clouds were forming overhead and it looked like Elijah was right. It was going to be a cold rainy night. Starsky parked the car in the police garage and walked with Hutch inside. The only thing left to do was to clean out Hutch's desk. Captain Dobey opened his door that led to the squad room and stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. A part of him was hoping Hutch would change his mind. The other part of him knew that if Hutch made up his mind to leave, then he was going to leave and that was that. His heart was heavy as he watched Hutch open his desk drawer. Hutch had a small stack of pencils that had to be sharpened and he tossed them at Starsky who was sitting on the opposite side of the desk.

"Thanks. I'll probably need these now that I'll be doing my own reports," Starsky replied as he caught the pencils. He leaned over the desk started picking things up and asked, "What else ya got in there I want?"

Hutch grabbed a left-handed baseball mitt out of Starsky's hand, "Do you mind? This is still my desk."

Starsky looked at his watch, "Only for ten more minutes, Blondie. Where did you get that anyway?" Starsky put his hand in the mitt and realized who it originally belonged to. He hit the pocket of the glove with his right hand. "Pete…I mean Molly gave you her glove?"

"Yeah, after the adoption went through she came over one night." Hutch smiled at the memory. "She handed it to me and said she didn't need it anymore." He reached for it and Starsky removed it from his hand and laid it on the desk.

"Oh yeah? You never told me that."

"I put it in my desk to remind me," his words trailed off.

"Remind you of what?"

"Successes," Hutch said. No further explanation was necessary. He knew Starsky understood. He placed the glove in the box along with a few pictures. When all his things were packed in the small box he stood up and put his jacket on. He picked up the box and started walking toward the door. Captain Dobey started clapping and was joined by everyone else in the squad room. Hutch didn't know what to say. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he walked through the door Starsky was holding open for him. Hutch entered the hall and it was lined with just about everyone in the department. And all of them were clapping. He nodded and whispered, "Thank you," as he made his way outside. Starsky opened the passenger side door so Hutch could put the box inside. "You knew about that, didn't you? You could have warned me."

"Hey, be glad I stopped them from doing what they wanted to do."

"Which was?"

"Throwing you a big party and handing you a foam badge bigger than your car here."

"Thanks for that."

"Yeah," Starsky shut the car door and stared at Hutch.

"You're coming over tonight, right?" Hutch asked.

"Sure, I'll be there by six." Starsky turned and started to walk toward his beloved Torino.

"Starsk?"

Starsky turned around and looked at Hutch. Neither spoke a word but nodded at each other.

Starsky showed up at Hutch's at six and let himself in using the spare key. Hutch heard the front door open and came out of his bedroom. "Oh, there you are."

"I said I'd be here at six, here I am." Starsky spotted Hutch's guitar lying on the couch and picked it up. Starsky strummed a few bars and asked, "What do you think your first song will be?"

"I don't know. I suppose Sue Ann will pick out a few." Hutch retreated to his room. "I'll be out in a minute."

Starsky nodded and set the guitar back on the couch. "Okay," Starsky called back. It was that moment that Starsky looked around Hutch's apartment and noticed all the plants were gone and Hutch had had a lot of plants. "Hey, Blondie, where are all the plants? Come to think of it, I didn't see that thing you call a car out front either."

Hutch emerged from his room holding a plant that was about eighteen inches tall. Hutch had planted it in a yellow pot.

"Kiko's mom took the plants. She'll take good care of them."

"Oh, that makes sense. What about that one?" Starsky asked pointing at the plant." It was a beautiful plant that had a dark pink stem that lightened as it went up the plant. The cluster of flowers were pink with blue and green segments. It had yellow stamens which gave the plant an almost rainbow appearance.

"I want you to take care of this one."

"Okay," Starsky said taking the offering. "What is it? What do I do with it?"

"It's called a Queens Tears Plant. It's also called a friendship plant. Don't worry it can stand periods of neglect. That's what the lady at the shop said anyway."

Starsky scowled. "Periods of neglect. I'll have you know I have a few plants of my own ya know."

"Any without brown leaves?"

Starsky grinned sheepishly, "Well, no."

"My point exactly."

"What about your car?"

"I know you don't want it at your place…"

"You got that right," Starsky interrupted.

Hutch ignored his best friend's comment. "I left it with Merle. He's going to keep an eye on it for me when I'm gone."

"Can't believe Merle's going to keep that piece of garbage at his place," Starsky mumbled. In a louder voice he asked, "Hey, do you have everything packed?"

"I just have a couple more things to do."

After Hutch was all packed and ready to go, the two of them sat on the couch. Everything that needed to be said had been said over the past couple of weeks. Hutch was quitting the department to go on tour with Sue Ann and Starsky was going to be a lieutenant. Their friendship was and always would be strong. They watched an old Groucho Marx movie followed by Abbott and Costello. They were both laughing so hard when Abbott and Costello did their 'Who's on First' skit, their sides hurt. "You meant to tell me you never saw that before, Hutch?"

"No. That was pretty funny, though. Probably the funniest thing you've had me watch."

Starsky slept on Hutch's couch so he could drive Hutch to the airport at seven. Hutch got his ticket and Starsky sat with him until his plane was boarding. When his flight was called, Hutch stood up and picked up his guitar and carryon bag. "I guess that's my flight."

"Guess so. Break a leg."

"Yeah." The two shared a short embrace and Hutch walked away without looking back.

Starsky stayed at the terminal until he saw Hutch's plane taxi onto the runway. He took his keys out of his pocket and held them tightly in his hand. He unlocked his car and slid behind the wheel. He had taken the week off because he wasn't ready to work without Hutch. He hadn't slept well the night before, Hutch's couch was more like a torture chamber than a bed, so he decided to go home and get some rest before tackling the rest of the day, or week for that matter.

Starsky woke well rested. He stretched, yawned and glanced at the clock. He was surprised that he slept until one. He sat on the edge of his bed and smacked his lips. His stomach growled and reminded him that he skipped breakfast. He looked down at his stomach when it rumbled once more, "I'm up. I'm up. I know you're hungry." He slipped his bare feet into his soft brown slippers and went into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and rummaged through it. His eyes finally rested on a piece of stale pizza that had been sitting on the shelf for three days. He picked it up and put it in his mouth. He searched the second shelf and found a bottle of root beer and removed it. He took the pizza out of his mouth and mumbled, "Old pizza and root beer, the breakfast of champions." He thought of what Hutch would have to say about his choice and glanced at his stomach, "Well at least it's not wheat germ, vitamin E and black strap molasses, whatever that is."

He ate dinner with Huggy at The Pits and spent the rest of the evening at home watching old movies. Starsky spent the next evening wining and dining Ramona, the waitress who worked for Huggy. He found out a lot about her including the fact that she wasn't really for him. He ended the date early and went home.

"What are you doing here? And don't you ever knock?" Captain Dobey said when Starsky walked in his office unannounced, yet again.

"Sorry, Cap'n. Whatcha got for me?" Starsky slumped into the chair on the right of the desk.

"What! What do I got for you—nothing is what I got for you. You're supposed to off the whole week."

"Yeah, I know. But I figured…" Starsky stood up and leaned on the captain's desk.

"I wish you'd reconsider taking that exam."

"I told you, I'm not a paper pusher. I just told Hutch that so he wouldn't worry."

Captain Dobey knew full well why Starsky told Hutch he would take the lieutenant's exam. Starsky begged him to go along with the deception, and he agreed to it knowing full well that when Hutch found out Starsky was on the streets without him he would likely be the recipient of his wrath. "I know that."

Starsky picked up a folder from the captain's desk, but before he could open it, the captain grabbed it out of his hands and placed it back in its spot. Starsky shrugged and sat back in the chair. "You said you had something in mind for me-what is it?"

"You know Miller will be out at least four more weeks with that leg injury of his…"

"Yeah and…"

"And Jackson is going on vacation for two weeks after that, then…"

"I'm beginning to see a pattern here," Starsky mumbled. He huffed and added, "I get it. I'm going to be used as a fill in…an extra so to speak. I'll be working with everyone that way you won't have to assign me another partner."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." The captain tapped his pencil a couple of times on his desk while Starsky let it sink it. "Look, Starsky, I know you don't want another partner and I wouldn't want to assign some poor rookie to work with you either. I thought this way…"

Starsky shifted positions in his chair. "I like it Cap'n. I really do." Captain Dobey didn't look like he believed him. "Cap'n, you and I both know I'll never find another partner like Hutch and there's no use pretending I will. So yeah, I like the idea. I can't believe you got the top brass to go for it."

"That wasn't easy, and I had to call in a couple of favors but I managed to swing it."

"So when do I start working with Gomez?"

"He's on his way in now. Have you heard from Hutchinson?"

"Yeah, he's called every night. He's at some fancy, high priced hotel where they leave a mint on your pillow after they make the bed."

"Good."

Chapter 5

Hutch stared out the window on the flight. The trip was only four hours long but it seemed like a lifetime to Hutch. His life was about to change and he was having second thouhts. Those doubts faded when he saw Sue Ann smiling and waving at him at the end of the terminal. He started to collect his luggage when Sue Ann laughed and said, "Hutch, Mr. Garner will get that for you."

Mr. Garner was a tall, slender gentleman standing next to Sue Ann. He was wearing a black suit. Hutch leaned close to Sue Ann and whispered, "Who is he?"

She giggled, "Ken, sugar, he's my limo driver and assistant."

Hutch looked impressed although he tried not to let it show, "Since when do you have a limousine? You didn't have one in Bay City."

Mr. Garner picked up Hutch's suitcases and piled them on the airport cart. He started pushing the cart down the terminal. "When I changed record companies after that last big hit, they assigned him to me. I don't know what I'd do without him. He's a Godsend." She smiled. Hutch shrugged his shoulders. He wondered if he could get used to riding around in limousines. He usually preferred the simpler things in life. "Wait 'til you see the hotel."

"Probably bigger than my apartment," Hutch whispered to himself as he followed Sue Ann and Mr. Garner.

Sue Ann waited for Mr. Garner to open the door for her when they arrived at the hotel. Hutch slid out of the limo after her, thanking Mr. Garner as he did.

Sue Ann dug a key out of her purse and handed it to Hutch. "I'm right next door if you need anything. I'll have Mr. Garner get you in an hour and I'll show you the recording studio." She stated as they walked toward the front door.

"This soon? I just got here." The bellman opened the door as they entered the lobby. Hutch thanked him. Hutch looked around the lobby and tried to not let it show how impressed he was by the sheer size and beauty of it. He thought there must be at least twenty floors if not more. The staff was sharply dressed in red and black uniforms and their every movement seemed to have purpose. There was a large circular fountain in the center of the lobby. There were different color lights inside the fountain that gave the water the appearance of changing colors. First it was blue then it changed to red and it was a light green after that.

"Things move pretty fast in the music business. We only have a month to get ready for the tour." Sue Ann kept the conversation going. Hearing her reply, Hutch turned his attention back toward her. She walked toward the elevator and Hutch pushed the up button. Once inside, Sue Ann pushed the button that led to the fourteenth floor.

The elevator stopped and they stepped into the hallway. "Your room is right there, see?" She pointed to room 1413. Hutch squeezed the key that was in his hand and nodded. "Mr. Garner will be along in a few minutes with your luggage."

"Thanks," he smiled. He put the key in the lock and opened the door. He was right, his room was larger than his apartment back home. The carpet was shag white and it looked as if it was brand new. Hutch hesitated and his foot hovered over it a moment before stepping inside. He finally allowed himself to step inside. His hotel room was more of a suite than a room. There was a bedroom with a king-sized bed, a living area with a couch that was as white as the carpet. The bathroom was huge and had two sinks, a sunken tub and a shower. On the back of the bathroom door was a light blue robe hanging on a hook. Hutch lifted the sleeve up and rubbed it on his face. It was as soft as it appeared to be and felt good on his skin. "I might get used to this after all," he muttered. He left the bathroom and went back into the bedroom. He wished Starsky was with him. He probably would make some corny joke about the upper class and their high falutin' ways. He opened the closet door and was surprised to find several outfits hanging neatly on clothes racks. He looked through his new wardrobe one outfit at a time. "Not wearing this one," he said when he came to a yellow jacket that had green sequins in the shape of a flower on the back. "It looks like something Huggy would wear. I definitely can't let Starsky see any of these." He decided the next one wasn't too bad. It reminded him of one of his favorite shirts. The jacket was dark blue and had a guitar in sequins on the back in light blue. The pants were dark blue like the jacket and the long sleeved shirt was white. He knew he would have to dress for his gigs but he wasn't prepared to look like something that stepped out of a glamour magazine.

It wasn't long before Hutch heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see Mr. Garner had arrived with his luggage. Mr. Garner offered to put Hutch's things away for him but Hutch vowed not to let himself become one of those people who had everything done for him. Starsky had teased him about that when he first decided to go on tour with Sue Ann. Hutch thanked Mr. Garner and closed the door behind him.

He unzipped his large blue suitcase and was surprised to see a small red hard case inside that he hadn't put in there. He unlatched it and saw it was full of pictures. He picked up a handful of the pictures and chuckled. The first one he saw was of him. Starsky had taken it when they were at the beach the previous summer. The sun was slowly sinking into the deep blue ocean in the background. The vibrant colors from the magnificent sunset looked like a melting pot of a whole box of crayons that reflected onto the water. And not the eight crayon box, but the large sixty-four box. Hutch had wanted that picture since the first time he laid his eyes on it, but it was Starsky's favorite and he wouldn't give it up. He pondered on what it meant. Did Starsky give him the picture because he was mad at him after all and didn't want to say anything? Or did he give it to Hutch because he was afraid Hutch would forget him? "Hell, for all I know you gave it to me because you knew I wanted it," Hutch said aloud. They had been partners for what seemed like forever but sometimes it was still hard to know exactly why his best friend did things. That was part of Starsky's charm-to always keep Hutch guessing what he would do next. Sometimes, Hutch thought Starsky thought of things to do just to see how far he could push him. Hutch put the photo on the desk and made a mental note to pick up a frame for it when he went out. He fumbled through the rest of the pictures. Most of them were of Starsky. He found one of Starsky standing next to the Torino and rubbed Starsky's face with his finger. "Don't worry, Buddy, I'm not about to forget you," Hutch said as he put the pictures neatly back in their case.

He started unpacking when he heard a knock on the door. The knock was followed by Sue Ann's voice, "Ken, are you ready?"

He unlocked the door and said, "Yeah, sure." He looked over his shoulder toward the bedroom, "I was just unpacking a few things."

"That can wait. We need to get to the studio. The producer wants to meet you."

"Producer?"

"He's the one payin' the bills."

"Oh. Well, let's not keep him waiting then," Hutch said as he held the door open for her.

At the studio, Hutch followed Sue Ann down a long hallway that was lined with silver and gold records in frames. There were pictures on the wall of singers that Hutch recognized too. "Sue Ann, does he produce all these people?"

"Every picture on these walls is of an artist I made famous," a voice from behind them said.

Hutch turned around and saw a short, heavy set man with a moustache and black hair. "You must be Mr. Gray," Hutch said offering to shake the man's hand.

"You must be Mr. Hutchinson."

Hutch smiled, "Yes, Sir, I am. But please, call me Hutch."

"Hutch huh. We'll have to do something about that name. Your first name's Ken is that right?" Hutch nodded. "Hutch, just call me Wayne."

"Okay, Wayne it is."

Wayne opened a door that led to the studio they would be spending most of their time in. Hutch had never been in an actual sound studio before. He had no clue what all the equipment was called or what it was for. "Don't worry about all that stuff. You won't have to do anything with it," Sue Ann said sensing Hutch's nervousness.

Hutch let out a sigh of relief, "Good thing."

Wayne gave Hutch a folder that contained sheet music. "Look through these tonight and see if there's any you like. You'll start tomorrow. Right now, I have to go hold Little Joey's hand before his concert tonight. Noon alright, Sue Ann?"

"We'll be here, Wayne," Sue Ann said and Wayne exited the room.

"So that was the big Wayne Gray."

"Yeah, that's him."

Sue Ann had Mr. Garner drive them around town showing Hutch some of the sights. He asked Mr. Garner to stop at a small store and bought a frame for the picture Starsky gave him. Before Hutch knew it, the day was over and he found himself back in his hotel room a little before midnight. He carried the phone to the couch, sat down and called Starsky. He told him all about the hotel and the studio. He missed Starsky already.

Hutch spent his days at the studio singing song after song to find the best ones for his voice. It was a lot more work than he thought it would be, but he enjoyed it. Sue Ann said he was a natural and they sang several duets together. Wayne was pretty adamant about Hutch needing to change his name. Hutchinson was too long and just Hutch didn't sound like a good stage name either. Besides, Hutch was starting a brand new life and he wanted to change his name. Hutch and Sue Ann thought of variations of his name but none of them were quite right. It was Starsky who came up with Hutch's stage name. Well, the last name anyway. Hutch decided his first name would be David. He felt he owed a big part of his success to Starsky because he encouraged him to follow his dreams. If Starsky had asked him to stay, he never would have left Bay City. During a phone call one night, Starsky said that Hutch's last name should be Soul. When Hutch asked him why, Starsky said because music was such a big part of his heart and soul.

"David Soul, huh?" Wayne was sitting behind his big solid oak desk.

Hutch nodded. "That's what, or who I want to be."

"David Soul. David Soul," Wayne repeated. He tapped his pencil on his desk. "I like it. David Soul it is."

Hutch smiled. He felt a bit relieved too because he couldn't come up with another name he liked. "Thank you, Wayne."

"Tomorrow, we'll take some publicity shots for the tour."

Hutch frowned. Until now, he had been able to get out of dressing in any of the outfits that were in his closet. "Yeah, about that…"

"You don't like what I picked out for you, do you?" Sue Ann asked.

"Let's just say it's not what I'm used to," Hutch answered.

"You can't go on stage wearing jeans and just any old shirt. You saw those pictures on the wall. All of them are successful. All of them have gold records. And all of them dress for that success. The flashier the better, David," Wayne said.

"David?" Hutch asked.

"You did say that's what you wanted your stage name to be, right?" Wayne said.

He did say that but being called David seemed strange to Hutch. "I guess I did." He knew he was going to lose the argument about what to wear too. "I'll be here by noon, Wayne."

"Great. Sue Ann, pick him out something flashy, but tasteful."

"Is there such a thing?" Hutch muttered to himself.

"What's that?" Wayne asked, looking at Hutch who had his hand over his mouth.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything."

That night after searching through the entire wardrobe, Hutch and Sue Ann agreed he could wear the dark blue suit with the guitar on the back.

Chapter 6

Starsky looked at his calendar when he finished his breakfast which consisted of a slice of salami and a glass of milk. He took a bite of the salami, "It's been four weeks today, Buddy. God, I miss you Hutch. I know we've been talking on the phone, but it's not the same as us being on the streets together, ya know." He heard a horn honking outside. It was his temporary partner Gomez. "I'm comin,'" he hollered as if Gomez could hear him. He stuffed the last of the salami in his mouth and gulped the last of his milk. He opened the passenger door and said, "Good mornin'."

"Morning, Starsky." Gomez put the car in drive and pulled away. "I think we finally got a break on the case. One of our snitches called me last night and said that Vinnie had the diamonds. I thought we'd start this morning by paying him a little visit, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah sure, whatever you want." Starsky's thoughts were a million miles away. He liked Gomez okay but he wasn't Hutch. And to make matters worse, Hutch's first concert was tonight in Nashville and he couldn't go.

Gomez started to ask Starsky what was bothering him but he knew Starsky wouldn't tell him. Starsky had become all business since Hutch left. They both knew Miller would return in a couple of weeks and Starsky would be someone else's partner, so neither of them wanted to put a lot of effort into this partnership. They worked well together when it counted, but they were never going to be close friends and they both knew it.

Gomez turned down the alley behind the pawn shop owned by Vinnie. As they got out of the car, Starsky asked, "You want to be good cop or bad cop this time?"

Gomez was usually the good cop when he and Miller questioned someone and he thought it might be fun to change roles for a change. "I'll be the bad guy this time."

"It's your show, I'm just along for the ride," Starsky replied.

"No, you're not. This is our bust. Ours-as in yours and mine."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, Gomez. I just meant that you and Miller started this case."

"Yeah. He really wanted the guys who robbed that jewelry store. His cousin was working at the time and it really shook him up."

"Then let's get Vinnie to roll."

"I got an idea. Instead of good cop/bad cop let's both be pissed off cops who want answers."

Starsky chuckled. "You got it."

Gomez slammed the back door to the pawn shop when they entered. Vinnie, a skinny little man with big black-framed glasses just about jumped out of his skin. Starsky and Gomez chuckled. "What's wrong, Vinnie? Didn't expect to see us now did ya?" Gomez asked.

"Gomez, who's your new sidekick?"

"Name's Starsky. That's Detective to you, Vinnie." Starsky said poking Vinnie in the chest with his left index finger. Starsky stared straight into the man's eyes to appear threatening. Vinnie had never met Starsky and he wanted to leave an unfavorable impression that would last.

Vinnie backed up until he was against a wall as Starsky continued to poke him in the chest. "What do ya want? I didn't have anything to do with Miller gettin' hurt. Gomez, you know me better than that. Get him off me." Vinnie said looking at Starsky.

Starsky stopped poking Vinnie and got within an inch of the man's face and said, "I haven't begun to get on you yet, Vinnie." He took a deep breath as he stared right into Vinnie's eyes. Starsky could see sweat forming on his prey's forehead. "I'm gonna ask you one time," Starsky said slowly and with a voice so low Vinnie could hardly hear him. "Who gave you the diamonds and where are they now?"

Vinnie was visibly shaken and wiped his face with the bottom of his torn green t-shirt. "Dia…diamonds? What diamonds? I don't know anything about those rings that were stolen."

"Who said anything about rings?" Gomez asked. He positioned himself so that he was standing next to Starsky and just as close.

"You…"

Gomez shook his head and Vinnie looked at Starsky who also shook his head. "Vinnie, come on. I've never met you and can tell you're lying," Starsky said.

Vinnie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, okay. What do you want?"

"We told you. We want to know who gave you the diamonds," Gomez said. He backed up a couple of feet.

"And we'd like to know where they are now," Starsky added. He backed up just enough to give Vinnie a little breathing room.

"What's in it for me?"

"Vinnie, Vinnie, Vinnie. Let me put it to you like this," Starsky put his arm around Vinnie's neck. "Gomez and I are going to find out who hit that jewelry store one way or the other. Now, when that happens we might just let it slip that you told us everything."

"I ain't told you nothin'"

"You know that, I know that, and Detective Starsky here knows that, but what are jokers on the streets going to believe?" Gomez asked.

Vinnie looked at one detective then the other. He bit his bottom lip and started sweating again. He stumbled a few feet and flopped into a chair. "It was an inside job. I got the diamond rings from…" He lowered his head.

"From who, Vinnie?" Gomez demanded. He lifted Vinnie up by his shirt to a standing position.

Starsky put his hand on Gomez's just to make sure Gomez didn't really hurt the man. "Gomez, don't," he whispered. He saw Gomez slightly twitch an eye to let him know that he was still in control.

"Don't stop me, Starsky. My partner got shot and could have been killed because of this scum," Gomez yelled, still in total control of his emotions but sounding otherwise.

"Miller's not going to like it," Vinnie said. His voice sounding shaky from the fear of what Gomez was going to do to him if Detective Starsky couldn't control him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gomez asked as he let go of Vinnie's shirt.

Vinnie slowly returned to his seat. "It was Miller's cousin who set the whole thing up."

Gomez drew his hand back as if he was going to strike Vinnie across the face. Starsky stopped him. "What do you mean it was Miller's cousin?" Starsky asked.

"It's true. Miller's cousin, Marty, hired two men. A salt and pepper team to hit the place while he was working. He thought Miller was off that day. No one was supposed to get hurt."

"Who did this Marty hire?" Starsky asked.

"Diego and Hughes," Vinnie reluctantly said.

"You mean Don Diego and Sam Hughes?" Gomez asked.

"Yeah, they're the ones."

"Where are they now?" Starsky asked.

"Holed up in a hotel on Commerce. Room 212." Starsky and Gomez glared at Vinnie. "Okay. I still have the rings." He stood up and walked to the back room. He opened the door and took a small pouch out of a locked desk drawer. "Here. I couldn't find a buyer. They're too hot to move right now."

Gomez took the pouch and opened it. Inside were twelve diamond rings worth about sixty-thousand dollars. "Tell me, why. Why did Marty hire someone…"

Vinnie cut him off. "His old man owns the place and Marty hates it. He hates working there. He hates everything about that place. His dad is a tyrant. He makes Marty work all the time for pennies."

"How do you know all this?" Starsky asked.

"Marty told me when he gave me the rings to fence. You're going to arrest me aren't you? I don't want anyone to know I told you anything."

"It will be my pleasure, Vinnie." Gomez said as he handed Starsky the pouch that contained the stolen rings, turned Vinnie around and handcuffed him. He read Vinnie his rights.

Starsky went with Gomez to give the news to Miller about his cousin being involved. Their next move was to arrest Diego and Hughes. They found them exactly where Vinnie said they'd be. Diego tried to escape by climbing down the second floor fire escape but a uniformed officer was waiting for him. Hughes gave up as soon as Starsky kicked in the front door.

Miller wanted to be there when they arrested his cousin. He had been shot in the lower leg and the bullet hit his tibia, breaking it. He had just gotten the cast removed two days prior and was still using a cane to walk. Gomez assisted Miller out of the car and up the walkway to Marty's house.

Marty's dad opened the door when he saw Gomez pull up in front. "Hi, Gomez, Stan."

"Uncle Gene, this is Detective Starsky." He pointed to Starsky who nodded at Gene. "Is Marty here?"

"Marty? Is this about the robbery? He's already told you everything he knows."

"Is he here?" Miller repeated.

Gene Miller stood in his doorway looking at his nephew and his partner. He looked at Starsky for a brief moment and then beyond him to the units that pulled up in front of the house. He lowered his jaw and turned to look inside the house. He saw his twenty-year-old son walking down the stairs. "You can't possibly think…"

"Mr. Miller, is your son here or not," Starsky asked in a tone that most people recognized as one of authority.

Mr. Miller opened the door all the way and stepped aside to let the officers in. He turned to his son, "How could you?"

"You don't think I had anything to do with the robbery, do you, Stan?" Marty yelled. His fear was mounting and it showed on his face and his body language. He was starting to shake and sweat.

"I could have died," Stan Miller said.

"No one was supposed to get hurt, I swear it. No one was supposed to get hurt! I'm sorry, Stan," Marty said with tears in his eyes.

Gomez approached Marty and handcuffed him. Miller read his cousin his rights. Gene watched in horror as his son was taken out of his house in handcuffs. "Why, Marty? Haven't I given you everything?"

"Everything! You made me work in that damn store all the time. You never had time for me. You never even asked if I wanted to work there. What about what I wanted to do with my life?" Marty yelled back at his father as he got into the patrol car.

Starsky walked up the steps to Hutch's apartment and dug the key out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and sighed, "Well, I can't be at your concert tonight, Buddy, but I'm here." He opened the refrigerator, took out a beer and sat on the couch.

Chapter 7

Hutch had always been nervous before stepping on stage and the way he felt tonight made the other times seem like a walk in the park. He had heard of performers getting butterflies in their stomachs before a show, but his stomach felt more like an entire dance company doing the Charleston. He had already thrown up twice. He was alone in his dressing room and heard a knock on the door. "Ken, are you ready?" He heard Sue Ann ask.

He looked at his face in the mirror and thought he looked a little pale. He took a deep breath and thought he heard Starsky say, "You wanted this, Dummy. So get out there." He put his jacket on and opened the door. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Sue Ann looked at Hutch from head-to-toe and smiled. She liked the way the blue sequins brought out the soft blue sparkle of his eyes. She straightened out his collar and said, "There now, that's better. I'll sing the first song then you'll come out and sing Lovin' Arms just like we practiced, okay?" Hutch nodded. He didn't want to tell her just how nervous he was. "Your guitar is on the stand next to your stool." Again, Hutch nodded.

Sue Ann left the door open when she left and Hutch followed her after taking one last deep breath. He had not looked to see how many people were in attendance. He thought it was best to just assume there were far too many to be a comfortable level for him. He stood by the red velvet curtain and watched Sue Ann as she sang her first song. He was amazed by her poise, grace and charm as she sang flawlessly. He couldn't help but look at the audience who appeared to be completely mesmerized by her. She, herself, seemed to be enjoying every moment of it. She loved her fans and it showed. She took a bow when it was over and several bouquets of flowers were thrown on stage. She waved, smiling at the crowd as she picked up each one. Mr. Garner walked on the stage and she handed the flowers to him.

She walked back to the microphone and said, "During my last concert I promised you a surprise." She glanced at Hutch, "Please, give a warm welcome to David Soul." She replaced the microphone and clapped as Hutch walked on stage.

He was grateful for all the flashes from the cameras because he couldn't see anyone in the crowd. He smiled and gave her a friendly peck on the cheek and sat on the stool. He picked up his guitar and started singing. The words, the notes, everything that he was terrified he'd forget came to him just as easy as breathing. His fears and doubts disappeared by the end of the first verse. He realized that this was what he was meant to do and he enjoyed it more than he ever thought he would.

He couldn't wait for the concert to end so he could tell Starsky all about it. He was so excited when he got back to the hotel room, that he didn't realize it was three in the morning. He picked up the phone and started to dial Starksy's number and then hung up. "I'll bet you're at my place," he said aloud. Even after being apart the last four weeks, he still knew where his partner was.

Starsky had fallen asleep on Hutch's couch watching the late show. He jumped when he heard the phone ring. He could hear the smile Hutch had before the man even talked. "Hello, Blondie," Starsky answered the phone.

"Hey, Partner. It was great, Starsk. I wish you could have been here tonight." Hutch was still on a high from the whole experience. The crowd's applause still rang in his ears and the standing ovation he received was still shinning in his eyes.

Starsky smiled. He missed Hutch, but he was happy that things went well. He knew Hutch was nervous about his first gig. "I'm glad you had a good time. I told you they'd love ya, you big lummox."

Hutch talked for an hour about how nervous he was to start with and how relaxed he became once he started singing. He told Starsky he hadn't been this excited about anything in a long time. Starsky could hear it all in Hutch's voice. Hutch said that he might even get used to the flashy outfits he had to wear. Starsky chuckled.

Hutch asked, "So, did you take the lieutenant's exam yet?"

"Umm. No, not yet." The fact that he never intended on taking the exam wasn't revealed. An omission of that fact wasn't exactly a lie. Starsky would never flat-out lie to Hutch.

"What do you mean, not yet? Wasn't the exam yesterday?"

Since he had not planned on taking the exam, he had no clue when it was. "No." Okay, that time he did lie. But it was for Hutch's own good. "Hey, Buddy, it's late and I've got to be in at eight. I'm glad it went well. I knew you'd knock 'em dead."

"I'll be in LA in two weeks then San Diego."

"Great. I'll see if I can make it to one of them."

After their goodbyes, Starsky hung up the phone and sighed. "At least it went well," he said aloud. He went into Hutch's room and flopped on the bed.

When Hutch hung up the phone, he knew Starsky wasn't telling him the whole truth about what he was doing. "I'll bet you have no intention of taking that exam. What are you up to, Buddy?" He mumbled as he got undressed and slipped into bed.

The next week was a blur for Hutch. Things happened so fast, he hardly had time to breathe. Sue Ann and Wayne had him booked on two local talk shows and one national one. He was a hit from the very first time he stepped on the stage and it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of him. He spent the rest of his time in the studio. He packed up and headed for Los Angeles. He called Starsky only once the whole week. He figured once he arrived in LA, he would have a little more time.

Hutch made a decision about his wardrobe too. He decided that he would wear all white. From a white cowboy-style hat to white boots, he would wear white. His pants were white with mother of pearl sequins along the outside seam. The jacket was all white as was his shirt. He stood in front of the full size mirror in his hotel room in San Diego and turned around. Sue Ann opened the door and came in. She smiled and said, "You were right, Darlin'. This is your look."

"You like it?"

"Yeah, I do." She turned him around. "It looks good on you. It screams David Soul."

Hutch smiled and tossed the hat on the bed. He took a dark blue silk tie out of the closet and put it on. "I can add a little color by changing my ties."

"Say, that's a good idea. It can be like your trademark."

"Do you think Wayne will like it? I mean it's not very flashy."

"It may not be flashy, but it's you. I think we can convince Wayne to like it."

"I sure hope so. I can't wear those clown outfits anymore." Sue Ann laughed.

Starsky had said goodbye to Gomez and had been working with Jackson's partner, Woods, a week when he heard from Hutch. He was glad to hear his friend's voice again. He told Hutch weeks ago that he had taken the lieutenant's exam and passed. Hutch knew Starsky was lying. He just knew when Starsky lied to him. More than once he thought about calling him on it, but Starsky was doing what he had to do the same as Hutch was. Without saying it, they both agreed not to talk about what Starsky was doing.

The concert in LA came and went. Starsky was on a case and couldn't get away. Hutch made time to call Starsky at least every other day no matter how busy he was. Wayne loved David Soul's new look and took several photo's for publicity shots. Hutch loved his new life with all the glamour and excitement the entertainment business had to offer, but he wasn't about to let go of his best friend.

Starsky walked up to the ticket window in San Diego and said, "I'm Dave Starsky and I should have a ticket waiting for me."

The woman behind the counter looked at her clipboard and her eyes suddenly became very large and she smiled. "Why, so you do. Can you wait right here please?" Starsky nodded. He looked behind him and noticed a rather large crowd had gathered. Everyone wanted to see Sue Ann and David Soul. Starsky smiled at the woman standing in line behind him. "Hut…I mean David Soul is my best friend."

"Mine too, honey. Only he doesn't know it,"

"No, really. He is my best friend. We worked together in Bay City."

The woman from the ticket counter returned accompanied by a man in a black suit wearing an ear piece. "Follow me please, Mr. Starsky."

Starsky looked smugly at the woman behind him, "Told ya," he said. He followed the man who took him to Hutch's dressing room.

"Come in," Hutch said when he heard the knock on the door.

Starsky didn't tell Hutch he was able to go to the show. He didn't want to get Hutch's hopes up in case he couldn't make it at the last minute. "Wow. You weren't kidding when you said you were living the good life, were ya, Buddy."

"Starsky!" Hutch yelled and smiled. He had just started putting his tie on and left it dangling around his neck.

Starsky hugged Hutch and slapped him on the back. He picked up the ends of Hutch's tie and tied it for him.

"I was beginning to think you'd never make it to one of my concerts."

"I wouldn't do that to ya. You know what it's like getting a day off out of Dobey."

Hutch grinned, "I remember. How long can you stay?"

"Tonight and tomorrow."

"Great. You can come to both shows."
"Wouldn't miss 'em."

There was a knock on the door and Starsky opened it and Sue Ann was standing there. He hugged her and said, "I see you're taking good care of Hutch."

"He's easy to take care of. How've you been? I know he's missed you."

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Keeping busy. Do I get front row seats?"

"I couldn't have my best friend sitting in the audience like everyone else. No way." Hutch put his hand on Starsky's shoulder. "Buddy, you get to be backstage with us."

"You mean I can stand on the side by the curtain and watch you?"

"Sure can." Hutch replied.

"I'll have Mr. Garner set a stool there so you can sit down," Sue Ann said.

"Well, all right." Starsky clapped his hands together and grinned.

Starsky stood up more than he sat during the concert. He tried to be quiet but he just couldn't help getting caught up in all the excitement. He clapped when Sue Ann finished her song and yelled, "Knock 'em dead," when Hutch walked out on stage. The crowd was cheering and clapping so loud that Hutch never heard Starsky. Hutch sand Loving Arms first and when he finished he said, "I have a new song I've been working on I'd like to sing next. It's called Don't Give Up on Us." Applause and cheers erupted from the crowd as Hutch sang.

Sue Ann nudged Starsky and whispered, "He's been working on that one for weeks now. He wrote it himself."

Starsky smiled, "He did? He's good, isn't he?"

"Honey, your ex-partner is well on the way to the top." Starsky clapped and smiled but he could feel Hutch and their friendship slipping further and further away.

After the concert, the three of them went to the hotel bar for drinks.

Starsky and Hutch escorted Sue Ann to her room and then went to Hutch's room. Hutch opened the sliding glass door and stepped onto the balcony. Starsky followed and leaned over the rail. "Nice view."

"If you look to your left, you can see the San Diego bay."

Starsky leaned over the railing and looked to his left. It was a full moon and he saw the lights from all the hotels on the strip shimmering on the bay's water. "It is nice."

The balcony was small but it was big enough for a small round table and two chairs. Hutch sat in one of the chairs. Now that he could talk to Starsky face-to-face, he felt it was time to ask him what he was really doing. "Starsk,"

"I'm fine, Hutch. Really. I'm doing good."

"How many partners have you had now? Four, five how many?"

"Dobey told you?"

"I wriggled it out of him weeks ago." Starsky sat in the other chair and faced Hutch. "It's not Dobey's fault, I knew you weren't telling me something."

"I couldn't Hutch. I couldn't tell you Dobey's using me as a fill in."

"You never had any intention of taking that lieutenant's exam, did you?"

"No," Starsky mumbled.

"Starsky, I never would have…"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you. Hutch, you said it yourself, this is something you have to do. I'm okay with that, I get it. But I don't want to move up in the department. I'm not going to let Dobey assign me a permanent partner. Being a fill in, an extra, works. Let's not talk cop shop, okay? I'm here to spend some time with my buddy."

Hutch smiled and said, "Okay. It's late, let's get some sleep and I'll show you the zoo tomorrow."

"Really? The zoo, can we see the monkey's and lions and everything?" Starsky's face lit up like a kids at Christmas.

"Yeah, really."

Starsky started to lay down on the couch when Hutch said, "Starsk, it pulls out into a bed."

"It does? Oh." He got off the couch and removed the cushions and pulled the bed out. "So, it does. And look, it's already made."

Hutch handed Starsky a pillow. "Hey, Starsk, you want to see the bear cave tomorrow too?" Hutch knew full well that Starsky had no desire to see the bears. Starsky hadn't cared much for bears since that whole Simon Marcus ordeal.

"You would bring that up. No, I do not want to see the bears or their caves," Starsky replied as he threw the pillow at Hutch.

Hutch laughed and threw the pillow back.

Chapter 8

It had been two months since Starsky visited Hutch in San Diego. Starsky wasn't able to make the show in LA or the one in Sacramento. The concert that was supposed to be in Bay City was cancelled and Hutch ended up in Reno, Nevada, instead. Hutch continued to call Starsky at least every other day. He even called Huggy a couple of times. Hutch wrote several letters to Starsky explaining in detail what his day-to-day life was like. He wrote about his thoughts of being a celebrity and his feeling. He also told Starsky how much he missed him. "I know this sounds corny and all, but…I miss you more than anything else, Buddy," he wrote at the end of his last letter. "My words are cold and flat." He said before tossing it in the trash. None of the letters Hutch wrote made it to Starsky. He did manage to mail him a couple of postcards…but nothing more. Hutch put the pen in the drawer and stood up. He stretched and yawned. "You deserve more, Starsk."

The newness and thrill of being a celebrity was wearing off. The money was nice, but Hutch was never much for material things. He still liked his old beat up Ford. He missed being able to go to a store without people pointing at him and asking him for autographs all the time. He liked his fans, but it was hard pleasing everyone all the time. He missed his own name too. Hutch felt like he was beginning to lose a part of himself every time he answered to his made up persona. Most of all, Hutch couldn't stop thinking about Starsky. He missed his best friend. Talking on the phone was okay but it just wasn't the same. He'd find himself daydreaming about some of the good times they shared. No matter how bad Hutch felt, Starsky could cheer him up. Sometimes just by being there. Hutch was realizing that the grass wasn't always greener on the other side.

He opened the door to yet another fancy hotel room, this time he was in Dallas. It seemed like each room was more luxurious than the last and he could not have been less impressed. He tossed his suitcase on the bed and unzipped it. He glanced at the items inside and closed it again. He really wasn't in the mood to unpack again. Hutch realized packing and unpacking was a chore after the first month of being on the road. Mr. Garner came in with is costumes he wore on stage and handed them to Hutch. After thanking the man, Hutch flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling. There was a small white fan going around and around making a soft swishing sound. What Hutch saw, was Starsky's face smiling at him. "I miss you, Starsk." He rubbed his hair and walked to the sliding door that led to the balcony and stepped outside. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His hands gripped the metal rail tightly as he closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again he looked to his left and saw the civic center he would be singing at tomorrow with Sue Ann.

It was a nice night with a cool wind blowing and Hutch decided to go for a quick walk around the block. He put on a light jacket and left the hotel. It didn't take long for the cop in him to realize he was being followed. The streets were crowded and it seemed as if everyone was staring at him. He walked past two women who appeared to be in their early twenties and heard one whisper, "That's David Soul."

"No, it's not. He wouldn't be out walking the streets without a body guard. Everyone knows celebrities don't go anyplace alone."

Hutch ducked his head and mumbled, "I do have a bodyguard. He's just not with me right now. Right, Starsk?" He huffed and walked toward a small bar that reminded him of The Pits. Before he could open the door he felt a hand on his shoulder. His instincts kicked in and he turned around making a fist with his right hand. He stopped short of hitting the young woman when she screamed.

"Sorry. You uh…you startled me."

"It is him! I told you he was David Soul!" She yelled excitedly at her friend.

Everyone around heard her yell and Hutch found himself surrounded by a mob of fans. Some were shoving papers and ink pens at him demanding his autograph, others were tugging at his jacket and there were so many flashes of light from all the pictures that were being taken that he couldn't see. He was being pushed and pawed at. His back was against the wall by the door that led to the bar. "Stop. Stop. Please, stop. I'm not David Soul. I just look like him." He tried yelling but no one believed him. He crossed his arms in front of his face to block some of the blinding flashes of light. His heart was racing and he knew the situation was rapidly becoming dangerous. He had to do something and quick before someone got hurt. He saw an opening on his left and took off running.

He ran as fast as he could back to the hotel. He looked back and saw a large crowd of people following him. The bell hop saw him coming and quickly opened the door for him. "Get in the elevator, Mr. Soul."

"Thanks. I owe you." Hutch answered as he ran to the elevator. He pushed the up button. He was breathing rapidly, "Come on, come on. Hurry up." He saw the mob rush past the bell hop just as the elevator opened. He hurried inside and pushed the buttons to every floor. "At least they won't know what floor I'm on. Once he was safely inside his room, he opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. He held the bottle up and noticed it was Coors, his favorite. He took a swallow, "Of course it is. It's what I asked for." He went into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You did WHAT? Hutch, you're famous now; you can't go off like that." Starsky yelled when Hutch called after his nerves calmed down. Years on the streets and he was more afraid of a mob of fans than he was being undercover as a drug dealer.

"I didn't realize I was that famous."

"That famous? What the hell's that supposed to mean. You know…" Starsky stopped in mid sentence. He knew Hutch didn't need a lecture from him right now. "Hutch, I…I uh."

"I miss you too, Buddy."

"When's the concert?"

"Tomorrow at eight." There was a pause. "What are you up to?"

"You know me. I'm just working on some stuff and trying to keep Huggy straight."

Hutch chuckled. "You should know by now that's a lost cause."

"Yeah, but I keep trying."

Sue Ann introduced Hutch as David Soul to the crowd the next night and the crowd cheered as he took the stage. Hutch looked out into the crowd and smiled. The images of the previous night's events flooded his mind and his smile faded. He picked up his guitar and sang his first song Loving Arms. He took a sip of the glass of water that was on the small table in front of him. It was then that he knew what he had to do. He poured his energy, heart and soul into every song he sang that night. His performance was flawless. The crowd became more keyed up with each song. For the last song, Hutch sat on the stool. He took a few sips of his water and said, "Will you lower the lights please." The lights on the stage were turned off except a spotlight that was on him. He cleared his throat and said, "Many people will enter your life, some good, some not so good. Some will stay a short time, others you wish would only stay a short time. Once in a while, if you're really lucky. And I mean really, really lucky, someone will come into your life at just the right time, and they'll touch you in a very special way. I'm not talking about your spouse. I'm talking about real friendship, the kind that lasts a lifetime. No matter what stupid mistakes you make they will be there. They may not always say or do the right thing, but they will always be there. I have a friend like that back home in Bay City. This next song is dedicated to him and to our friendship." He closed his eyes and the vision of Starsky's smile flashed in his mind. He took a deep breath and sang "You've Got a Friend," by James Taylor.

Sue Ann was watching from the sidelines and couldn't believe how much Hutch had grown as an artist. He was well on his way to becoming one of the big singers like Kenny Rogers or Barry Manilow. The crowd absolutely adored him and they had good reason-he was not only talented but he had a stage presence the audience craved.

Sue Ann smiled and hugged Hutch as he walked off stage after his last song. "Starsky would've loved that if he was here."

"Starsky would probably have marched onto the stage and planted one on me square in the kisser." Hutch grinned. "I'm not much in the mood for going out tonight if that's alright with you. I'm gonna go back to the hotel room and get some sleep."

"Okay, Sugar."

Hutch was exhausted and didn't call Starsky. Instead, he took a shower and went to sleep. He woke early and sat in a chair on the balcony sipping a hot cup of coffee. He knew what he wanted. He knew what he had to do. The only thing he wasn't sure of was what repercussions there would be as a result of his decision. He didn't want to think about them. He was happier than he had been in the past six months. He put the pictures Starsky gave him in the suitcase last. He zipped the suitcase closed and opened the closet door. He removed the black garment bag and set it opened on the bed. He had five white suits that looked exactly the same. He took one out and put it in the bag. He searched through his ties and found a couple that he actually really liked and put them on the hanger with the suit. He slipped a white envelope under Sue Ann's door.

He had a smile on his face as he watched the hotel get further and further away from the backseat of the cab. He had a direct flight from Dallas to Bay City and by noon he was standing in the hallway at metro. He saw Starsky through the glass and smiled.

"Hutch, what are you doin' here? Is everything okay?"

Hutch squeezed Starsky's arm, "I'm fine, Starsk. Look, we need to talk ya got a minute?"

"For you, any time. Let's go over here." They walked down the hall and went into an empty meeting room. Starsky sat down next to Hutch. "Hey, you okay?"

"I should be asking you that, Pal."

"I'm fine. Hutch, what's wrong?"

"Starsk, I gotta ask you something and if you say no, I'll understand…"

"Hutch, you never stopped being my partner. You…you just took an extended vacation."

"You mean, you'll let me be your partner again?"

Starsky laughed, "I don't want anyone else. It's 'Me and Thee'. Hutch, nothing's ever going to change that." Starsky patted Hutch's shoulder.

"Thanks, Starsk. What's Dobey gonna say?"

Starsky grinned and scratched his head. "He's gonna say I owe him ten dollars."

"Ten dol…hold on. You mean the two of you had a bet on how long I'd be gone?"

"Hey, I said you'd hit the big time and wouldn't be back for a year. Huggy said you'd never come back, not to the department anyway."

"What did Captain Dobey say?"

"He said he'd give you eight months then he'd have to give your job to someone else."

"He held my job for me?"

"With a little persuasion from yours truly."

"I don't deserve you, Buddy."

"I'll let you make it up to me later. Right now I've got to meet with my temporary partner. We're about to crack the case we've been working on."

"Do you need any help?"

"Nah, we got this. Hey, why don't you talk to Dobey and go home? I'll wrap this up in a couple of hours and meet you there."

"Sounds good." Hutch stood up and started to say something but Starsky cut him off and told him they would talk about it at Hutch's later.

Hutch knocked on the door to Captain Dobey's office and opened it when he heard his former captain say, "Come in." Captain Dobey smiled and stood up when he saw Hutch. "Hutch, what brings you here?" He stretched his hand out and the two men shook hands.

Hutch sat down and said, "To tell you the truth, Captain, I uh…"

"You want to come back?"

"Yes, Sir, I do. I don't know what I was thinking. Sue Ann wanted me go on that tour right after that shootout that almost killed me and Starsky." He started pacing. "I guess I thought the grass was greener on the other side."

"It wasn't?"

"For a while, I guess it was. But I missed being here. I know it sounds crazy but I feel more comfortable being shot at on the streets in Bay City than walking to the store alone in some strange city."

Captain Dobey opened his desk drawer and took out Hutch's badge. "You know, I don't want to see this back again," he said as he tossed it to Hutch.

"No, Captain, you won't. It's going to stay right here." Hutch put his badge in his pocket and patted it.

"You'll need this too I expect." The captain opened another drawer and put Hutch's gun on the desk.

"Yeah, this will probably come in handy."

"I expect to see you first thing the day after tomorrow…with your partner…and on time." He pointed his finger at Hutch as he spoke.

"Thank you, Captain. I owe you one."

"You owe me a lot more than one. Now get out of here."

Hutch smiled as he felt the safety of his gun at his side. Everything was going to be just like it was before he left or even better. He went to his apartment and finished unpacking. He put the picture Starsky gave him on top of his piano. He flopped on his bed thinking he'd just sleep a few minutes before Starsky came over. He woke to the sound of the phone ringing.

Assuming it was Starsky on the other end he picked up the phone, "Starsk, don't tell me…"

"Hutch, it's Huggy."

Hutch wasn't expecting Huggy to call and he didn't particularly care for the worried tone Huggy had. "Hug, what's wrong?"

"Now before you go all crazy listen, okay?"

"Huggy, out with it."

"Starsky's in surgery. He was shot a few minutes ago. Dobey asked me to call."

"Shot! Is he going to be okay? What the hell happened?"

"He was working with some new partner and I don't know what happened Hutch, but he was shot. That's all I know. He's at Community Hospital."

"Thanks, Hug. I'll be right there."

"Anytime, Blondie."

"Damn it!" Hutch yelled as he hung up the phone. He ran down the stairs almost tripping on the last step. He met Huggy at the hospital entrance and asked about Starsky.

"He was still in surgery when I left. Captain Dobey's with him along with Mayhew."

"Who's Mayhew?"

"Starsky's current partner."

"Oh."

Hutch ran through the emergency doors. Captain Dobey stood up when he saw Hutch. "Hutch, we still don't know anything." The captain's voice was soft and matter of fact.

Hutch didn't say anything, he just sat in one of the hard plastic chairs.

"It's my fault." Hutch heard the young man sitting on the other side of Captain Dobey say.

Hutch noticed the man's shirt was covered in blood. He knew it was Starsky's blood and gasped. "No. It's not your fault, it's mine," he said in a soft low voice.

"Hutchinson, you weren't even there. How the hell do you figure it's your fault?"

"You said it, Captain. I wasn't there and I should have been. I never should have left." There was a pause then Hutch asked, "What did happen?"

"It was my fault. We were arresting a robbery suspect and it all happened so fast." He took a deep breath. His voice was shaky as he recalled the events. "I had him against the wall. I was frisking him and he turned around so fast I didn't have time to react. He grabbed my gun and took off running. Starsky yelled for him to stop and he turned around. He was about to shoot me when Starsky pushed me out of the way. I heard the shot and saw Starsky fall to the ground." Mayhew started sobbing. "It's my fault."

Hutch kneeled in front of the young detective. "It's not your fault. Starsky knew what he was doing. That's the kind of cop he is."

The door opened and a man in a white lab coat asked, "Family of David Starsky?"

Hutch stood up and said, "Here." Saying he was Starsky's family came natural to him. Starsky was his family.

The doctor approached. "He's out of surgery. He was shot in the abdomen. There was a lot of damage and he's lost a lot of blood. He's going to be pretty weak for a while. But he's young and tough. I think he'll be good as new."

Hutch sighed and said, "Thank you, doctor. When can I see him?"

"He's in recovery now. We'll be moving him to a room in a couple of hours. You can see him then but only for a minute, and only one of you. He needs his rest tonight." Hutch nodded.

Captain Dobey smiled, "Thank God. Mayhew, he's going to be fine. Why don't you go home and change."

"But I'd…"

"It's okay. Hutch will be here with him. You can't see him like that." Captain Dobey pointed to Mayhew's blood-soaked shirt.

Mayhew looked at his shirt and nodded. "I guess it would be better to get cleaned up first. Hutch, will you tell him I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, but I'll tell him," Hutch replied. He sat back down in the chair.

Hutch watched as Detective Mayhew walked through the door into the parking lot. "He's a good man, Hutch. A good cop," Captain Dobey said.

"I know it could have happened to anyone, Captain. It's not his fault. It's mine. I should have been with him today making that bust." Hutch leaned his head back so far it touched the wall behind him. "I've missed him so much. I've been so worried about him."

The room was dark when Hutch quietly approached Starsky's side. He recognized all the tubes that were attached to his best friend's body. He had seen them before, far too many times. The tube going into Starsky's nose was delivering oxygen, he also had an IV delivering fluids, pain killers, and antibiotics through his veins. Starsky had a Foley catheter in place collecting his urine and was hooked to a heart monitor by electrodes attached to his chest. Hutch sat in the chair by the bed and picked up Starsky's hand. "I'm sorry, Starsk. I never should have left. I never should have left you. I've missed you so much. That's why I came back. I realized that home is where the heart is and my heart is here in Bay City with my buddy." Hutch squeezed Starsky's hand.

"Blondie?"

"Starsk, you're awake?"

"Course I am. You didn't think I'd miss hearing you say all that wonderful stuff, did ya?"

Hutch laughed. "I meant it, Buddy. I couldn't live like that another day. It was nice for a while, but it's not me. It's not us. Can you forgive me?"

"Nothin' to forgive, David."

"David?"

"David Soul," Starsky laughed which caused a burning pain that radiated throughout his entire body. His body tensed up and he held his breath until the pain passed. He squeezed Hutch's hand tightly and when the pain finally subsided he said, "Can't laugh."

Hutch never did like to see his partner hurting and winced when he saw Starsky in pain. "It's okay, Starsk. I'm right here."

"It wasn't Mayhew's fault. Don't blame him."

"I'm not, neither is Dobey. It's my fault, Starsk."

"Hutch, not your fault either," Starsky's voice was getting weaker by the minute.

"I promise I won't leave you again, Starsk."

"When I get outta here we'll catch that creep that shot me."

"I promise, we'll get him, Partner. You get some sleep now and I'll be right here."

Starsky smiled as his body relaxed. He felt more relaxed than he had in six months. He missed Hutch as much as Hutch missed him. Totally relaxed with Hutch at his side, he mumbled, "'Me and Thee'," as he drifted off to sleep.

Hutch stayed at Starsky's side for several hours. The chair was uncomfortable and he was tired and hungry but he smiled as he watched Starsky breathing in and out. There was no place he'd rather be. There was no place he'd ever be again.