Here's "On The Road". It was a long way until the story was finished, but I had great help:
Ea betaed the first version, then Dawn worked with me on my story, and I can't thank my friends enough for their help.
I hope you enjoy.
On The Road
By Monika11 03/08
Chapter one
The late afternoon sun flooded the empty beach. The light was caught in the blond hair of the lone man who crouched near the shore, playing absent-mindedly with a glistening toy windmill. He didn't turn when he felt another person approaching, only straightened and sighed, looking out at the calm sea.
The other man stopped near the blond, they exchanged a few words, and both stood, shoulders touching. Finally they locked glances for a brief moment, nodded in mute agreement, and fished their badges out of their jeans pockets. Simultaneously, they threw their badges into the ocean.
"That's it." Starsky burrowed his hands in his pockets and turned his back to the sea. With tired steps, he worked his way through the sand, followed by his partner who looked back one more time, as if he longed to see where his badge had gone.
"Hutch, what're we gonna do now?" Pensively, Starsky slowed down until they walked side by side.
"Right now? Have a beer," Hutch said, and a small smile appeared on his face.
For Starsky, it meant encouragement and support after all those days of disillusion and frustration. Lionel Rigger had been killed because Starsky had screwed up, had left him alone to look for his hurt partner on the street. Both detectives had put their job into question, and had jeopardized their ability to protect the people who trusted them, like Lionel. Huggy had turned away from them, disappointed and angry at their betrayal of his friend.
"Not Huggy's," Starsky stated, and met no opposition.
Half an hour later, they reached the suburbs of the city. Darkness had set in, and the apartment buildings on both sides of the road looked grey and dirty. As they were almost out of the city limits, they came to an area with lots of parked trucks. An illuminated sign over the entrance of a one story building said, "Trucker's Lodge".
"That would be a good place to get some food," Starsky said, and turned left into the parking lot.
Hutch only nodded, and wiped his face, hiding a yawn.
Starsky glanced at his partner. He knew the events of the last days had taken their toll on Hutch, too.
"Buddy, let's relax for now." Starsky rubbed Hutch's shoulder and gave him an encouraging pat before they got out of the car and trudged toward the bar. Inside, the dim, yellow light from the low-hanging lamps over the tables illuminated the cigarette smoke in the air. A number of truckers sat digging into their dinners, smoking as they shoveled food into their mouths. The mood fitted Starsky perfectly.
Hutch pointed to a corner of the bar where two stools were still free, and soon they were savoring their first beers. Starsky ordered the special of the day, a burger with fries, onions and a salad.
"The same for me," Hutch mumbled, and Starsky looked at him, astounded. It was the first time in a long time that Hutch had passed on a healthy snack. Maybe finally, Hutch could appreciate what tasted good, Starsky thought, and smiled into his half empty glass. Three beers later, he was still smiling and listening to Hutch's complaints about a too greasy meal.
"Hutch, stop it. Better think of what we are doing tomorrow. What about our jobs now?" Starsky slurred the words slightly and motioned the bar keeper to bring two more beers.
"What about robbing banks in Bolivia?" Hutch asked, suppressing a hiccup.
"Yeah, or we could join the Canadian football team." Starsky leaned into Hutch, remembering the night they had opened Terry's gifts. Before he could slide off the stool in his inebriated state, Hutch's strong arm held him upright. "Let's call it a day, buddy," he heard Hutch say, and then there was another voice right behind them.
"Guys, I overheard you. You need a job?" Both turned around and saw an older man in front of them, smiling encouragingly. His friendliness couldn't hide his nervousness, though, and he went on speaking, rubbing his hands. "My name is John Carter, I own a little truckage company and I'm in desperate need of two drivers. The men I hired didn't come back, don't know why. So if you can drive a truck and have time to take some technical equipment to Mexico, you'd be my men – and you'll get paid well."
Starsky looked at Hutch, communicating without words.
'What do you think about it? We could get away for some days, would make some bucks, and driving a truck isn't the worst thing I could think about. You with me in this, pal?'
After a little moment Hutch nodded subtly and straightened. Turning toward Carter, he said, "You're in luck, we are available. How long will it take and what exactly are we carrying to Mexico??"
"Well, you have to deliver the load as soon as possible. It's technical equipment for the oil exporting industry, and you should be leaving tomorrow morning, so you can be back on Sunday. Okay?"
"And when do we get our pay?" Starsky asked.
The man smiled again, "Half of it now, the rest when the load is delivered. Is it a deal?"
Starsky exchanged glances with Hutch and nodded.
"Okay, Mr. Carter. It's been a while since I have driven such a big baby. Can we have a look at the truck and the load?"
"No problem," Mr. Carter hurried to say. He reached out his hands and they shook on the deal.
At that moment, two other men rushed into the bar, heading straight toward the little group.
"Mr. Carter, we've heard you need two drivers. Here we are. We have recommendations and are the best available drivers on the market -"
"Too late, I'm sorry, I've just hired these two guys," Mr. Carter said, and Starsky smiled triumphantly. The faces of the two men fell and their disappointment was palpable.
"Any time you need a couple of drivers—we live really near by," One of them said. Slowly, they turned to leave the room
"Where's the truck?" Starsky rubbed his hands in anticipation.
Carter shifted his glance from the leaving men and concentrated on Starsky and Hutch. "You said you are used to driving a truck? Because the load is somewhat precious and has to be delivered in the shortest time."
"When it comes to my partner's driving skills, I'm only worried that he is too fast," Hutch couldn't help to add and received a hard nudge in his side from Starsky.
"You'll see your load will be delivered in time, I promise," Starsky said, looking expectantly to the door.
"So, I'll show you the truck. Follow me."
Mr. Carter led them across the parking lot to the far end of the yard. In the darkness, they could make out a large dusty truck that had seen better days. The bumpers seemed to be tied rough and ready, but the tires were okay. Starsky aimed a kick at the closest one and was satisfied.
"Can we have a look at the freight?" Hutch asked, having rounded the truck.
Mr. Carter willingly opened the doors and let them have a peek into the dark interior. They could see big boxes, tied securely at the walls.
"Give me a hand, will you?" Hutch asked and Starsky helped him to enter the interior of the old vehicle. Hutch checked the fastening of the door and gave an approving whistle. "Nothing to complain about. What about the load? Can we open a box? I'd like to check the contents, too." Hutch fumbled with the lock of one of the boxes.
"Mister," Carter's voice showed some annoyance. "I can assure you that everything is okay with the boxes. I don't have a flashlight though, and if you want to check on it tomorrow, it's up to you."
Hutch looked at Starsky and saw him smiling reassuringly, hiding a yawn. Hutch shrugged his shoulders and stepped to the edge of the load floor to jump down the truck. The floor creaked and Mr. Carter held up his hands in a warning gesture.
"Don't stumble. There is a ridge..."
Starsky steadied Hutch when he landed on the ground and nodded. "Okay, Mr. Carter. We need the papers and a place to stay the night. You don't want us to fall asleep behind the wheel tomorrow," he joked.
Mr. Carter pointed to the building next door. "There's a motel you can stay the night at. I'll bring the papers right away. Night, guys, see you back in four days. And no unneccesary stops. They urgently need the equipment in Santa Rosa."
Mr. Carter locked the truck and left for his own car, an old Ford Sedan.
"Looks familiar to you?" Starsky joked, but got only a big yawn back from Hutch.
"That's it, partner. Let's call it a night."
"I can't believe it! Hutch, we've got a job!" Starsky let himself fall on his small bed in their motel room, fighting a light dizziness which was obviously the after-effects of the beers he had drunk. But he felt good at the same time. The depressing events of the last days seemed to be far away.
Was this the same evening that they had thrown their badges into the ocean, feeling nothing but emptiness and disappointment? Their problems weren't solved yet, though, and neither of them was ready to give up his hopes to help people and to serve the law; but whatever was going to happen, they would have a little distraction by going to Mexico. For Starsky, it was a dream come true. He had always wished to go there. He and Terry had planned to spend their honeymoon in Mexico, but that chance was taken from him when Terry was shot.
Starsky sighed and shoved the thoughts aside. Slowly, he braced on one elbow and looked around. The sounds from the small bathroom told him that Hutch was taking a shower. Their room was just a typically bare, non-descript motel room, but it held a special quality for Starsky; it was the first sign of a new beginning. Their future lay ahead of them, and maybe this first job would give them the chance to clear their heads of the bad experiences of the last few days.
"Water is getting cold, so if you wanna grab a shower, hurry." Hutch emerged from the bathroom, toweling his hair.
"Always the same, you get all the warm water," mumbled Starsky, trudging past Hutch and pulling playfully at the towel draped around Hutch's waist.
"Hey, 'm cold," Hutch complained, picking up the towel from the floor and smacking it in the direction of a fleeing Starsky.
Through the sound of the running water, Starsky called out to Hutch, asking about what they should do about their lack of fresh clothes and toiletries.
When Starsky came back from the shower, Hutch said, "Tomorrow morning, we take a detour to our places and get what we need for the trip, and we'll still be in time to get to…" Hutch, who had the papers and a map in front of him on the covers, checked the name, "…to Santa Rosa."
"What about Dobey? Do we need to tell him about us leaving town for some days?" Starsky mused, getting under the covers and stretching out.
"He doesn't expect us back till next Monday. That would be early enough to tell him about our decision to quit the force."
Hutch looked insecure for a moment, and Starsky felt uncomfortable, too. Had they screwed up by getting rid of their badges and not telling Captain Dobey about it? Were they really so sick and tired of their job?
"First let's do this job, then we'll see." Hutch ended the discussion and put the papers on the nightstand. He lay down and covered himself with the blanket, only to shove it away after a little while.
"It's too warm, the air conditioner doesn't work. G'night, pal," Hutch yawned and turned to his side.
Starsky lay awake, still thinking about the last week. He was lucky to still have Hutch by his side. 'Me and thee' had always been their motto, and apart from the thing with Kira, and some other misunderstandings, they had stuck together. Affectionately Starsky looked over to his sleeping partner. His even breathing calmed Starsky, and soon he fell asleep, too.
"Wake up, Sleepyhead." Slowly Starsky awoke, looking into Hutch's blue eyes. Bright daylight was sweeping through the room and Hutch was already dressed. Starsky shook his head and rubbed his eyes.
"Hutch, I had a strange dream. We threw our badges into the ocean! How dumb can someone be …?" Hutch's gaze told him all he needed to know and he held his breath.
"Hutch, we did it! Now I remember. Shit!" Starsky sat up, suddenly fully awake.
"Let's look forward to getting the truck load to Mexico first, then we can think about our future." Soothingly Hutch ran his hand along Starsky's arm, then looked at his watch. "Time to leave if we want to stop at our places first."
Two hours later, the big truck left the area of Bay City in direction of the Mexican border. Carter had agreed to open some boxes for them and they had made sure that the load corresponded with the description in the papers. Starsky relaxed and enjoyed being behind the steering wheelof a truck after a long time. Both men had packed a small bag with clothes and some toiletries for the next days, and looked forward to a new experience.
