"Hutch, why do you run every day? You don't hafta run every day," Starsky whined as he re-tied his sneaker. "It's Sunday for cripes sake."

Hutch pulled his sweatshirt over his head. "I don't run every day, Starsk. But I love it so I go as much as I can." Starsky mumbled something. "What was that?"

"Nuthin'," Starsky said back and shot a guilty look at his best friend.

"Well, let's go then!" Hutch started jogging in place and pointed toward his front door.

"Starsky looked out the window. It's really windy today. Maybe it will rain." Starsky's sounded hopeful.

"There isn't any rain in the forecast and you know it. The wind is just due to the hurricane that will skim by. And it is beautiful outside at this time of year!"

Starksy pulled himself up from the sofa with a groan and shuffled to the door. "Hey!" he yelled back as he felt Hutch swat him on the behind. "Knock that off."

They descended the stairs of Venice Place together but Hutch reached the bottom first and jogged in place as he waited for his slow partner. When Starsky reached the bottom, Hutch tried to give him another swat but Starsky blocked it. "I said cut it out."

With a laugh, Hutch jogged away. Starsky reluctantly followed. After a few blocks, Starsky caught up to Hutch and matched his stride. It was a beautiful cool October day in Bay City. Hutch took in a lungful of surprisingly-clean air. He waved at an elderly woman outside her flower shop.

"Morning, Mabel!" he called out and the woman smiled and waved. Two doors down, Hutch slowed as a newspaper stand owner held open an apartment house door and a young mother walked out onto the sidewalk. She smiled at the handsome joggers as she took her little boy's hand. "Morning," Hutch said, tipping his head. "He's getting big!"

"Yes, he'll be in school in a year," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"You know everyone around here?" Starsky asked kiddingly.

"Well, I don't know her – just happen to cross her path from time to time. It's a neighborhood, Starsk. You oughta get out more and meet people." Hutch took in another deep breath. "Ah, I love the smell of the ocean, don't you?"

"Yeah," Starsky said with a grin and picked up his pace toward the pier. He heard Hutch laugh behind him as he also started to run faster. Their feet hit the old pier so they slowed back down to a jog. They continued to the end with Starsky reaching it first. He stopped and leaned on the railing.

"What are you doing? Don't stop now, Starsk!"

"Come on, Blondie. Let's stop and smell the roses." Before Hutch could reply, Starsky cut him off. "The salt air, smell the salt air."

Hutch stopped jogging and joined his friend at the railing. "Ouch." Hutch pulled his arm away sharply and inspected the large splinter embedded in his forearm above his wrist.

"You okay?" Starsky asked, concerned.

Hutch pulled the bulk of the offending wood from his arm. "Yeah, just a splinter. This old pier has seen better days." He turned and started to walk back to the parking lot.

"Look at this?" Starsky said beside him. Hutch turned to see Starsky pushing on a wobbly board with his foot. "What happened to the plan to replace this thing?"

Hutch glanced at his arm once more then started to jog. "Got voted down, remember?"

Starsky shook his head in dismay and ran to catch up to Hutch.

Later that day

Starsky drank down the rest of his beer and pushed himself up from the sofa. "It's getting late, Blintz. I'm headin' home."

Hutch placed the last dish he had washed on the rack to dry. He glanced at the clock over the sink. "You're right. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Want me to pick you up?"

Hutch thought about the offer. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back from my run…"

"By 8:15. I know, I know. I'll be here at 8:30 so you have time for a shower." Starsky waved his hand in front of his nose as he suppressed a smirk.

"Hey, I don't stink," Hutch called after Starsky. "Much."

Starsky chuckled. "See ya, Blintz." He shut the door behind him.

~ S&H ~

Starsky pulled up in front of Hutch's apartment at nine the next morning. He was surprised to see Hutch's beat up Ford out front figuring Hutch would have given up waiting for him and went on to Metro without him. He parked the Torino and took the stairs two at a time. Letting himself in with the key from the lintel, he called to Hutch. "Move it, Hutchinson. Dobey is gonna have our hide for being late." He walked toward the kitchen area and looked around. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the bathroom door was ajar and walked toward it. "You can't blame me for being late since you are later than I am now."

Pushing the door open, he saw that Hutch was not there. "Oh man, now we're really late." He glanced over at Hutch's bed and saw his clothes laid out which meant Hutch hadn't returned from his jog. Starsky grabbed the clothes and rolled them into a ball. He stuck them under his arm then went to the closet to gather up Hutch's holster, gun and badge. He let himself out of the apartment, locking the door behind him.

Trotting down the stairs, he looked down the block to see if he could catch sight of Hutch. Not seeing him, he jumped into his car, tossing the clothes and other items in the back. "You owe me one, Partner," he said to himself with a chuckle as he pulled into traffic.

Starsky drove slowly down the street following Hutch's regular route. A pair of fire trucks and an ambulance roared up behind him, lights and sirens howling. Starsky pulled to the side and let them pass then continued on, watching the side streets and shop windows in case Hutch went off track and had made a stop that caused him to be late. Two police cars sped passed him. He looked after them with concern and turned up the volume on his radio then switched the channel.

"We need a second alarm at Venice Pier. Multiple injuries and victims are in the water!" The voice of a fire captain bellowed from the radio.

"Oh my God," Starsky said out loud as he floored the accelerator and hit the siren switch. He was at the pier before he even had a chance to slap the bubble light on the roof. The scene before him was horrific. The entire pier was gone from sight. People were crying, huddled together along the wooden walkway. He saw paramedics tending to someone on the ground that was bleeding profusely from their mangled legs. Others ran up and down yelling for their friends and family.

Starsky flashed his badge as he passed two officers. He moved slowly toward the edge of the walkway and looked over. The pier was lying in the water in mostly two large pieces. Waves crashed over what was left of it. A body floated face down, the foot caught on the farthest piling. Beyond the breakers, a Coast Guard vessel hovered as the crew pulled a person from the choppy water. Starsky strained to see who it was and let out his breath when he saw long dark hair.

"Where the hell are you, Buddy?" he asked quietly. He continued to move through the chaos, the roar of the surf and the shouts and cries of victims blurred into the background. An ambulance pulled away as another took its place. Starsky hurried over and grabbed hold of a female paramedic's arm. She stopped and looked over at him. "Do you know who was in that ambulance that just left?"

"Please, sir, I need to get to work." She pulled from his grasp and rushed off.

Starsky turned slowly in a circle, his heart beating in his chest so hard it hurt. Seeing an officer, Starsky rushed to ask him if he knew how many victims had been taken away but again he was ignored. He pulled his badge from his pocket and showed it again. "Look, I need to know if there was a man taken by ambulance. Tall, blond."

The officer looked down at the badge. "I'm not sure. Two ambulances have already left. You'll have to check the hospitals." He moved to stop an onlooker from getting too close to the walkway, forgetting all about Starsky.

"Here! Over here!" A man was waving from down the shore. "Someone is in the water!" Starsky took off at a dead run.

"Where?" He asked as he met up with the older man. He followed the man's hand and saw a blue-clad leg behind a large boulder. The surf pounded the body again and again. Starsky's heart clenched in his chest. He started to scramble down the rough embankment as he heard someone yelling for him to stop. He looked up to see two firefighters in wet suits coming toward him.

"Sir, please get back up onto the walkway," one of the men said sharply.

Starsky looked back down at the bobbing victim then complied and climbed back up onto solid land. He unconsciously wrapped his arms around his torso and waited as the rescue workers reached the victim. He could see by their reaction, there was no chance of saving the man. Starsky moved aside as a paramedic came over carrying a red blanket. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the blood streaming into the water. It wasn't until he saw what was left of the victim's face that he let the breath out in a loud whoosh.

"Oh, dear Lord almighty," the older man to his right whispered.

Starsky shook himself out of his reverie and reached out to the man. "Are you all right, sir? Come sit down over here." Starsky led the man slowly to a bench and helped him sit down. "Did you know him?"

The man looked up with a bewildered look in his eyes. "What? No!" He then lowered his voice. "No, I walk here every morning. I…I just wanted to help."

Starsky patted the man's forearm as he tried to compose himself. "I'm looking for my friend. He jogs down here."

"Oh no," the man breathed out. "I hope you find him."

Starsky swallowed hard. "Me too. You didn't happen to see a tall blond man, did you? Clean cut, usually wears a jogging suit, blue or red."

"He's a detective - is that him?"

"Yes! Did you see him today?"

The man thought for a moment then shook his head. "No, not today but I came right after the pier collapsed."

Starsky sagged and rubbed his eyes. He looked back over at the older man. "Thank you for your help."

"I didn't do anything."

Starsky stood up. "You did. Really. Take care."

Starsky hurried back to the Torino which was now blocked in by rescue vehicles. He leaned in the open window and grabbed the mic. "This is Zebra Three, patch me through to Dobey."

Go ahead Zebra Three.

"Cap'n, it's Starsky."

Where the hell are you two, Starsky?

"I'm at Venice pier. There has been a collapse. I…I can't find Hutch. You haven't heard from him, have you?"

There was silence on the line for a moment. No, I haven't.

"Cap, he runs on the pier every day." Starsky wiped the back of his hand over his mouth then continued. "Can you call his place? Maybe he….maybe he took a different route and is oblivious about all this."

Of course. Are you going to stay on scene?

"Looks like I'll hafta for now. My car is blocked in."

I'll contact you back soon.

"Thanks, Cap'n."

Starsky dropped the mic onto the seat and paced back and forth as he watched the firefighters and other rescuers. There had been no more bodies found, no more victims pulled from the frothy water. The scene was becoming less frantic. The last of the injured was loaded into an ambulance. The onlookers dispersed. But inside Starsky the turmoil still raged. One of the two Coast Guard vessels pulled away. The other hovered just beyond the waves as the men scanned the water for more victims. Starsky's own eyes skimmed the water's surface praying to see a blond head and a soggy water-logged arm waving to him.

Zebra Three, come in.

Starsky jumped at the sound then grabbed the mic. "Starsky here." There was a pause as Dobey's call was connected. "Anything, Cap'n?"

No answer at his place. No one has heard from him either. I've got a call into the local hospitals but no word back yet.

Starsky could picture the fear in Dobey's face as he spoke. "Roger that," Starsky said gruffly and dropped the mic back on the seat. He put his arms on the car's roof and buried his face in them. It wasn't until he heard the fire engine behind him start up that he lifted his head. The large vehicle backed away. Wiping his wet eyes, Starsky looked around one more time then approached an officer he recognized.

"Jack?"

The officer turned to him. "Starsky, what are you doing here?"

Starsky turned and moved away from the other officers Jack Charles was speaking to. Jack followed him. "Hutch is missing," Starsky began in a low voice. Jack leaned in closer. "He runs this route most mornings."

The realization of what Starsky was saying spread across Jack's face. "Holy shit," he breathed out.

"Yeah…"

"All the victims have been identified so far…Hutch has not been one of them."

Conflicting emotions slid across Starsky's face. If Hutch was here and fell in, where the hell was he? And if he wasn't here, then why had no one heard from him? Starsky raked a hand through his hair. He looked toward the water then over at the Torino which was no longer blocked in by rescue vehicles. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to the concerned eyes of his fellow cop.

"Look, you can stay here as long as you need. The Coast Guard will continue to survey for as long as we need. With this heavy chop from that storm, there is no telling where…a body could end up." Jack took his hand down from Starsky's shoulder when he saw him nod. He saw the dark-haired man swallow hard before he spoke.

"Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it," Starsky said before his attention was pulled away by a small crowd pointing out into the water. The Coast Guard crew had spotted another victim.

Jack went to join the other police but turned back to Starsky. "Go sit down, Starsky. I'll find you."

Starsky could only nod. He again wrapped his arms around himself and stumbled to the Torino. He pulled open the door and fell into the seat. He couldn't bring himself to watch the rescue…recovery. Please let it be a rescue, he thought to himself. The strong wind buffeted the open car door so Starsky pulled his legs inside and shut it, leaving the window down. He could hear the radio traffic but blood rushed in his ears and he couldn't make out what he was hearing. He turned the volume up.

Female victim, she's alive. We need a…

Starsky snapped the radio off and banged his fists on the steering wheel. You're a strong swimmer, Hutch. You would have been able to swim in this, I know you would. Starsky couldn't wipe the images of the victims from his mind. A healthy whole Hutch could swim out there but what if…

Starsky jumped as he realized Jack was standing outside the car. "I heard." He pointed at the radio.

"Thought so," Jack replied. "Hey, it gives us hope if she survived, right?"

Starsky nodded numbly and looked at his watch. It had been over ninety minutes since he arrived at the pier. Time wasn't on their side. He felt Jack take hold of his left arm that rested on the open window. Again, all Starsky could do was nod as his tried to tamp down the emotions inside him. He started the car and backed out of the parking area.