What Matters Most

by Rescue45

"It's gonna be a total loss, Starsk." Hutch said as he put his hand on Starsky's shoulder and shook his head. The fact that he was losing his house was just beginning to sink in. "We're going to lose everything."

Firebug

Davey was sleeping soundly at 0100 when he heard what sounded like a window in the living room break followed by a what he thought was some kind of small explosion. The noise startled him so much he jumped up instantly.

The next thing he heard was the smoke alarms going off in the house. He could smell smoke and see it under his door. Davey quickly put his shoes on and grabbed his cell phone. He touched his bedroom door and it was hot. He knew the hot door meant the fire was just on the other side and it wouldn't be safe to open it. He opened his window and jumped out. He ran around the house to his parent's window.

Hutch and Debbie were sound asleep when they heard the window break like Davey did. Hutch jumped up, instinctively grabbed his gun out of the nightstand and ran for the door. He told Debbie to keep down low. She got on the floor without questioning him. Hutch could smell the smoke when he reached the door. He touched the door and it was hot so he knew he couldn't open it. "It's a fire, get your shoes on we'll have to go out of the window." They put their shoes on and Hutch took his cell phone off the night stand then opened the window. As Hutch was opening the window, Debbie took her purse off her nightstand and grabbed Hutch's wallet off the dresser.

Davey reached his parent's window in time to see Debbie crawling out of it and Hutch inside helping her. "I gotcha, Mom, come on down. I won't let you fall." Debbie eased herself down the six foot drop with Davey and Hutch helping her. Hutch climbed out of the window next. Hutch looked at his wife and son and asked, "Are you two okay?"

"I'm fine, dad." Dave said as Debbie nodded.

The three of them walked around to the front of the house. Hutch used his cell phone to call the fire department.

When he hung up, Debbie held him and started tearing up. He hugged her saying, "It'll be okay, honey. We all made it out."

Davey's voice was excited as he said, "I heard the window break then it sounded almost like an explosion."

"I know, son, we heard it too. I'm just glad we made it out."

"Dad, I'm gonna call Uncle Dave, okay?" Hutch nodded as he held Debbie tighter and stroked her hair.

Starsky was sound asleep when he heard his phone ring. He knew by the ring tone, which for was Davey was Kung Fu Fighting, it was his nephew. He also knew if Davey was calling him this late it was important. "Davey."

"Yeah, it's me, Uncle Dave, our house is on fire." He sounded excited and out of breath.

Starsky sat up in the bed and turned the light on, "Did you say your house is on fire?"

"We made it out and we're okay. The fire department is pulling up now."

"Okay, we'll be right over. Are you sure you are all okay?"

"Yeah, we're okay."

Jeanne heard Starsky talking to Davey, "Their house is on fire. Did I hear that right?"

Starsky nodded as he started putting his pants on, "Davey said they're okay. Let's go over there. I'll wake Kenny while you get dressed." Jeanne nodded and started getting dressed.

Starsky went into his son's room and called his name a couple of times, "Kenny, son, come on wake up. There's trouble at Hutch's."

Kenny heard the urgency in his dad's voice, sat up and rubbed his eyes, he reached over and turned on the light on his night stand, "What's wrong, Dad?"

"Davey just called and said their house is on fire."

Kenny jumped up and started getting dressed, "I'll be ready in one minute, Dad."

When Starsky turned onto Hutch's street he was stopped by a uniformed officer. The young officer was about to tell them the street was blocked when he recognized Starsky, "Starsky, do you know whose house is on fire?"

"It's Hutch's place let me through, please."

"Hutch's, yeah, sure go on. I hope he's okay."

Starsky pulled up and saw the fire department working hard to save the house. Starsky looked for Hutch and saw him talking to Chief Williams. Starsky and Hutch have known the Chief for years and had worked together on many cases.

Kenny and Jeanne saw Davey and Debbie sitting on the bumper of the fire truck and went over to them.

When Hutch saw Chief Williams pull up, he told Debbie and Davey he would be right back. The Chief recognized Hutch as he walked up, "Hutch, this is your place?"

"Yeah, this is my place." Chief Williams ordered his men to gain entry through the front door. "Chief, don't do it. Don't send them in."

"What do you mean don't send them in?"

"We made it outside, Chief. There's nothing in the house that's worth the lives of your men."

Chief Williams nodded and patted Hutch's shoulder, "Thanks. It's been a while, Hutch. Sorry to see you again under these circumstances." He ordered his men to stay out of the house.

"I think its arson. We heard glass break and a small explosion just before the fire started."

Starsky ran over to Hutch and put his hand on Hutch's shoulder, "Are you three okay?"

"We're fine, Starsk, but I think we lost everything inside. I was just telling the Chief here that I think it was arson."

"Arson? Who? Why?" He turned toward Chief Williams, "Hi, Chief."

"We don't know for sure yet, Starsky." The Chief said to Starsky as they shook hands.

"It's gonna be a total loss, Starsk." Hutch said as he put his hand on Starsky's shoulder and shook his head. The fact that he was losing his house was just beginning to sink in. "We're going to lose everything."

"Hey, all of you got out. It'll be okay, Hutch. I'm here for you, you know that. We all are." Hutch put his head on Starsky's shoulder briefly. Starsky patted his back. "You think it was arson?"

"We heard a window break then another noise that sounded like a small explosion."

"We've had about six cases like this one the past month, all arson, all in the middle of the night and all for no apparent reason. The only good thing is that no one's been killed so far." The Chief said as he picked up his radio and ordered the truck that just pulled up to put water on the roof. The blaze had spread very quickly and even the garage was up in smoke. Davey's car was parked in the driveway and it looked like it had been set on fire first. Chief Williams told Starsky and Hutch that with the previous arson cases the fires started in the garage then other parts of the houses were set on fire with gasoline.

Hutch saw Adam Price as he walked up to them. They all shook hands, "Hi, Adam."

"Hutch, I heard about this on the scanner. I'm sorry." Adam said as he looked at the fire.

Hutch was watching his house go up in flames and asked, "You've done stories on the other fires haven't you, Adam?"

Adam nodded yes, "I've been trying to help the police catch this lunatic. I've been writing what they've asked me too. You know me, guys. I've always been on your side."

"Yeah, you have been. You've always been fair and you're the only real responsible reporter I've seen in a long time. Write what you need to about this fire too. Maybe it will help catch him." Hutch said as he took a deep breath and turned his attention back to his burning house.

Jeanne and Debbie had moved to the neighbor's yard and were talking to them. Davey looked up and down the street and saw a bunch of their neighbors starting to come outside looking at the fire. A few came over and asked if they needed anything and said how sorry they were.

After they talked to the Chief, Starsky and Hutch joined the rest of their family and Starsky gave Debbie and Davey a hug. He was really glad they all got out of the house unharmed. The six of them watched the house burn as the firemen fought to control the blaze. It was four in the morning when the fire was finally out. When it was safe for the firemen to go inside, some things were brought outside and put on the lawn so they could make sure the fire was completely out.

Chief Williams found Hutch and asked, "Hutch, do you have someplace to stay?"

"They'll be staying with us, thanks, Chief." Starsky said without hesitating. He had no doubt that Hutch would be staying with him for as long as they needed too.

Hutch smiled, "Yeah, we'll be staying with family." He patted Starsky on the back.

"Hutch, I'll get back with you later today or tomorrow. You need to get some sleep. We've got some clean up to do and then the fire investigators will have to do their thing. It will be hours before anyone's allowed inside." He glanced at Starsky, "Starsky, I know you'll take good care of them. Take them home for now and get some rest."

Starsky and Hutch thanked the Chief and they all got into Starsky's van and headed to his house. Hutch sat next to Debbie who leaned her head on his shoulder. She didn't say anything but just sat there in total disbelief. Hutch held her tight and reminded her that they all made it out and were not hurt. He kissed her forehead gently and whispered, "I love you." She snuggled closer to him finding strength and comfort in his arms.

Kenny was in the back seat with Davey. Davey just stared out of the window, "You know, Starsk, we were lucky tonight. We heard the window break and the smoke alarms worked."

"You are lucky. We're all lucky, you made it out."

They slowly got out of the van and walked into Starsky's house. Davey hugged his parent's and went to Kenny's room. Davey fumbled through his drawer in Kenny's dresser and found a pair of pajamas. He started to change when Kenny said, "What's wrong with the pair you have on?"

"Smoke. They smell like smoke. I do too but I'm too tired to shower now."

"Oh." Kenny opened his closet door and took a blanket off the top shelf and put it on Davey's bed. He got into his bed.

Davey changed into the pajamas and crawled into his bed. "I'm glad I have a bed here."

"You'll always have a place to stay at my house."

"Thanks. There will always be room for you at my place too, cuz."

Kenny turned out the light on his night stand and rolled over onto his back. "Hutch?"

"Yeah, Starsk?"

"I know it's hard but it'll be okay."

Davey sighed, "I'm glad we all made it out. I know that's what's important."

As Hutch and Debbie went to the guest room, Starsky patted him on the shoulder, "Hutch, It'll be okay. You know you can stay here as long as it takes."

Hutch nodded his head and said, "Thanks, buddy."

"Get some sleep now. We'll work things out later." Starsky gave Debbie a friendly hug.

Hutch and Debbie had a dresser in their room at Starsky's. Hutch handed Debbie a nightgown out of it saying, "I'm sure glad we have some clothes here."

Debbie took the gown he handed her, "Thanks, honey."

"It was a good idea to keep clothes at each other's place." He pulled out a pair of pajamas and they changed then got into bed. Debbie was softly sobbing and Hutch held her as they fell asleep.

Chapter 2

It was about noon when Starsky and Jeanne woke up. They went quietly into the kitchen. As Jeanne made coffee for everyone, Starsky picked up his phone, "I'm gonna call Huggy and let him know what happened, then I'll call Chief Sterling and see if he knows anything about the fires."

"Good idea, maybe Huggy's heard something."

Huggy heard his phone ring and knew it was Starsky. He had just heard about the fire at Hutch's, "Starsk, are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're with us. Everyone's fine, but the house is a total loss. I'm taking Hutch to see the damage in a little while. He's still sleeping."

"Tell Hutchie I'll see what I can dig up. I got my ear out."

"Thanks, Hug. We'll come by later."

Starsky hung up after talking to Huggy. Hutch walked into the kitchen, "What's Huggy got?"

"Nothin' yet but he's gonna let me know if he hears anything. I was about to call Chief Sterling to see what he knows."

Hutch rubbed his eyes and nodded and took a seat at the table next to Starsky, "Is that coffee I smell?"

Jeanne got up and poured him a cup, "Here you go." She sat the cup in front of him.

"Thanks." He took a sip, put the cup down, put his elbow on the table and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"Chief, this is Starsky." He reached over and patted Hutch's shoulder.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to call. I heard about the fire this morning but didn't want to call. I figured you'd all be asleep. Are they alright?"

"Yeah there fine, Chief. They're staying with us. I know the fire department is looking into the arson cases but do you have anyone on it?"

"I do as of this morning. I told Chief Williams that since this last fire involved a retired detective I wanted in on it and he seemed grateful for the help. I put Johnson and Reynolds on it."

"Chief, you don't think all the fires have anything to do with me and Hutch do you?"

"Not really, but it gave us an excuse to look into them and find out who it is."

"What's he saying?" Hutch asked as stood up when Debbie came into the room and got her a cup of coffee.

"He put Johnson and Reynolds on it." Starsky told the chief that they could meet Johnson and Reynolds at Hutch's in a couple of hours. He also let him know that Huggy was going to see if he could dig up anything. Hutch nodded in agreement with the plan.

After Starsky hung up, Debbie sighed, "Now what do we do, honey?"

"Well for starters I'm going to call the insurance company and get the paper work started. Starsky's going to take me by the house and see just how bad the damage is. Then we're going to see Huggy. What do you want to do?"

"I want to go. I want to see it."

"I can take Debbie to the house in my car so you two can see Huggy afterwards." Jeanne said as she poured herself another cup of coffee and refilled everyone else's.

Davey and Kenny walked into the room and sat down, "You okay, son?" Hutch asked as he thanked Jeanne for the refill. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

They discussed the plans for the day. They knew if the six of them were going to be living together for a while they would need more groceries pretty soon. Hutch, Debbie and Davey would need more clothes soon. They had some clothes at Starskys but not many and would need more. As Davey pointed out, "I can wear Starsky's shirts and pants but I draw the line at wearing his underwear, Dad."

Hutch laughed and said, "Good point. Tell you what; you and Kenny can go get some things for you and me."

"Sure, Dad. Where is it you get your superman underwear, I forgot?"

Starsky asked, "Yeah, I always wanted to know that."

Hutch frowned and said, "Funny."

"Debbie would you like to go with me and do some shopping? We can get some groceries and pick you up some clothes."

Hutch handed Davey his credit card told him to get what he needed he would transfer some money from his savings account into his checking account.

Starsky offered to give him some money but Hutch said financially they were okay for now. He did have money in his savings account and the insurance company would probably pay for a lot of the things they needed.

Starsky and Hutch arrived first and as Hutch got out and saw his front yard full of furniture and other possessions. He had seen it all in the dark of night, but somehow in the daylight it looked worse. He shook his head, "I can't believe this, Starsk."

Starsky was equally surprised at the site. He gave Hutch a little reassuring hug and said, "I'm here for ya, buddy, whatever you need."

"Thanks, pal."

Jeanne arrived with Debbie as Kenny pulled up with Davey. They were all surprised at the damage. "Dad, I knew it was bad, but…"

"I know, Davey. Just remember we all made it out and we're okay."

"I saw them pulling stuff outside last night but why?" Kenny asked as he looked around.

"They bring some things outside to help get the fire out." Starsky replied as he started to walk around looking at all the debris.

Debbie walked over to Hutch shaking her head, "Oh, honey."

He held her tight and kissed her, "It'll be okay."

She took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, we're okay and that's what counts."

Johnson and Reynolds pulled up and told Hutch how sorry they were to hear about the fire and how glad they were they all made it out safely.

There was yellow crime scene tape around the house. Davey asked if he could go inside and Johnson said it would be okay as long as they were careful. He told Hutch the fire investigator had finished.

Kenny stayed with Davey as they went into the living room. Davey looked at the pictures on the wall and saw they were all melted and covered in soot. Debbie's favorite wedding pictures were ruined. Davey reached up and took one off the wall. He dusted it off the best he could and shook his head, "This was her favorite, Starsk."

"I know it was, pal. We can replace that."

Davey looked at everything in the living room, "You're right, Starsk, there's nothing in here that can't be replaced. The pictures are on a disk and Aunt Jeanne has a copy of that, the TV, the furniture, everything in here can be replaced." He walked to his room and stood in the doorway a minute before entering. His room was a mess. The beds were burned and the mattresses were outside on the front lawn, his dresser was outside too. He opened his closet door and found his clothes were ruined, "Guess they can all be replaced to. Heck, I've outgrown some of them anyway."

Kenny found the black belt that went with his Karate uniform on the floor where Davey's dresser used to be, "Hey, I found this, Hutch." He held it up and handed it to Davey.

Davey turned around to take it and then he saw what used to be his trophy shelf. He closed his eyes and tried to hold back his tears. Kenny put his arm around him and said, "I'm sorry, Hutch. I'm so sorry." Davey's trophies were all ruined. Davey rubbed his eyes as he closed them. His trophies were on the floor and the fire was so hot they were melted. He choked back his tears as he bent down and picked one of them up. It was just a glob of something unrecognizable. Davey shook his head and put it back down. Kenny picked up a medal he found under Davey's computer desk. It was still intact, he handed it to Davey, "Hey, I found this."

Davey reached his hand out and slowly took the medal from Kenny, reading the inscription, "This was my first medal. I was seven years old when I won this. Thanks." Tears fell down his face as he tried to hold them back.

Hutch came in the room and nodded for Kenny to give them a minute. Kenny nodded, told Davey he'd be back in a few minutes and left. Hutch held his son, "It's okay, let it out, son."

Davey turned and put his head on his dad's chest and cried, "I know they're just things but…"

"They may be just things, but they're things you worked hard to earn. It's okay to be upset." Hutch knew how proud Davey was of each of his trophies. He was proud of his son too, Davey worked very hard to earn each and every one of them. His heart ached for his son, the trophies, medals and ribbons could never be replaced.

Davey let the tears flow and cried a few minutes, finally he broke the embrace, took a deep breath, "I'll be okay, Dad." He looked around the rest of his room. He found the picture of his Mom and Dad that had been taken before she died. He picked it up, dusted it off and held onto it. Then he saw his computer desk, "All my school books are gone; does that mean no more homework?" Davey chuckled.

Hutch grinned, "I think the school will give you more." He was proud of the fact that his son could make a joke at a time like this. 'He really is a remarkable kid.' He thought.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"Guess you'll get that new computer you've been wanting."

"Dad, have you seen your room yet?"

"Not yet. Debbie and I just went through the kitchen."

Kenny came back in and Hutch went to his room. Kenny and Davey decided they had seen enough and went outside.

Hutch went with Debbie into their room. It looked as bad as Davey's. Their clothes were all burned or had so much smoke damage they were not wearable. They both knew the clothes could all be replaced except for Debbie's wedding dress which was badly burned.

Debbie was visibly shaken at the sight and Hutch was pretty upset himself. Debbie noticed that her jewelry box was on the floor and its contents had fallen out. She tipped the box upright and started picking up the pieces and putting them back in their place. She picked up something that looked like it might have been a ring at one time held it up, "Oh, Hutch. This was my mother's ring." She cried as he held her tight.

He took the ring from her and put it in his pocket, "I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry all this happened."

"I know they say things and possessions can be replaced but…"

"Some things can't be replaced. I love you, honey, and we will get through this. It'll be okay."

She nodded, let Hutch wipe her tears away and went back to picking up the rest of the jewelry. Some pieces were ruined like the ring but as she was just about finished she saw another ring. This one was not damaged, "Look, honey, I found my Grandmother's ring," She also spotted the earrings that went with it, "Here's the earrings too." She held them up.

Hutch bent down, "I'm glad you found them. I know they mean a lot to you." Debbie was happy. It was heartbreaking to lose her mother's ring but she was so glad to still have her grandmother's.

Hutch stood back up and saw what was left of Ollie lying on the floor. Ollie's fur was badly scorched, he was missing one leg and he was covered in black soot. His heart sank as he held back his own tears now.

Hutch sighed and picked up what used to be a stuffed white bear and hugged it, "I kept Ollie to remind me of why Starsky and I do what we do. Terri left him to me." He hugged the little white bear remembering that night so long ago when he opened the present that had been given to him by Starsky's girlfriend, Terri. She died from a bullet in the brain by someone seeking revenge against Starsky. The note that came with Ollie said something about entrusting him with Ollie and Dave and she didn't want him to let either of them change. Now, Ollie was not only changed, Ollie was gone. "Ollie." He looked up as if he was talking to the heavens above, "I tried Terri. I kept him for a long time. I tried."

"I'm sorry, honey. I know how much he meant to you."

"Honey, maybe we can clean him up and you can still keep him. I know he means a lot to you."

"No, he's gone." Hutch put Ollie back on the floor and looked around the rest of the room. He saw his guitar in the corner and picked it up. It still had the strap on it that Starsky gave him for Christmas not long ago. He picked it up and read the words quietly to himself. Starsky had put the words to the song, Buddies, he sang to Hutch at his bachelor party on the strap. Reading those words gave him a warm feeling deep inside. He knew somehow everything would be okay.

When Hutch wasn't looking, Debbie bent down picked Ollie up, "Ollie, I think we can fix you up." She walked outside and put Ollie in Jeanne's car.

Davey and Kenny had gone outside and were looking through a night stand when Davey saw the photo album he had made his dad for Christmas the year he retired. He picked it up and blew the soot off of it, "Hey, Starsky, look at this," He held it up so Kenny could see it, "It made it through the fire." He smiled, "At least we didn't lose everything."

Davey saw Hutch and coming out of the house, "Dad, look what I found."

Starsky and Hutch walked over to see what it was Davey had found. He handed the photo album to his dad. Hutch handed Starsky his guitar. Hutch took the album Davey handed him. He read the words Davey had so carefully placed on the front, Me & Thee. He looked through some of the pictures and smiled, "Thank you, son. This album means a lot to me."

Kenny was looking through another night stand and said, "Hey, this made it too." He held up the photo album with pictures from Hutch and Debbie's honeymoon in Alaska.

They searched the house for a long time seeing what they could find. The littlest find seemed like opening presents at Christmas. They had lost a lot, a lot of things that meant so much to them. They lost things that could never be replaced but they each found something that was very special to them.

Reynolds handed them a box to put the things in that they did find. Besides the guitar, everything they now owned fit in one small box.

Davey was ready to leave. He had seen enough. Debbie told Hutch she was going with Jeanne now and they would meet back at Starsky's later.

Reynolds told Starsky and Hutch that they would find out who did this and why.

Chapter 3

Lance Harmon was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper. He saw the article about the latest house fire. The article stated that someone was starting fires late at night when people were sleeping and it was miracle that no one had died in the fires so far. Lance took a sip of his coffee and lit a cigarette. He picked the paper back up and smiled when he saw the picture of Hutch's house and read that he was a retired detective. Then he became very angry when he read the next line which read something like; this author believes these fires were set by a coward. How much courage and intelligence does it take to set a fire in the middle of the night when people are sleeping? He threw the paper down, "I'll show you a coward." He went to the kitchen table and took a can of gasoline and starting filing thirty-two ounce bottles with it. He knew working with gas was dangerous and he knew that it could explode on him but he wanted to make a point. He wasn't going to let anyone call him a coward.

"The fires have been random and no one's been hurt until now. I'll show them. I'll show them all." He thought about where and when his next fire would be. He knew it would not be a house and it would not be in the middle of the night; no, the next fire was going to be in broad daylight and someplace crowded. The next thing he wanted to do was decide where the fire would take place. He was feeling angry and wanted to clear his head so he could think about the best way to carry out his plan. He went for a drive and before he returned home he dropped a letter off. He knew where his next fire would be. It would be daring and no one would call him a coward again.

He put away the few groceries he picked up while he was out, took a beer out of the refrigerator and sat down in the chair in the living room. He found the perfect place to start the next fire. His small fires were going to get bigger and he would not need to wait. His next fire was going to be tomorrow. He was past using the small containers of gasoline. He would put everything he needed together tonight and by 9 a.m. the whole city would know he was no coward. He felt happy about his plan as he dozed off sitting in the chair.

The next day Hutch woke up early, not wanting to disturb anyone else, he quietly left Starsky's house. He took Starsky's mustang. He knew Starsky wouldn't mind. He just wanted to be alone for a little while. He started to drive to his house but realized there was nothing there he wanted to see. He had seen enough of the destruction and devastation yesterday. There was nothing there for him there anymore. He drove to the beach instead. He did a lot of thinking there, it was early and hardly anyone was there. He parked the car and walked to the end of the pier.

Starsky thought he heard someone leave the house. He knew how upset Hutch was and he was trying not to show it in front of the rest of his family. He knew what Hutch needed and that was him. He always knew when Hutch needed him, just as Hutch always knew when Starsky needed him. He didn't have to call or guess where he was. Starsky knew where Hutch had gone. He opened the garage door and chuckled when he noticed Hutch had taken his car. He got in 'the tomato' as Hutch like to call the old Ford Torino. He rubbed the steering wheel with his hands, turned the key and said, "Let's go talk to him." Of all the cars he had ever owned this one was his favorite. Hutch always said he hated it, but Starsky suspected he actually liked it.

Starsky pulled the Torino next to his Mustang the department had given him after his car was found in a lake when they had been forced to work at a heroin factory not long ago. He parked the car, locked it and walked on their favorite pier. He could see Hutch leaning on the rail at the end of it.

Hutch only thought he wanted to be alone for a while. He wanted Starsky there with him. He needed Starsky to tell him it would be okay and it would all work out. Most of all Hutch wanted a shoulder that he could cry on. He knew Starsky would be there for him this time, he always was. Hutch could feel his partner's presence as Starsky walked up and put his hand on Hutch's back. "What ya thinking, buddy?"

Hutch shook his head slowly. Starsky could tell Hutch was too upset to even talk and he reached out and held him. Hutch put his head on Starsky's shoulder and let a few tears flow. Starsky patted his back, "It'll be okay, buddy. I'm here. Come on talk to me."

"I'm okay, Starsk."

"Hutch, I know you better than this. Don't forget, I'm your best friend. I know you better than you know yourself. There's something else, what is it?"

Hutch lifted his head up, "It's the memories, Starsk." He started to really let loose of all the anger, frustration and the fear he had built up since the fire. Starsky just held him and let Hutch talk. "There are a lot of memories in that house. I carried Jennifer and Debbie over the threshold of that house. We brought Davey home from the hospital to that house. It's the only home he's ever known. Oh God, Starsk, it's gone. It's all gone. Not every thing can be replaced. Davey lost his trophies. He worked so hard for them, Ollie's gone, Debbie's Mother's ring is ruined and more. So many more things that we can never replace are gone."

"I know, believe me I know. Let it out, buddy. I'm here for ya. Hutch, I'm right here."

"I don't want Davey or Debbie to see me like this. I have to be strong for them."

"It's okay. It's just me here with you now. Let it all out."

Hutch let go of the embrace after a few minutes and smiled at his partner for being there for him again, "Thanks. I needed that." He patted Starksy's shoulder, "I'm okay now, pal."

They walked to a bench that was on the left side of the pier and sat down and talked some more. They saw more people coming out onto the pier and there were now about thirty people. Some were fishing, others were feeding the fish below, and still others were just walking enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. It was a nice day and the weather couldn't have been better. It wasn't too hot or too cold. No one on the pier knew just how much danger they were in, including Starsky and Hutch.

"Are you ready to go home now, Hutch?"

Hutch gave his best friend that half grin of his and nodded. He was feeling sad about the fire, but he knew he was lucky that his wife and son were okay. He also felt very blessed that he had a friend like Starsky who was always there for him no matter what. 'Yes,' he thought I'm ready to go home. He thought 'home' would have a new meaning from now on but then he realized it wouldn't really. Home was where his family was and for now that was with Starsky and that was okay with him.

They started walking back down the pier toward the cars, when there was an explosion on the pier so big half the pier was gone. The wood from the pier went flying everywhere. Several people were injured. Starsky and Hutch along with others were thrown into the water. There was total chaos in the following minutes. People still on the pier ran for the safety of the beach while helping the injured. Some immediately got on their cell phones and called 9-1-1.

People on the beach ran to rescue those who had been thrown into the water.

Sandy pulled an unconscious Starsky from the water. She noticed that Starsky was breathing but bleeding badly from a wound on his leg. She used a towel to try to control the bleeding and after that she pulled a little boy who had been feeding the fish with his father on the pier. He was crying but appeared uninjured. Tammy pulled Hutch from the water. He was awake but in a lot of pain she wasn't sure what his injuries were but he was awake and alert so she went back and pulled more people from the water. Tammy also pulled a young woman from the water who was obviously dead from injuries she received when the pier exploded. She carefully laid her on the sand and went back into the water. A fourteen year old boy pulled another woman from the water and two more kids.

Others were covering the injured with towels, t' shirts and blankets and they did the best they could to stop the bleeding and keep the injured warm. They were trying to keep the injured calm. There were a lot of strangers working together to help people they didn't know.

Sitting on a wall by the pier was Lance who was smiling at the damage and destruction he had caused. He thought 'no coward would dare do this in broad daylight.'

The police, fire department and ambulances arrived at the same time and each one of them went straight to work. They each a specific job to do and they did it. Their first priority was to take care of the injured and secure the area.

Johnson heard Hutch yelling for Starsky and he turned around in time to see Hutch being loaded into the ambulance. He ran over to him, "Hutch."

"Where's Starsky? Got to find him." He reached out his hand to Johnson's. Hutch sounded weak and was in a lot of pain.

Johnson took Hutch's hand, "I promise, Hutch. I'll find him. It'll be okay. I'll find Starsky." He looked at the paramedics as they were loading Hutch into the ambulance, "Is he going to be okay?"

"It looks like he has a broken right leg and," he whispered, "I think he has some internal injuries. He has a lot of pain in his abdomen. We're taking him to County."

"Thanks."

Reynolds had been interviewing people to find out what happened. Everyone there had a story of what they saw. It was going to take a while so he started taking names and assured everyone that he would be in touch with them. It seemed no one actually saw anything before the blast; but they all agreed there was some type of explosion.

He saw Starsky lying in the sand and noticed he wasn't moving. He ran to him, thinking he was dead, until he bent down next to him and saw him take a breath. There was a young man that looked like he was in his early twenties holding pressure on Starsky's leg wound, "I didn't know what else to do. He's bleeding badly."

"You're doing just fine. My name is Detective Reynolds and I'm a friend of his. Thank you for helping."

"What's his name? I've been trying to talk to him but he won't wake up. He must have some kind of head injury."

"He's retired Detective David Starsky, but you can call him Starsky. What's your name? He'll want to know who helped him when he does wake up."

"I'm Jose Hernandez."

"Well thank you Jose."

Jose left when the paramedics came. Reynolds helped them put Starsky on a backboard, complete with a C-collar and spider straps. The paramedics said they would be taking Starsky to General Hospital. They told him they didn't know what Starsky's injuries were. Reynolds thanked them and went back to help more of the injured.

Johnson saw Reynolds and ran towards him and at the same time he said, "Hutch's hurt." Reynolds said, "Starsky's hurt."

Johnson told Reynolds about seeing Hutch and he promised him he would find Starsky. Reynolds said that Starsky was unconscious, had a leg injury and was being taken to General Hospital.

"Uh oh, Hutch is going to County. He's not going to like that."

They said at the same time, "Jeanne and Debbie."

"I'll bet they don't know." Johnson said as he looked back at the damage and all the people that were still there. Some looked like they were in shock. They knew they couldn't leave just yet, they had work to do.

Seth and Thompson walked over to them and Seth said, "What do you want us to do, Johnson?" Austin and Martin joined them.

"I'm glad you're here. Starsky and Hutch were in this mess. Go to Starsky's and tell Jeanne and Debbie." Johnson replied.

Reynolds added, "Hutch is being taken to County and Starsky is on his way to General. It looks like both of them are in bad shape. Starsky's unconscious and Hutch may have internal injuries."

Austin said, "I'll take Debbie and Davey to be with Hutch if you want to take Jeanne and Kenny to be with Starsky, Seth."

"That sounds like a good plan." The four detectives left.

Johnson shook his head and said, "Partner, how is it they end up in everything?"

"I don't know, but trouble sure seems to find them. I hope they're okay."

Johnson and Reynolds walked on the pier as far as the fire department would let them and Reynolds noticed a note nailed to the rail. Someone had nailed it there after the explosion. It said, 'This is just the first of many. I'm no coward.'

Johnson took out a pair of gloves and carefully removed the note, "What do you suppose that means?"

"The first of many, there's going to be more. Do you think we need to evacuate the piers?"

Johnson looked at the note he read it again silently to himself, "I'm no coward. That's what that reporter called him in the article yesterday."

"What? Called who?"

"The same person who did this is the arsonist setting the house fires. Come on, we need to talk to Chief Sterling and Chief Williams."

"The fire Chief?" Reynolds asked as he ran to keep up with Johnson.

Chief Williams and Chief Sterling were both on scene by the pier now and Johnson showed them the note. It was decided that the piers within a twenty mile radius would be closed down.

Johnson said they needed to talk but it would be better if they met someplace else. The injured had been taken care of and the scene was now under control. They went to the police station and met in Chief Sterling's office. Johnson explained that he read an article about the house fires in the paper the day before and it called the arsonist a coward for setting the fires at night.

Chief Williams said, "Going from starting house fires with a glass bottle of gas is a far cry from blowing up a pier and injuring several people." Reynolds handed Chief Williams a cup of coffee. He took a sip and made a face like he just ate a sour lemon, "Your coffee is worse than ours." He put the coffee back down, "Gentlemen, we have a real mess on our hands. We have to find out who this man is before he kills anyone else. I know of at least three people who were killed today and that number is expected to rise."

Chapter 4

Kenny let Davey drive Debbie in his car to the hospital to be with Hutch. Austin and Martin followed. They waited for about an hour for news on Hutch when Dr. McCloud opened the door to the waiting room and sat between Debbie and Davey. He took Debbie's hand, "Debbie, Davey, there's no easy way to say this. Hutch is critical. He's barely awake but he has some internal injuries, and a broken right leg. He has a minor cut on his arm that we will stitch up when have him in surgery."

"Can we see him before his surgery?" Debbie asked as she took a tissue out of her purse.

"Sure. There's something I need the two of you to do."

"I bet I know. He's being stubborn and won't let you operate until he finds out how Uncle Dave is."

"I see you know your Dad pretty well. Yes, he says he won't let me operate until he knows Starsky is okay. I don't think he's taking his own injuries serious enough."

"Big surprise there." Debbie stated sarcastically as she shook her head.

"Uncle Dave's not okay though. He was unconscious the last we heard. He's at General."

"Let us see what we can do." Debbie said as she wadded up the tissue.

Austin received a call and said he was sorry but they had to get back to work. He told them they would be back to check on Hutch later.

Debbie and Davey saw Hutch lying in the hospital bed with an oxygen tube in his nose, an IV line with different medicines attached. His leg was on a pillow and it was obviously broken. Hutch was in a lot of pain but he tried not to show it, "Starsky, how's Starsk?"

"Honey, he's at General. We don't know anything yet. Please, let Dr. McCloud do what he needs to. You won't do Starsky any good if you're not around."

"I'm fine. Want to know about Starsky." Hutch was getting weaker.

"Dad, I promise I'll go over there and check on him while you're in surgery. Please, let them take care of you. I'll be back by the time you wake up."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I'll go check on him and be back by the time you wake up." Davey was really hoping his Dad would give in.

Hutch saw the desperate look on his wife and son's faces and knew they were right. He had to be there for them, no matter what happened to Starsky. His energy was fading fast and he didn't have the strength to do anything more than nod. Debbie bent down and kissed him and Davey hugged him.

Davey walked into the waiting room at General Hospital and he saw Jeanne and Kenny sitting in the corner. Jeanne was crying and Kenny had his arm around her. Davey's heart skipped a beat, his palms became sweaty and he turned pale. He thought that his uncle had died and he just stood there. Kenny saw Davey standing, unable to move and walked over to him and touched his shoulder, "Hey, you okay, Hutch?"

"I'm fine, Starsk. How's Uncle Dave?"

"We don't know anything yet. How's Uncle Ken?"

"Dr. McCloud says he's critical. He has some internal injuries and they just took him to surgery. You don't know anything? I heard something about him being unconscious."

"He is, but that's all we know." Kenny said quietly as he looked at Jeanne. "I'm worried about Mom. She's been through this so many times."

"We all have, Starsk. We all have, too many times." They walked to where Jeanne was. Davey gave her a hug, "He'll be okay, Aunt Jeanne. They both will."

"How is your Dad?"

"He's critical and is in surgery right now. Being stubborn. He wouldn't let Dr. McCloud take him to surgery until he knew how Uncle Dave was. I had to promise him I'd find out and be back by the time he woke up."

"I wish they would learn to put our dads in the same hospital when things like this happen."

"You would think they would know better by now." Jeanne said as she attempted to smile at the boys who were trying to be positive.

The waiting room door opened and Jeanne stood up as she saw one of the neurosurgeons she knew, "Rick, how is he?"

"Jeanne, let's sit down." He gently took her hand and guided her back into her chair.

"I'm sorry I've taken so long but I wanted to run some tests. Right now he's in a coma. There's some swelling on his brain. Now, we're hoping it will go down on its own. The next forty-eight hours will be critical. We stitched his leg and that should heal in a couple of weeks." He looked around and realized that someone was missing, "Where's Hutch? I thought he'd be the first one here."

"Dad's in critical condition at County Hospital. He's in surgery. He's got some internal injuries from the explosion and a broken leg."

"That's too bad. I know Starsky and I know right now he needs you, Jeanne and Kenny. But don't get me wrong, but he needs Hutch too."

"Doctor, do you think my Dad can be transferred here? I mean Dad and Uncle Dave need each other and the rest of us would like to be together too." Davey sounded hopeful, knowing that being close to Starsky would help them both. They draw strength from each other and both heal quicker when the other one is around. Davey knew this time they really need each other.

"I don't know, Davey. That will depend on his condition and his doctor."

"Dr. McCloud's his doctor."

"Dr. McCloud does have privileges here. It depends on your Dad's condition. If he's critical, it might not be safe to transfer him, son."

Davey put his head down, "Yeah, right." He said slowly and sighed.

"Don't give up hope, Davey. I didn't say it was impossible. Dr. McCloud and I have both seen your dads several times and we understand how important they are to each other. Let's see how your Dad is after his surgery, okay?" Davey and Kenny both nodded. They wanted their whole family together during all this. They needed to be with each other. Rick patted Davey on the leg and said, "You can see him for a few minutes now but don't stay too long, okay?"

"Davey, I'd like it if you went in and told him your dad needs him."

"Yeah, Hutch. That may be what he needs to hear to wake up."

"I'll give it a try."

The three of them walked into Starsky's dimly-lit room. Davey, who was beginning to sound a lot like Hutch, held his uncle's hand, "Uncle Dave, it's me Davey. I need you to wake up now. Dad's hurt and he needs you. He needs you Uncle Dave."

Starsky didn't move. Davey stayed a few more minutes then said, "Uncle Dave, I've got to go now. I need to go back to Dad. I promise I'll bring him here as soon as I can. He's gonna be okay and I'll bring him here. I love you, Uncle Dave." He squeezed his hand tight just before he let go of it. He looked at Jeanne, "I tried, Aunt Jeanne. Maybe Dad will be well enough to come tomorrow." Jeanne took Starsky's hand and Kenny walked with Davey outside to give her a minute alone with his dad. "How you holding up, Starsk?"

"About as well as you are. First you lose your house in a fire and now this."

"Mom's pretty worried this time. I don't know what to tell Dad." Davey said as he walked towards the soda machine.

"Tell him Dad needs him here. Maybe that'll help him become strong enough to be transferred here." Kenny said as he reached in his pocket and handed Davey a dollar for a drink. Davey took the dollar and put it in the machine and hit the button for a Dr. Pepper but a Pepsi came out. Then he put in another dollar and Kenny hit the button for a Pepsi and a Dr. Pepper came out. They switched the drinks and shrugged.

"Yeah. I can't lie to him. Neither of them has ever lied to us so I guess I'll have to tell him the truth but, like you said, maybe that'll actually help him."

"Hey, when you see him…"

"I know. I'll tell him ya love him." Davey left to be with his mom and to tell her about Starsky's condition. He was hoping she would agree, when his dad was able, to have him transferred to General to be with Starsky.

Hutch was still in surgery when he arrived. Debbie liked the idea of having them both at the same hospital and it seemed that Hutch would be able to be transferred before Starsky could. She would let Dr. McCloud make that decision.

It was four hours later when Hutch was finally out of surgery. Dr. McCloud told them that the surgery went well but he would still be critical for the next twenty-four hours. Hutch had a minor lacerated liver and said Hutch would be asleep the rest of the night. He was also worried about Hutch getting pneumonia. He liked the idea of having Starsky and Hutch together but it wouldn't be safe to move Hutch until at least the morning. He suggested they both go home and get some sleep. Davey started to say something about not having a home but he stopped. He knew he was always welcome at his aunt and uncle's and so did Debbie. Davey called Kenny and he said they were going home for the night too. It had been a long couple of days and the next few days were going to be just as long. They all knew they needed the rest tonight and Starsky and Hutch were both being well cared for at the hospitals.

Chapter 5

Lance went home after the explosion on the pier because he wanted to see what the news had to say about him now. The rush he felt was bigger than anything he had ever felt before. The danger and excitement of the whole thing was more than he thought it would be. He turned the TV on as soon as he got home and was happy to see the explosion he caused was already on the news. He knew he had to do something bigger next. The more he watched the news replaying everything on every channel, the bigger his smile became.

Adam Price sat at his desk after he heard the news about the explosion on the pier. He was about to write about it when he saw an envelope addressed to him that had been laid on his keyboard. The letter had no return address and extra postage had been paid to make sure it would be delivered today. He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside. When he was finished reading it he dropped it on the desk. 'It's my fault' he said to himself. He thought for a minute about what he should do. He got up and quickly picked the letter up, folded it, and put it back in its envelope and ran out of the office. He knew what he had to do next. Adam was a good reporter who cared about people. He never did a story just for the sake of doing a story. He had often worked with the police and they had a mutual respect for each other. There were times when he sat on information the police had because it would be harmful or hurtful to someone.

When Adam arrived at the police station, he told the desk sergeant that it was very important that he speak to Detective Johnson or Reynolds. The sergeant explained that they were in a meeting with Chief Sterling and could not be disturbed. Adam told him that he had information about the explosion on the pier and he needed to see them immediately. He was told to wait a minute. The sergeant made a call to Chief Sterling and a minute later Johnson came down the hallway.

Adam stood up and shook his hand, "I think it's my fault," he said sadly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Adam. I've already made the connection to your article and this psycho."

Adam handed him the letter, "This was on my desk when I got back to the office today. I thought you might want to look at it. It says there's going to be more."

"Reynolds and I are in a meeting with Chief Sterling and the fire chief, Chief Williams. I know they'll want to see this."

Adam followed Johnson to Chief Sterling's office. He wanted them to know how sorry he was that his article that was the cause of the pier explosion. They assured him that wasn't the case. He asked them what they wanted him to write. It was obvious that his article upset this man to begin with and maybe he could write something that would help catch him. The letter Adam received and the note nailed to the pier both said they could expect more explosions.

There was a lot of discussion about what Adam's next article should be about. It was Adam who came up with the idea of not to write anything at all about the pier explosion or the fires. He said it seemed like this psycho wanted the attention and publicity. He felt it might be best not to give it to him. Denying him the credit for the explosion might upset him enough to make a mistake or at least contact Adam. Both Chiefs, along with Johnson and Reynolds thought that was a good idea. They all knew that this psycho was planning something else already and it wouldn't matter what Adam wrote about the pier explosion at this point. Adam left the letter with Johnson so he could check it for prints, but they doubted there would be any.

Adam said that he would try to keep what the newspaper printed to a minimum but he couldn't guarantee anything. He would talk to the editor and at least keep him from printing the connection between the house fires and the pier explosion. He was sure he could convince the editor to keep that much out of the paper.

Johnson and Reynolds went by The Pits to see Huggy later that evening to find out if he had any information for them. He didn't have anything but said he was keeping an ear out. The people on the streets wanted this lunatic caught as much as the police did and he was sure something would turn up soon. He also said Jeanne and Debbie called him a few minutes ago, Starsky was still in the coma and Hutch would be asleep until morning. Huggy let them know that Hutch was going to be transferred to General as soon as he was stable enough.

When they left The Pits, Johnson and Reynolds decided to call it a night. It had been a long day and they had no idea what tomorrow was going to bring. They were hoping that whatever this psycho was planning would wait a few days.

Davey and Kenny woke up about six the next morning. They wanted to fix breakfast for their mothers and go the hospitals to see their dads. By the time they had made the omelets and coffee, Debbie and Jeanne were awake and seated at the kitchen table. They thanked the boys for fixing breakfast. Kenny asked, "Mom, can you drive me and Davey to the pier. Dad's Mustang and tomato are both there. I'll drive the tomato back here and take my car to the hospital. Davey can drive the Mustang."

"I forgot about the cars. That's a good idea, son."

"I have been known to have a few." He chuckled.

"You'd better not let your father hear you call his pride and joy a tomato. You know how much he loves that car. Debbie you can take the van to the hospital if you'd like. Davey can drive the Mustang that way we will all have a car."

"Thank you. That would be great. I can check on Hutch and go to General when he is transferred." Debbie said as she finished her breakfast.

Debbie's cell phone rang and it was someone from the insurance company on the other end. She explained about Hutch being in critical condition in the hospital. Stan Markham, the insurance agent, stated that he was sorry to hear Hutch was on the pier when the explosion happened. He also stated that he could go to the house and start the paperwork and get things going without either of them being there. Debbie let him know that they were staying at Starsky's for the time being. Stan said he would be in touch with her within a couple of days and he would be happy to come to the hospital to sign the papers when they were ready. She thanked him for everything and he said he would call if he needed anything else.

Hutch was still asleep when Debbie walked into his room. Davey wasn't there yet; he was still picking up the Mustang from the pier. She quietly sat in the chair next to his bed, took his hand, "I love you so much, honey." She noticed he had a temperature.

Dr. McCloud came in and asked her step outside. Debbie walked out of the room, "Debbie, I'm afraid he's not doing as well as I hoped he would. On top of his other problems he's developed pneumonia." He explained the treatments and procedures he was doing for Hutch.

"What can we do for him?"

"Right now he needs rest more than anything else. Any word on Starsky?"

"Jeanne's with him now but she hasn't called yet." Debbie looked at the door to Hutch's room, "I wish Starsky was with him. They would both be better."

"I've been thinking about that too. It's just too risky right now to move him. Let's give him until this evening and see how he does after he's been on the antibiotics a while."

Debbie nodded and as she was about to go back into Hutch's room her phone rang. It was Jeanne who she said that Starsky was the same. Debbie told her about Hutch having pneumonia and he would not be able to be transferred until at least this evening. Davey had come in and was standing beside her. Debbie hung up the phone and they went into Hutch's room.

Hutch slowly opened his eyes and moaned weakly from the pain he was in. He saw Debbie, "Debbie, I love you. Starsk, what about Star…"

He was so weak he couldn't finish the sentence. Debbie held his hand, "I love you too." She didn't want to lie about Starsky but she didn't want to tell him about him either. She was hoping he wouldn't ask again.

Hutch turned his head and saw Davey, "Son, I want truth."

Davey was standing at his dad's bedside, "Neither of you have ever lied to me so I won't lie to you now. Dad, Uncle Dave's in a coma. A neurologist is doing tests on him now."

Hutch tried to sit up he moaned and cringed from the pain, "Got to see him." He said weakly as he fell back onto the pillow.

"Dad, we're going to try to get you transferred to General when you're strong enough. Right now, the best thing you can do for Uncle Dave is rest and take care of yourself."

"I want to see him as soon as I can."

"I know you do, honey, and I promise as soon it's safe we'll transfer you."

"What happened?" Hutch asked as Debbie covered him back up.

"You and Uncle Dave were on the pier and there was some kind of explosion. You were both thrown into the water."

Debbie explained about how Sandy and Tammy pulled them and others from the water. He was told about how the people on the beach worked together to help the injured. Hutch complained again about wanting to see Starsky then he went back to sleep.

"Mom, I'd like to see Uncle Dave if it's okay."

"That sounds like a good idea. I know you need to be with your Starsky too. I'll stay with him and call if anything changes."

"I know Dad will be okay. I just know he will. I'll come back in a little while, I do want to be with Starsky he's worried about Uncle Dave." He gave her a peck on the forehead, "Love ya, Mom."

"I love you too, Son." She was still getting used to the idea of him calling her Mom.

Davey walked into his uncle's room and saw Jeanne and Kenny sitting in the chairs by his bed. His uncle was lying in the bed so still it scared him, "I hate seeing him like this." He pulled up a chair and sat next to Kenny.

"I know what you mean. I hear Uncle Ken's not much better."

"He's not. He's sleeping right now. He tried to get up to come here and just about passed out. He developed pneumonia. He wants to be here with Uncle Dave. Dr. McCloud said that maybe later today he'd be strong enough to move here."

"I think that would help more than anything else right now. He knows Hutch isn't here. Deep down maybe he thinks Hutch died in the explosion." Jeanne said slowly and she held Starsky's hand.

Davey stood up, put the side rail to the bed down and bent his head down next to Starsky's ear, "Uncle Dave, it's me Davey. I need you to listen to me, okay? Dad's hurt but he's going to be okay. He's not here because he's in another hospital. You gotta wake up, he needs you as much as you need him." There was no response from Starsky.

Hutch only woke up once more during the day and when he did he mumbled something about wanting to be transferred to General Hospital. Debbie and Davey knew Hutch was too weak to be moved anywhere. Starsky stayed in his coma with no signs of movement. Johnson and Reynolds came by to check on both Starsky and Hutch during the day. They said they would be back tomorrow to see how they were and they wanted to be called if there were any changes or if there was anything they could do for any of them. Seth, Austin and their partners also visited but they couldn't stay long either. With heavy hearts their wives and boys went back to Starsky's for the night.

Chapter 6

Lance went out early in the evening to pick up the newspaper because he wanted to see what the reporter, Adam Price, had to say about him after today. He was expecting Price to write that the arsonist showed a lot of courage today by taking out the pier. Lance looked through the paper three times and still couldn't find any article about the fires and the pier explosion being connected. He knew Price received the letter he paid extra to make sure he got it today. Lance was really furious at Price now. He was going to make sure the paper reported that the next chaos he caused would be connected to the house fires and the pier explosion. He would make sure they printed that no coward would dare attempt anything like that. He spent the rest of the day planning what his next move was going to be.

When he woke up the next morning Lance knew what he was going to do. He would make Adam Price write what he wanted him to. He knew about Adam's relationship with the cops and that they were the ones who put him up to keeping the connection between the house fires and the incident at the pier out of the paper. That would change; by the end of today everyone would know the same person was responsible. He wanted the publicity. The mere thought of it excited him.

He drove to the newspaper office and waited. It wasn't too long before he saw Adam getting out of his car. Lance pulled a gun on him and told him to get back into his car. Adam got back in the driver's seat as he was ordered. Lance had Adam drive him to an old warehouse just outside of town. He made Adam sit at a table, gave him his laptop and told him exactly what to write. Lance told Adam that if he didn't write what he wanted him to he would be responsible for the next explosion.

Adam agreed to write whatever Lance wanted him too. He knew by agreeing he could stall for time. Adam was an hour late for a meeting with Johnson and Reynolds already and he knew they would be looking for him soon. He was able to log into the internet by telling Lance that was the only way to get the article printed. He had to send it to his computer at the office. What Adam actually did was send everything to his editor. He knew the longer he could drag this out the better. He wanted to give his editor time to get him help. He was able to send his editor a quick message when Lance turned his back toward him while dictating.

Lance went into a lot of details of the house fires he set and Adam kept him talking. He told Lance it was great stuff and he would be surprised if Lance wasn't famous after this. Lance liked the sound of that and he told Adam about every fire, how he set each one of them. Adam apologized for calling him a coward in the one article he told Lance he was brave to set so many fires and cunning for not getting caught. Adam wanted Lance to think he actually admired him. He even got Lance to tell him about the pier explosion. Lance refused to tell him why he started setting house fires but he did tell him that he has been setting fires for years. He seemed to become pretty agitated every time Adam brought the subject up so he quickly changed the subject back to how smart he thought Lance was.

At the newspaper office, the editor was receiving every word Adam was typing. As soon as he started receiving the story from Adam, the editor called the police and Johnson and Reynolds were there within ten minutes. Adam was able to tell them where he was by sneaking it into his story without Lance seeing it. Johnson and Reynolds left the editor's office and headed towards Lance's location.

Johnson had Reynolds call for backup as soon as they left the newspaper office but they requested everyone to stay back until they were called in. When they arrived at the warehouse, Reynolds looked through a window and saw Adam sitting at the table but there was no sign of Lance. He couldn't just go busting in without knowing where Lance was or Adam could be killed. He quietly ran around to the back of the building where he knew Johnson would be and he saw Lance. He had Johnson on the ground and was about to shoot him. Reynolds raised his gun, "Freeze, police," he shouted.

Lance just gave him a cold, hard stare and Reynolds knew that Lance was going to shoot his partner right there in cold blood. There was no way he was going to let anyone shoot his partner. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he aimed and pulled the trigger. He knew he only had one shot and he made it count. Lance fell from the shot that hit him right between his eyes. Lance landed on top of Johnson when he fell. Reynolds ran to pull the body off of his partner who trying to push it off. "It's okay, partner, I got him."

Johnson stood up, "You couldn't have made him fall the other way?"

Reynolds helped him up, "You want me to let him shoot you next time?" They both laughed. "Let's go get Adam." They radioed for the backup units to come in.

They went to Lance's place and saw the plans he had for blowing up the newspaper office the next day. His plan was to kill Adam after he made him write that story then he was going to blow up the newspaper office then the fire department's office building. They found nothing that explained why he did any of the things he did. Lance had told Adam that he had been setting fires for a long time. They knew they may never know why he did the things he did.

Chapter 7

The next morning Debbie drove the van to see Hutch as Jeanne went to General Hospital to see Starsky. Davey wanted to hang with Kenny so they went in Kenny's car to see Hutch first.

Debbie, Davey and Kenny walked into Hutch's room to find him awake and he looked like he was feeling better. Debbie held his hand, "How are you feeling today, honey?"

"I feel fine." He responded weakly.

"Of course you do." Debbie said as she wet a cloth and wiped his forehead. He still had a fever but she could tell it was down.

"How's Starsky?" He said as he looked at Davey and Kenny.

"We haven't seen Dad yet today. Mom called the hospital this morning and they said he was the same. We're heading over there in a few minutes."

Dr. McCloud came in, "Well, how's my patient today?"

"Your patient is fine and wants to get out of here." Hutch held his chest so he could talk without coughing. He was still feeling pretty bad, but didn't want to let anyone just how bad he felt. His lungs were burning with every breath he took and he was so weak he could hardly talk. He was worried about Starsky and that's all that was on his mind. He knew Starsky needed him, he could feel it.

"Let me listen to your lungs." He moved the stethoscope so he could hear both the upper and lower lobes of Hutch's lungs. Then he looked at the incision site from the surgery. He pushed in on Hutch's abdomen. "I know you'll just lie about being in pain so I won't bother to ask you if you're still hurting."

"Would I lie to you, Doc?"

Dr. McCloud ignored Hutch's response. "Hutch, I know you want to be transferred to General. I will agree to the transfer but you have to understand that you are still very sick. It's going to take time to get over this pneumonia and the internal injuries you have." He explained to all of them that Hutch would be in the hospital for about a week at least. He was not in critical condition but he was still in very serious condition.

Hutch agreed to take it easy and do everything he was supposed to do, including staying in bed and taking it easy. He would not be in the same room as Starsky because they each needed specialized care. Hutch would be allowed to see Starsky but only for a few minutes. He was ready to agree to anything at this point. He could feel Starsky slipping away more as they talked.

Hutch was taken straight to Starsky's room when he was finally allowed to be transferred. Kenny and Davey stayed in the waiting room as they knew their Dads needed some time alone. Debbie was pushing his wheelchair and she moved him next to Starsky's bed. Debbie put the brakes on the wheelchair, checked the IV and said she would be back in a few minutes.

Jeanne gave Hutch a friendly peck on the forehead, "I'm so glad you're here, Hutch. I've been worried about you too."

Hutch nodded but never took his eyes off Starsky, "How is he?"

"He's the same. The doctor said this morning that the bleeding on his brain has gone down some but he's fighting a bacterial infection from the water now. I know he'll be glad you're here." Jeanne glanced at Starsky then back at Hutch, "I know he loves Kenny and me but there's something special between the two of you. There always has been and right now he needs you."

"I need him too."Hutch replied as he glanced at Jeanne, "Every bit as much as he needs me. I've so worried about him. I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

Jeanne said that she would be back in a few minutes. She knew Hutch wanted and needed time alone with Starsky. Hutch took Starsky's hand, "Hey, partner, I'm sorry I haven't been here for you but I'm here now." Hutch coughed and leaned forward from the burning pain in his chest. Dr. McCloud was right he was still pretty sick. "Starsk, they won't let me stay here long. I'm just down the hall so when you wake up tell them to come get me okay, buddy. I'll be right here for you." He talked to Starsky a little while longer before his nurse, along with Debbie and Jeanne, came into the room. Hutch started to protest but saw the look in Debbie's eyes and knew he would be pushing his luck. Maybe tomorrow he would be better and be allowed to stay with Starsky longer.

By the time they got him back into his bed Hutch was feeling worse. His chest hurt more, his fever was up and his energy level was dropping fast. He was so weak he could barely get into bed. Davey was in the room with him now and helped Debbie get him back into his bed. Just as he was drifting back to sleep he mumbled, "The fire. Did the insurance company call back?"

Debbie kissed him and whispered, "Don't worry about it, honey. It's all being taken care of." She sat in one of the chairs next to his bed and Davey sat in the other one.

Johnson and Reynolds lightly knocked on the door and quietly stepped inside. Davey whispered, "Shh, he just went to sleep." He got up and they all stepped outside the room. Debbie and Davey told them about Starsky and Hutch's condition. Kenny and Jeanne saw them talking and joined them. Davey said that his Dad had just seen Starsky and he was pretty weak. Debbie said that Starsky was still in his coma and they were all worried about both of them.

Johnson said, "Maybe now that Hutch has seen Starsky he'll take better care of himself."

"I hope he'll relax more now that he's here. Every time he wakes up he's been so restless because he's been so worried about Starsky" Debbie said.

"I'm hoping now that Uncle Ken's here, Dad will wake up. I think he's been looking for him."

Jeanne said, "And I thought this kind of trouble would end when they retired."

"I was hoping the same thing and I haven't been through half of what the rest of you have." Debbie said.

"Give us time to get on the force and Starsk and I will see what we can do to make up for lost time, Mom." Kenny chuckled at his cousin.

"I don't think that will be necessary. I've seen enough of hospitals to last a lifetime." Debbie said as she looked at the door to Hutch's room.

"Amen to that. No, I've been through enough with your fathers. I'd prefer it if the two you stayed out of trouble." Jeanne added.

Simultaneously the boys said, "Well, that's no fun."

Johnson explained all about Lance and what Adam found out. Reynolds said that Lace was dead and he wouldn't be setting any more house fires or blowing up anything else. Now they could just focus on Starsky and Hutch getting well and finding a place for Hutch and his family to live.

They went to the cafeteria for lunch and when they returned to Hutch's room Dr. McCloud was checking on him. "I just made it back here from County. Has he seen Starsky yet?"

"Yes, he was there for a little while. Doctor, he seems so weak every time he exerts the least little bit of energy. I was a nurse for a long time and I've seen people…" Debbie couldn't bring herself to say she'd seen people die from pneumonia and he was fighting the lacerated liver on top of it.

"Debbie, I know what you're thinking and don't. Hutch may not be as young as he used to be, but he's in pretty good health otherwise. God only knows why after everything he's been through. He needs rest and the antibiotics will help. He's not going to get well overnight but I do think he will make a full recovery if he takes it easy and rests."

Hutch woke up when he heard the doctor talking, "I get it. I promise to rest and take it easy as long as I get to see Starsky."

"You can see him again in a little while. Your temperature is back up. I don't like that. It should be gone by now. I'm going to change your antibiotic and see if that helps. I want you to get plenty of rest today and tomorrow at least."

"The house, Debbie, what about the house?" Hutch said sounding very weak.

"Honey, I've talked to Stan and he's working on the claim. Don't worry about it."

"Dad, we're fine at Uncle Dave's. Don't worry about the house there's nothing that can't wait a week or so." Hutch went back to sleep and everyone left his room and headed down the hall to Starsky's room.

After everyone had gone for the night, Hutch woke up. He looked around the room and realized he was alone. He had only seen Starsky the one time today and that wasn't enough for him. It took him a while but he managed to get into the wheelchair. He grabbed the IV pole with one hand and managed to sneak past the nurse and went into Starsky's room. He sat there a long time watching Starsky breath. He didn't like seeing him like this, lying so still and quiet. Hutch felt that this time may be the end for Starsky. Even when Starsky had been shot by Gunther's hired assassin years ago, Hutch felt that somehow Starsky would pull through. Now he could feel Starsky slipping further away every minute. Hutch felt that this could be the real end to Me & Thee. He pondered for a minute how life without, what everyone called, his 'his other half' would be. He tried to imagine waking up tomorrow with the knowledge that Starsky would not be there for him. He thought about his house and rebuilding it without Starsky's help.

He put his head on the bed next to Starsky's hand, "It can't be the end, Starsk. It can't be."

Starsky felt the pain of the piece of wood as it tore the skin on his leg then something hit his head and his world bent black. He could hear people talking to him but for some reason he couldn't talk back. He felt like his whole body was frozen. He couldn't talk no matter how hard he tried. He wasn't able to move a muscle. He thought if he could just move a finger, blink or something he would snap out of it. He didn't know how much time had passed but he wondered where Hutch was. He thought he would be there telling him to wake up. He heard Jeanne and Kenny talking to him. Telling him how much they loved and needed him. He tried to tell them he loved and needed them too, but he couldn't. He heard Davey tell him that Hutch needed him. Starsky felt so trapped, he couldn't talk, speak or respond in any way.

Earlier today he thought he heard Hutch talking to him but then he stopped. Why did Hutch leave me, he wondered? Was Hutch really there earlier or was his mind playing tricks on him now? Was Hutch dead and no one told him? Starsky could hear Hutch talking to him again. "Hutch, I'm right here, buddy." He said but nothing came out. He was getting scared that he would live the rest of his life like this with those he loved the most just watching him waste away unable to tell them that he could hear everything. He heard Hutch say this can't be the end and Starsky thought it's not the end. He yelled it but not a sound came out. He felt Hutch put his head next to him on the bed. He could hear Hutch's soft sobs and he knew Hutch thought he was dying. Starsky used every bit of strength he could muster and was able to move his eyes and then he was able to move his hand and put it on Hutch's head. He tried to speak and the words came out weak, "Hutch, I'm here, buddy."

Hutch lifted his head up and saw Starsky's eyes open and looking at him. He smiled and said, "That's it, pal, wake up."

"I'm awake. Where ya been? I thought you left me?"

"I was taken to different hospital and they wouldn't let me see you until earlier today."

"What happened to us this time? I remember standing on the pier."

"There was an explosion and we were both critically hurt."

Starsky noticed that Hutch wasn't looking too well himself, "Are you okay, partner? You don't look so good."

"I've been pretty sick. I have a lacerated liver and pneumonia." Every bit of energy Hutch had just left as he slid out of the chair onto the floor.

"Hutch!" Starsky yelled as loud as he could, which was barely a sound at all. He found the call bell and pushed the button.

When Starsky pushed the call bell the nurses ran into his room. They were shocked to see Hutch lying unconscious on the floor. One of them left and came back with a couple of male techs and a gurney. They took Hutch back to his room and hooked the IV back up that had come out of his arm when he fell.

After he was settled back in his bed, the nurses retuned to Starsky's room. He was worried about Hutch and was told that he was back in his own bed and resting now. The nurse said she would call Jeanne even though it was late she would want to know he was awake. She would let Jeanne know about Hutch too.

Davey went with Kenny and Jeanne to see Starsky. Debbie entered Hutch's room and she was visibly upset with Hutch for getting out of bed risking his own health further. She was all prepared to actually yell at him until she saw him lying there in the bed. He looked so peaceful and he even looked happy. Deep down she knew it was because Starsky was awake and he had his buddy back again. She couldn't look at him like that and stay mad very long. She put the bedrail down and gently kissed his forehead, "I love you so much, Ken Hutchinson, I just can't be mad at you. I know how much Starsky means to you and I'm glad he's going to be okay." She put the rail back up and took his hand as she sat down in the chair.

Hutch smiled, "I love you too Mrs. Debbie Hutchinson. Please don't be mad at me. I had to go see him, I had a feeling."

"Do that again and I'll give you a feeling, mister." Debbie said, kissing his hand.

"He was slipping away. I could feel it." Hutch said in all seriousness in his voice. "We almost lost him."

Debbie covered Hutch up, "We almost lost you too. I'll go check on him and I'll be right back, honey."

Chapter 8

Starsky and Hutch both started getting better once they were put into the same room, which was the next day. They each knew the other one was alive and there. That's what they needed more than anything else; to know the other one was there.

During the following week, Jeanne and Debbie had gone out together looking at houses and Kenny and Davey were looking themselves. Davey found a house he really loved and was sure it was the perfect house for them. He called his Mom who came right over to see it. She could hear the excitement in Davey's voice and was excited to see it herself after listening to him describe it. After seeing the house, Debbie and Jeanne could both understand why Davey loved the house. It was perfect for them. They decided not to tell Starsky or Hutch anything about it until they were both out of the hospital. Debbie had started talks with the real estate agent but told her she couldn't sign anything for sure without Hutch.

It was another two weeks before Starsky and Hutch were released from the hospital and they were happy to be back home or back at Starsky's at least. Davey helped Hutch in the wheelchair he had to use because of his broken right leg. Hutch looked at Starsky who was able to walk with a cane, "Well, Starsk, they say home is where the heart is and I guess with all of us here this is it for now."

"Mi casa, es su casa, my friend, for as long as you need." Starsky said as he reached for the cane Kenny was handing him. He needed a cane for a little while longer because of his leg wound.

"Dad, I don't think that will be for long. We kind of have a surprise for you." Davey said as he smiled.

Hutch turned in his wheelchair so he could look up at his son, "What's that, Davey?"

"Mom and I have been looking at houses the past couple of weeks and we found one that we think you'll love."

"Why are we here and not looking at it?"

"Because we promised Dr. McCloud that you would take it easy today remember. I promise tomorrow we'll go see it." Debbie said as she held the door opened for him.

Their friends all showed up within an hour after Starsky and Hutch were home. Kiko and Huggy Bear had brought some of their favorite foods. Kenny and Davey had told Johnson and Reynolds when their dads were going to be home and that Jeanne and Debbie said they could ask the others to come by. Seth, Thompson, Austin, Martin, and even Chief Sterling came by to welcome them home.

Adam Price came by and asked Starsky and Hutch permission to write an article about their miraculous comeback after the pier explosion. He said he had written an article dedicated to the six people who died that day and he'd like to write an upbeat article about someone who beat the odds and won. Starsky said that was the story of their lives and that beating the odds is what they do best. The party ended early as Starsky and Hutch both needed their rest.

After they ate breakfast the next morning, all six of them went in the van to show Hutch the house that Davey and Kenny had found the week before. They met the real estate agent there. Hutch had pretty much made up his mind that if Debbie and Davey liked the house he would too. It took all the self restraint Debbie and Davey had to keep from telling Hutch about the house they fell in love with. They only told him that they found a house they liked.

When they pulled up to the house Hutch noticed the property was at the end of a cu-de-sac and was a full acre. The real estate agent was already there and she let them in. Davey wheeled his dad into the living room. The agent explained to Hutch that the previous owner was an elderly gentleman who had died and his only child, a son, wanted to sell the house and all the furniture in it. Hutch went into the master bedroom next and it was really nice. Hutch and Debbie both loved the big walk-in closet Hutch noticed there were two dressers already in the room. There was even a king size bed in the room with a nightstand on each side. The bathroom was nice too. The kitchen was next and as he saw it Hutch was beginning to understand why Debbie and Davey liked it so much. The kitchen had a lot of cupboard and counter space. The dining room table was big enough to seat ten people and there was a food pantry. A laundry room was off the kitchen with a washer and dryer already there. The agent meant it when she said the son wanted to sell the house with all the furniture in it.

Hutch saw one of the other bedrooms, "Son, this room has a bathroom but it's smaller than your room old room. There won't be room for two beds. We can turn the smaller bedroom into a room for Kenny."

"Dad, I have another idea. There's a big basement. I was thinking that I could have the basement as my bedroom. It's big enough for me and Kenny both. One of these rooms could be a guest room and the other a craft room for Mom. She likes making scrapbooks this would be perfect for her."

Hutch looked from his son to his wife he could see how much they really wanted this house. Hutch wanted to see the basement so Davey wheeled him around the back and the others followed them. Hutch thought the basement would make a perfect room for Davey. He could see the appeal it had for Davey. It was almost like a separate apartment with its own living room, a big bedroom, bathroom and it even had a refrigerator. Davey opened the refrigerator, "See, Dad, I can put my beer in here." He chuckled and Kenny did too.

"You can when you're old enough to drink." Hutch said as he grinned. He kind of liked the idea of Davey having this as his room. He was getting older now and would be going into the academy in a few short years. This room would give him a little independence while still having the comforts of living at home. Davey was always a good responsible kid and so was Kenny. He told him, "I like this, Son. I think it'll make a perfect room for you."

Kenny said, "Wait until you see the backyard, Uncle Ken. If you're not sold on the house yet, you will be."

Davey wheeled Hutch to see the rest of the back yard. He saw what Kenny was talking about and he smiled. There was a built in BBQ pit complete with a picnic table. Kenny was right; Hutch was sold on the house. He was sold on it when Debbie and Davey said they liked it before he even saw it. He wanted them to be happy, they had gone through so much, lost so much and he wanted to make them happy.

Hutch had Davey wheel him back to the living room and the real estate agent said she would step outside so they could talk. Starsky said, "Hutch, what do you think?"

"I love this place. It's perfect for us. Let's talk finances. Debbie, you've been talking to Stan, can we afford this and what about the cars?"

"That's the best part, honey." She told Hutch the asking price of the house; furniture and all and it was less than that what the insurance was giving them. The man selling the house wasn't looking to make a lot of money from the sale of the house in the first place. He had grown up in it and wanted it to go to someone who would appreciate and take care of it. The agent told him about the house fire and about Hutch being hurt in the pier explosion. She also told him that Hutch was a retired detective, Debbie a retired nurse and Davey was going to be a police officer too. When he heard all of that he dropped the price quite a bit. The insurance money would cover things that were damaged in the house that they would not need to buy now. They would have enough money to replace the cars and some left over.

Hutch said, "I can't turn this down. It's perfect. I can't believe we found something so quick."

"So it can be ours?" Debbie said looking very hopeful.

Nodding Hutch hugged her and said, "Yes, I want this house. When did we get the insurance money?"

"A couple of days ago. We were sure you'd like this place and wanted to surprise you." Davey said smiling.

The final papers were signed and it wouldn't be long before they would be allowed to move in. Hutch and Debbie's room and the living room needed to be repainted. Hutch was not allowed to be anywhere near any kind of strong fumes like that. He couldn't go in any of the rooms until the paint was totally dry and the rooms were aired out. His leg was still in a cast and he needed to stay off of it as much as possible until it fully healed. It was decided that they would stay at Starsky's place until the painting was done.

Seth, Austin along with their partners said they would be happy to help. In fact Johnson and Reynolds joined them and they asked Kenny what he thought Davey wanted his room to look like and they fixed it up for him.

Hutch, Debbie and Davey did not know what their friends were doing to their new house but Starsky wouldn't let them near it. He just said for them to, "trust me," when asked. Kenny and Jeanne wouldn't say anything either. The Hutchinsons were curious but they trusted Starsky and the rest of their friends so they didn't question them too much. Hutch trusted Starsky with his life, but was a little worried about moving into their new house and finding his bedroom painted red with a white stripe on the walls. They thought their friends were just repainting some of the rooms. Hutch was still recovering from the broken leg and pneumonia that left him pretty weak for a while. Debbie and Davey both found cars they really liked. Davey decided he really loved his car and bought one just like it. Starsky and Jeanne gave him a jacket just like the one they had given him the year he got his car. It had "Hutch" on the back of it and was green and black just like the car. Hutch was waiting for his leg to heal before he picked out a car.

The day finally came when they could move into their new house. It had been eight weeks since the fire and they were happy to get their own place. Hutch had fully recovered and was walking on his own now.

It was about 1300 hours when they arrived at their new place and all their friends were there. Not only was Huggy, Johnson and Reynolds there but Seth, Austin and their partners were there. Kiko was there with Molly. Joe Mays was there too but this time he was there as a friend not a psychologist and even Chief Sterling came by.

Debbie was about to walk in when Hutch picked her up and carried across the threshold. She was a bit surprised and giggled. When he set her down, she cried as she saw the walls in the living room. The pictures that she thought had been lost in the fire were hanging up. Jeanne explained that the pictures had been placed on a disk and they were easily copied. Debbie saw her favorite picture, took it off the wall and gently rubbed her fingers over it and put it back in its place.

Hutch smiled at Jeanne, he didn't know she did this. He loved the pictures too; most of them were of their wedding and honeymoon. Some of them were pictures of Davey at different ages. Their friends stayed in the living room to give Hutch and Debbie some time alone to see their bedroom. Starsky knew there were a couple of surprises in there for both of them and wanted them to be able to share the moment alone.

They went into the master bedroom next and Hutch saw Ollie on the dresser just like he was in their old house. His fur was still a little scorched but he had a new leg. Hutch picked him up and smiled, "Ollie, I'll never forget why Starsky and I do what we do." He looked up and added, "Terri, they've both been banged up a little over the years and they've changed but only a little and I still have them both."

"I knew how important he was to you and had to at least try to fix him." Debbie said as he hugged her.

"Open your jewelry box."

When Debbie opened the box she saw her mother's ring that she thought was lost forever. "It's not quite the same but the diamond was saved. I had them reset it in this ring. I hope you like it."

She put the ring on and cried again, "It's perfect."

The next big surprise was for Davey. Johnson said, "I think we should see the basement." Davey looked at his dad and Hutch shrugged his shoulders he had no idea what Johnson did in Davey's room. Everyone walked down the stairs to the basement. Johnson made Davey go last.

Kenny whispered to Hutch as they went downstairs, "Davey's gonna love it, Uncle Ken."

"What they'd do?"

"You'll see."

As they went into the basement one wall had a big mural painted of the state karate third place trophy Davey won. A shelf had been put up and there was a photograph of every trophy and medal that Davey had won over the years. Dave was so happy and surprised he couldn't say anything. He picked up one of the pictures and looked at it. He never knew those photographs even existed.

Kenny put his hand on Davey's shoulder, "It took me a while, Hutch, but I think I found a picture of every one of your trophies and medals. I know it's not the same as having the trophies and medals but…"

"Starsk, it's awesome. I so totally love it. I can never thank you enough for this." Davey said as he choked back his tears of joy.

Hutch looked at Johnson, "Thank you. Thank you for this."

"It was Kenny's idea. I asked him what Davey would want and he told me about Davey losing his trophies. Kenny found the pictures and we painted the mural." Johnson said smiling knowing that this meant a lot to Davey.

Starsky put his hand on Hutch's shoulder and asked, "Do you think you can stand one more surprise, buddy?"

Hutch just smiled and shook his head and followed Starsky as he opened the sliding glass door that led to the back yard. Everyone else went outside behind them. Once they were outside, Hutch saw a small green house. He opened the door and inside he saw a bunch of plants. Hutch loved plants, he always has. In the middle of the green house was a small round table with four chairs and on it was a small table-top water fountain. Starsky put his hand on Hutch's shoulder, "We thought you could use a retreat."

"This is so beautiful." He turned around and looked at all of his friends, "I don't know what to say to you guys. All of this, everything you've done for us…" He wiped the tears away and took a deep breath as Starsky gave him a gentle hug.

"Dad, I have an idea. Everyone's here we have the BBQ pit, let's have a cookout tonight."

"We don't have anything to cook, Son."

Everyone started talking about what they could get at the store. In about an hour the cookout started and lasted until about 2200. As their friends were getting ready to leave, Hutch cleared off a spot on the picnic table, stood on it and whistled loudly to get everyone's attention, "I'd like to say I love you guys. I really appreciate everything everyone has done for all of us. They say when things like the fire happen you really do find out who your friends are and believe me we know who our friends are. They're right here with us. Thank you for everything."

A couple of days later Starsky and Hutch were sitting on a bench at another pier watching the sun sinking into the horizon as the sky was filled with beautiful colors. Starsky had been quiet most of the day and Hutch knew something was bothering his buddy, "Out with it, Starsk."

"Huh? Out with what?"

"You've been too quiet, what's wrong?"

"You know, Hutch, I thought you were dead when you didn't come to the hospital when I was unconscious."

"I know, I could feel you slipping away. I knew you thought I was dead, that's why I came to your room that night."

"Guess they put us in the same room just in time."

Hutch grinned he knew Starsky was right. They watched the sun set a few more minutes and as it finally disappeared Hutch said, "I've been thinking, Starsk."

"And now you have a headache. Want an aspirin?"

Hutch smirked, "I was thinking about the last time you and I were talking on the pier. I was feeling bad about all the memories and things that were lost when we had the fire."

Starsky had a serious look on his face, "Hutch, I know you lost…"

"No. That's not what I'm getting at. I'll never lose those memories. They will always be with me. Last night Davey showed me a picture of one of the trophies he lost and said 'you know, Dad, I only lost the trophy. I still have the memory and the picture of winning it.'" Hutch smiled as continued, "He said, 'what I found out was that we sure have a lot of friends.'" He's right you know, we do have a lot of friends." He smiled and put his hand on Starsky's shoulder, "But, you buddy, you top them all. I don't know what we'd do, what I'd do without you, partner. You have always been there for me no matter what. Putting us up in your house for almost three months…"

Starsky cut him off, put his hand on Hutch's shoulder, "Hey, you'd have done the same for me. You have been there for me plenty of times."

"It seems like we've always been there for each other. The fire was devastating and there are things that were lost that can never be replaced. But I also know that we can, we are, getting through the loss and making new memories. I know it will take time but with the help from you guys, I know we will be okay."