Do You Love Me That Much

by Rescue45

Starsky looked at Hutch with those pleading blue eyes of his and said, "Hutch, do you love me that much?" Hutch looked back at his partner and best friend and said, "No, I don't."

Starsky looked at Hutch with those pleading blue eyes of his and said, "Hutch, do you love me that much?"

Hutch looked back at his partner and best friend and said, "No, I don't."

Do You Love Me That Much?

Starsky said, "Great, some nutcase locks us in a room and tells us only one of us is going to get out of this alive."

Hutch said, "At least he's leaving that decision up to us."

Starsky muttered, "Small comfort."

Hutch looked at Starsky and asked, "I wonder how long he will keep this game up? He hasn't said anything else. I wonder if he's still there."

They heard a voice say, "I'm still here and I will be until one of you is dead."

Starsky looked at Hutch with those pleading blue eyes of his and said, "Hutch, do you love me that much?

Hutch looked back at his partner and best friend and slowly said, "No, I don't."

Starsky lowered his head and said, "Its ok. I don't love you that much either."

Hutch said, "Well, what now. How are we going to get out of this mess?"

Starsky said, "I don't know, but I'm not going to let you die so I can live alone without you."

Hutch said, "I'm not going to let you die so I can live without you either Starsk. I just can't. I'll die for you, but I'm going to live alone without you. I've got too much invested in you to let you die now."

Starsky said, "I've got a lot of blood, sweat, and tears invested in you too, pal, so you're not going to die now either."

Starsky moved close to Hutch. They had already seen the camera in the corner of the room and knew everything they said was being heard, he whispered, "What if we don't play his game?

Hutch looked at Starsky and smiled and whispered back said, "Yeah. Let's not play his game. No matter what it'll be Me & Thee to the end."

Starsky said, "Right, and if we both die here at least it will be together and our choice."

Hutch said, "Right. No matter what he says now, no matter what buttons he pushes we just talk to each other. Show him no reaction."

Starsky asked, "Agreed. How long has it been anyway?"

Hutch looked at his watch and answered, "Almost 24 hours now."

Starsky said, "Wonder how the search is going?"

Hutch said, "I don't know, but I know they're looking."

They heard the voice again this time it sounded angry. "One of you has to kill the other one. Only one of you can survive, only one."

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and pretended they didn't hear the voice. Starsky stood up and started pacing. Then he said in one of his playful voices, "You're in trouble now Hutch."

Hutch said, "Why." Not really wanting to know the answer. He knew what was coming next. He looked at Starsky and said, "Please no, not that" as he smiled at his partner.

Starsky said, "Yep, sorry, pal, I'm bored."

Hutch rolled his eyes. They had been on many long steak outs over the years and if there's one thing Hutch learned, it was that he hated it when his partner was bored. Hutch said, "Ok, what game do you have in mind this time?"

Starsky started looking around the room. He was bored and he needed to get both their minds off their current situation. He walked back over to Hutch and whispered, "What do think will irritate him the most?"

Hutch looked at Starsky laughed and said, "Just about anything you come up with should do." Starsky smiled back at him. He was hungry, thirsty, and really very bored, but with Hutch there he knew they could get through this together.

Starsky stared pacing again and said, "Ok. Here it goes movie one liners."

Hutch said, "I don't know Starsk, the last time we played that one you almost died."

Starsky said, "Ok then our covers."

Hutch looked at him with a curious look and said, "What?"

Starsky said, "I'll say a name we used while we were undercover, you tell me about the case."

Hutch said, "That's the best you can come up with."

Starsky said, "I'm thirsty and hungry what did you expect."

Hutch shook his head and said, "Ok. Go ahead."

Starsky said, "I was undercover as Ramon." He said with an accent that sounded almost Italian.

Hutch didn't hesitate and replied "Ah, yes, and no one can dip like Ramon." He said with same accent. "That was an extortion racket at a dance studio."

Starsky said, "Yeah. I always liked being Ramon. That was a lot of fun." He turned and looked at Hutch with a gleeful eye.

Hutch said, "Oh no. Starsk, I'm way too old for that. No way." Starsky and Hutch both laughed.

The man watching them was confused. These two should be at each other's throats by now. They should be fighting and trying to kill each other. He knew they were thirsty, hungry and were supposed to be scared. They were acting like they were having a good time. What could they possibly be laughing at? He didn't understand, but then no one really understood the relationship between Starsky and Hutch. They were two separate people, each with their own thoughts, likes and dislikes, but so much a part of each other it was as if they shared one soul. They didn't really understand it either but it's been that way since they met and has only gotten better over the years.

As they continued their little game to break the boredom, Johnson, Reynolds and the rest of the police force were looking for the detectives. Huggy was able to give them a lead late last night and they now had a name. Now that they knew who they were looking for finding him shouldn't be that hard.

Reynolds looked at Johnson and in an angry voice aid, "James Brown has done this before and they just let him go. What if Starsky"
His partner cut him off and said, "Don't worry neither Starsky nor Hutch would kill the other no matter what."

Reynolds said, "No but each of them would kill themselves so the other could live."

Johnson said, "Now that they would do, but the other wouldn't allow it." Just then Johnson's phone rang. He picked it up and said, "Johnson here."

It was Chief Sterling on the other end. He had told Johnson they had a current address on the suspect who might be holding Starsky and Hutch. He told them backup was on the way. The Chief also said that he didn't want to tell Jeanne or the boys anything until they had Starsky and Hutch. They didn't want to get their hopes up if it turned out to be nothing.

Johnson and Reynolds arrived at the address that was given to them. They knocked on the door. There was no answer so they broke it down. They looked all over and saw nothing. Just as they were about to leave Johnson saw the building outside. They walked over to it and heard a man yelling.

Starsky and Hutch were now sitting on the floor laughing. Hutch had reminded Starsky about the time they made up business cards for a snack shop that had Capt. Dobey's extension on it. Starsky said, "When he changed his extension we made a new one for a plumbing service."

Hutch stopped laughing and said, "On the cruise ship, were you Hack or Zac?"

Starsky said, "I was Hack. At least I think I was."

They heard the voice again. He sounded really angry this time as he said, "Don't you know, one of you is going to die?"

Starsky and Hutch just ignored the voice. They knew they were getting to him. They were not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how scared they both were. Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and gave each other a smile using their eyes so only they saw. They knew they were getting to him. Hutch thought as bad as it was when Starsky was bored he had a way of making it fun, stupid sometimes, but fun.

Johnson and Reynolds were able to sneak up on the man and they saw the monitor he was watching. They arrested the man without any resistance. Reynolds asked, "Where are Starsky and Hutch?"

James said, "Down there." He pointed to a trap door in the floor. He sounded very confused as he said, "They were supposed to fight. They were supposed to hate each other by now."

Johnson said, "Those two, hate each other, never."

Reynolds added, "They've been partners for over 40 years. They'd die for each other without thinking about it. You picked the wrong people this time for your sick little game."

Johnson saw the microphone and said, "Starsky, Hutch, we found you. It's going to take a few minutes to get this door open but we got you. You're safe now."

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and said, "Thanks."

Hutch said, "We could really use some water if you got it when we come up."

Starsky said, "And a pastrami on rye with mustard." Johnson smiled. No matter how bad things got, if those two were together it didn't seem to faze them.

Reynolds had taken Brown to the waiting patrol car. He came back to the room with a crowbar and broke the chain that had been holding the door closed. Starsky and Hutch heard the noise of the chain and they walked up the stairs still laughing.

Johnson handed each of them a bottle of water and said, "What's so funny?"

Starsky and Hutch at the same took their bottles of water, opened them and said, "Life."

Starsky looked at Hutch and said, "Hutch, I'm glad you don't love me that much."

Hutch said, "Me, too, pal. Me & Thee, always." They took a drink of their water, put their arms around each other's necks and walked outside.