Feedback: That would be kind of you…
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these boys, just to this story. It is for enjoyment purposes only.
Author's Notes: Another fabulous idea by the one and only Brook….
This takes place just prior to 'The Set-up', Joe Durniak is alive and well, and still with the mob. He's also still fond of the Starsky family…
Family Ties
Chapter One
Starsky had no idea why Chief Ryan had asked to meet with him alone, but he figured either he and/or Hutch were in trouble, BIG trouble. The morning started out routine enough, a shower, a shave and a breakfast burrito w/heavy onions. It was his day off, his plans included meeting with Chief Ryan, than he and Hutch had dates for a picnic at the park. A full day of fun, sun and hopefully, female companionship…
He dressed quickly and headed downstairs, climbing behind the wheel of his beloved Torino. After a quick stop at the 'hole-in-the-wall' taco stand for his breakfast, he drove to the local coffee shop for his meeting with Ryan.
Chief of police, Ryan, had never been too fond of him or Hutch for that matter. Starsky was just trying to figure out what was so important that he would need to meet with the brunet, on his day off. He also found it strange not to be meeting at the station and not to be meeting with Hutch too, leading him to believe that this meeting was strictly off the record.
Starsky sat at a small corner table, ordered a coffee, black and read the morning paper, waiting for Chief Ryan. He had barely finished scanning the front page before Ryan showed up. Starsky rose respectively as he approached…
"Chief Ryan, good to see, Sir." Starsky felt like saluting, but refrained.
"Have a seat Detective, relax, this is unofficial business." Ryan said trying to put the brunet at ease.
Starsky sat back down, then looked up through his brow at his superior, "Then what exactly is this, may I ask?"
Ryan ordered himself a decaf coffee, then returned his attention to Starsky. "First, I need to make myself perfectly clear, what we discuss here today, doesn't leave this coffee shop. It is vital that, regardless of your decision, what we talk about stays between you and me only! Is that understood?"
"What do you mean my decision? I'm afraid I don't understand…" Starskys' brow furrowed as Ryan continued.
"Oh you will Detective, you will. Now do I have your word?" Ryan asked, all expression washing from his face as he concentrated on Starsky's reaction.
"Well yes sir, I guess I don't have much of a choice…you have my word…Now what is this all about?"
Ryan took a sip of his coffee and looked around the café, making sure that no one was listening in on their conversation.
"It is about an ongoing investigation…one that has been 'ongoing' for almost three years now…Few know about it, and it needs to stay that way…"
"What's this got to do with me?" Starskys' curiosity was peeked.
"It doesn't have anything to do with you, yet…but it does have something to do with your old man…" Ryan paused, letting what he had just said sink in.
"Pop? How's that?" Starsky asked.
"We have been trying to crack a country wide syndicate that specializes in arms trading and trafficking…I have just recently been informed that your Dad was infiltrating this same syndicate over fifteen years ago, when he was murdered...supposedly by this group. He got too close and paid the ultimate price. Didn't you ever wonder why them men that killed your father were never caught or brought to justice?"
"Well, of course I wondered, but after so much time had passed, I just figured…"
"You see, we suspect that this goes way up, there are a lot of very powerful people involved in this little operation…but we need proof, a man on the inside…willing to give his all to help bring this group down…"
"Why me?" Starsky asked, but almost already knowing the answer.
"We figured that with your skills as a police officer and your passion, wanting to see those responsible for your father's death, brought to justice, you'd be willing to work with us, secretly and below the radar, shall we say."
"I'd go in undercover?"
"Not exactly, you'd go in as Detective Sergeant David Starsky." Ryan caught the curly haired man off guard.
"I don't follow you…"
"A severely disillusioned officer, that is tired of trying to make the system work, and is now out to make it work for him…This is where it gets complicated…it will take time to create this believable new character of yours…"
"I'm listening…"
"You're a good cop gone bad, small time dealings, taking and using evidence to your own advantage…maybe crossing the line a little more than you do now…but eventually being involved in an elaborate set-up…thousands of dollars worth of drugs submitted into evidence will turn up missing…of course just to later be found in your possession, getting you suspended, and leading to your voluntary resignation from the BCPD…setting you up to join the organization. They are always looking for new meat, from what I hear."
"But what about Hutch? How will he be involved in all this?" Starsky asked, noticing that the tall blond wasn't invited to this meeting.
"He won't be, can't be…no one can…Don't you get it? We don't know how high up this goes. No one can know you're undercover, no one except me. You have to convince both you partner and your Captain that you are crossing over…you are no longer the trustworthy Detective Sergeant you once were…you are getting tired of all the bullshit, and have decide to go out solo."
"Hutch will never buy that! He knows me too well." Starsky rebutted.
"Then it'll be your job to make him believe it." Ryan answerd.
Starsky looked out the window, "What if I say no?"
"Then the men that killed your father may never be brought to justice. If you can live with that, then so can I…I'll give you 24 hours to think it over, but then I will need an answer." Chief Ryan pulled three bills out of his billfold and placed them on the table to pay for both of their coffees. "But make no mistake about it! If you decide to take this on, no one, and I mean no one can know about your involvement…also once you are on the inside, there will be things that you will see and probably do that won't be easy, but you are gonna havta do them. I won't be able to help you, it'll be up to you to find me, when you can, without blowing your cover. This isn't going to be easy Detective, you'll just have to decide, how bad you want this…"
With that Ryan stood and prepared to leave. "I'll be here tomorrow, same time." He announced before leaving Starsky behind, deep in thought.
Starsky stared out the window of the small café, watching the traffic passing by. He wondered if he would be able to pull something like this off, wondered if he could fool Dobey, wondered if he could lie to Hutch, wondered if Hutch would forgive him…He wondered what his father would want him to do…
Starsky had all but forgotten about his plans with Hutch, he shut the world out and withdrew inside himself, in deep thought. He spent the day at the beach, walking along the shore, bare foot and reflective. His mind wandered back to the last time he had seen his father, that very morning before he left for work. Pop had promised to take young Davey to the sports store and buy him some baseball trading cards. The young curly haired teen waited patiently for his Dad to arrive, he watched out the screen door of his house. He was there when two of Pop's buddy's from the station showed up. Climbing the steps to their front door, giving little Davey and Nicky a pat affectionately on the top of their head before his Mother scooted them off into their bedroom. He and Nick sat in the room, their ears to the door, as they heard their mother cry out, calling for Almighty God Himself…Nick looked at Davey…
"Pop's not coming home Nicky…" Davey did his best to explain it to an unbelieving younger brother. The brunet knew immediately that he was now the man of the house, and it would be up to him to take care of his family.
The next few years Davey did his best to keep the family together, his mother's grief was overwhelming. They went together often to visit his fathers' grave, maybe a little too often. Their family began to slowly fall apart, they grew distant from each other. The curly haired kid began hanging around with the wrong crowd, getting into trouble, becoming more and more out of control. Mrs. Starsky felt that Davey needed a positive male figure in his life and sent him to California to live with his Aunt and Uncle. Starsky always knew that his fathers' death was a turning point in his life, for better or for worse. He never forgave the men that took his father away from him, he didn't even know who they were, but he hated them just the same.
He then thought about Hutch. What would this do to him? Could Starsky convince a man that knew him almost better than he knew himself? He would have to cut all ties with his best friend, the person that meant the most to him in the world. Could he pay such a high price, even if it is only temporary? Would Hutch ever forgive him? Would he be able to forgive himself? Then there was everything and everyone else in his life, Dobey, Huggy, even his on again off again stewardess friend. Losing them would be nothing compared to losing Hutch, even if it was only temporary, he kept telling himself.
His memories traveled back to the here and now as a small child's ball flew past him, into the oceans' water. Each wave tauntingly pushing the ball forward, just to pull it back out again as it receded.
Starsky watched as the tiny child looked at the ball edging closer and closer to the foamy water, just trying to work up the nerve to jump in and take back what belonged to him. Starsky smiled and winked at the toddler, pointing a finger in his direction. He wasted no time wading out into the chilly water to retrieve the young tykes' toy, walking it back to him and placing it at his level. The little boy squealed in delight as he snatched the ball out of the detectives' hands and rushed back to his mothers' side. She gave him a grateful smile as Starsky waived.
He found the moment poignant, he was that small child, just trying to get up the nerve to jump in and take back what his father was entitled to, justice.
He was going to do this, risk everything, but for a good cause. He hoped, he prayed that Hutch would understand why he had to do this. Starsky himself fought to understand why he felt he had to do this. It was Friday, the brunet went home and called his mother…just like he always did, but this time seemed different. He felt like he was trying to give her a sense of peace, she wasn't a revengeful woman, but he was sure it would mean a lot to her to have her husbands' murders finally brought to trial.
"Hey Ma?" He spoke into the phone… "I love you." He said right before hanging up the phone.
There was a knock on his door, he rose to answer it, but it opened before he could get there. Hutch came in looking a little harried. "What the hell happened to you today Starsk? Where were you?"
"Uh…uh…I had some stuff to take of?" Starsky stuttered, knowing that the lies are already beginning.
"Like what?" Hutch approached him, demanding an explanation. "The girls and I waited for you, I tried calling, you didn't even answer your phone? What'd you have to do so important that you couldn't even call?" Hutch was irritated, but not mad, more curious. He knew that it must have been something pretty important for Starsky to have shined him on, leaving him with two gorgeous women for the whole day.
Starsky didn't answer, couldn't answer. Hutch saw something in his partners' eyes, he thought it was fear, but he couldn't be sure. "Hey Buddy, what is it? What happened to you today?"
"Nothin' Hutch, I just needed to think." Starsky responded, knowing immediately how stupid that sounded.
"Think about what?" Hutch pushed the brunet.
"About stuff okay? Just drop it!"
"Okay, sure. You okay?" Hutch's concern wore heavily on his face, the deep crease in his forehead deepening.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" Starsky looked at his partners' pleading eyes. "I just took the day off, no crime in that is there?"
"No…no crime in that." Hutch decided to bite his tongue, not wanting to push the hot headed man any further. He knew Starsky all too well, and he knew that Starsky would tell him what was bothering him, when he felt like it. That was the way they worked, when one needed space, the other one gave it to them. But not for long…
To Be Continued…