Blue on Blue

"Blue eyes," the reporter thought to herself, "My God they've got amazing blue eyes."

"One the color of cobalt and the other the color of blue skies."

She flinched slightly as both set of eyes settled on her, then straightened her spine and started the interview. She had been warned beforehand that some subjects were off limits. This was one of the first interviews they had done after Gunther.

Hutch's sky blue eyes were warning her not to step beyond the barriers set up.

Starsky's cobalt blue eyes were a bit warmer but tired looking and just a little wary looking also.

"Alright gentleman, I will make this as easy as possible. Sgt. Starsky, how are you feeling today?" She asked, trying to get the right tone of sympathy and curiosity in her voice.

Starsky, leaning against the back of the couch replied. "Pretty good, but just call me Dave or Starsky, okay?"

"Alright, Mr. Starsky."

"No," he interjected gently. "Just Dave or Starsky."

Hutch's body was a bit more tense and she felt like if she stepped out of their bounds, he might just snap at her like a Doberman.

"Mr. Hutchinson and how are you doing today?"

"Like Starsky, I prefer either Ken or Hutch," he said. "And just fine, thank you."

"Heavens," she thought to herself, "bit stiff there."

"Alright Mister, umm, Dave. How is the therapy going?"

Hutch cleared his throat and she flinched once again. She noticed Starsky smile slightly.

"Just fine. They tell me I ought to be able to get back into action pretty soon."

She noticed Hutch shift slightly and wondered what was going on behind those now shuttered blue eyes.

"Ken, won't you be pleased to have your partner back soon?"

Hutch's eyes shifted to Starsky's and she could have sworn there were words being exchanged.

Finally he looked back at her and smiled slightly. "Yep, kinda miss him. They've got me on a desk job now."

"Kinda?" Starsky said with a raised eyebrow.
Hutch smiled a bit wider this time, "Yeah, right now it's peaceful and quiet at my desk."

"Yeah, and you're bored to tears, or so that's what you tell me." A smile lightening Starsky's eyes just a shade.

Once again, she could have sworn there was a silent conversation going on with those two.

She coughed just to get them to look back at her. Both men did and smiled at her.

"Do you plan on going back out on the streets, Dave?"

"Yep, that's the plan."

"Won't you be afraid after all the damage done to your body?" A loud throat clearing from Hutch and she glanced over at him. Laser blue eyes were shooting an unmistakable message of 'You've stepped over the boundary, back off.'

She fumbled with her notebook; there was something very intimidating about that man.

She looked up to see Starsky smiling, slightly amused at the goings on.

"Don't worry about Hutch; he's kinda sensitive about talking to reporters. We've both been burned once or twice by them."

"I'm not here to 'burn' you, but to see how you are recovering. You've come a long way from what your Captain says and he hopes to have you back in the office very soon."

Starsky's eyebrows rose slightly at that. "Captain said he is looking forward to me coming back?"

"Well, yes," she said, slightly confused.

The two men laughed.

"Well Miss Jensen," Hutch started to say.

"Please just call me Zoe."

"Alright Zoe. You see, Starsky and I have sometimes been a bit, shall we say, mischievous. By the way, that is off record."

"Of course," she smiled back at him.

"We have the best Captain in the world and we sometimes like to take the tension down in the office by playing small jokes. That too is off record."

She smiled and thought to herself, "How am I going to get this interview when all he says is it's off record?"

Starsky took pity on her and said, "Hutch let's get back to the subject so she can get her story written."

Hutch collected himself. "Oh yeah, let's get back to the interview."

"Alright gentlemen, will anything change when you get back, Dave?"

Starsky's eyes darkened just a bit "Yeah, got to ride a desk for a bit. But then I'll be able to go back on the streets and patrol with Hutch."

"Will you be extra cautious and will that affect how you work?"

She noticed Hutch's eyes had darkened also and wondered what he was thinking.

"Well Zoe, we might be just a bit more careful but we've always watched each other's back."

The comment on the tip of her tongue was, "He didn't watch your back very well the day you got shot," but the twin looks of something verging on anger were focused on her. She knew that they knew what she had been thinking and a barrier had gone up.

Rattled, she tried to go on with the questioning. Hutch was now sitting a bit more upright and Starsky looked quite a bit more wary.

She mused to herself, "Those two, their eyes are so expressive. At times you can tell what they are thinking almost as if they have said it out loud. Other times, they just close their emotions down to the world."

"Will you still be working homicide?' Ahe was a bit more unsettled than she liked to be and it showed with that silly of a question.

Starsky's eyes were a bit gentler, as if he knew she was struggling. It wasn't fun having Hutch look at you that way and not be a bit rattled. He usually saved it for the perps.

"Yeah, we'll still be working homicide."

Hutch picked up a piece of paper from the coffee table, "Well Zoe, I've got to get Starsky to the Doctor. We've prepared some questions and answers for you to use if you want."

The tone was final and she knew the interview was over. Smiling graciously, she took the paper and got up to leave. Hutch walked her to the door and opened it for her. A small noise from Starsky took his attention away from her and he went back to the couch. He bent down and there were words being exchanged. She noticed that Starsky had noticeably wilted from tiredness. Hutch put his hand on Starsky's should and he smiled up at him. Starsky shook his head and just grabbed Hutch's arm and heaved himself up off the couch. A small grimace of pain went across his face and Hutch held onto his arm to help with his balance. Zoe decided it was time for a quiet getaway. As she walked down the stairs, she knew Starsky still had a time of healing to do but with Hutchinson's help, she knew those two would make it.

"Twin blue eyes, blue on blue" she mused to herself.

Fini

Sally 2010