"Hutch I'm telling' ya, I don't need new sneakers!" Starsky grinned and looked down at his feet. Okay so his addidas had definitely seen better days, they were a bit worn and the laces were no longer white, more storm cloud grey, but in Starsky's eyes they were perfect. Besides they were comfortable and when you're chasin' down perps you might as well be comfortable.

"Starsky you have to face it buddy" Hutch pointed to the offending shoes "Those shoes have had it!"

Starsky grinned even more. He was determined this was an argument Hutch wouldn't win.

Zebra three, zebra three be on the lookout for a man named Bill Scout. Last seen in the Vicinity of Fourth and Main. He is described as Caucasian, five seven, medium build, dark hair wearing a light blue, denim jacket. Their thoughts were interrupted by the radio. "Lets roll!" shouted Starsky, as he rounded the car to get into the drivers seat. Hutch was already applying the Mars Light when Starsky hit the gas pedal. He pulled away with smoking tyres. "Starsky is it really necessary to be so "Gun-Ho" about it? He may not even still be there."

"Hutch you ever think your priorities in life are all wrong? You've spent the best part of this morning worrying about my shoes and yet you're all casual about a potential Felon!" Hutch just smiled at his partner and nodded.

Both Starsky and Hutch were surprised, on their arrival at 4th and Main, to see that a male, fitting that description was still loitering. Starsky pulled the torino up parallel with the sidewalk, right next to the man. "Hold it, hold it!" yelled Hutch as he was almost out of the car. The perp was having none of it, he took off running. Hutch set up chase. Starsky re-gunned the engine and pursued in the car.

They eventually got him pinned inside an alley. Hutch crept in and drew his gun. Starsky crawled behind him, in the torino. The perp, realising that he was cornered began to shout, "What you want with me? I aint done nuffin', you aint got nuffin on me!"

"Aw come on" began Hutch, "If you haven't done nothing then why did you run?"

He looked at Hutch, then the torino behind him, his eyes searching for a way out. "Forget it punk"Said Hutch, sensing what the man was doing, "The only way out is with us"

He put up no resistance, as Hutch put the cuffs on him. Starsky was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, when Hutch loaded him into the back seat.

"Ah, ah you can't haul me away yet" He protested. Starsky turned to look at him, "Look buddy, I don't know what you done, frankly I don't care, just stop your belly aching, and let's get this over with."

"But officer you don't understand" He began to protest again.

Hutch got in the car "Can it!" he commanded, but the guy was having none of it.

"Oh for cripes sake, what?!" shouted Starsky more than a little irritated, "Tell us what you're bleating about, so we can get this over with!"

"My cat….."

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other, "You cat?" they said in unison.

"Yes my cat, it's stuck up on that roof. I wasn't loitering or trying to be a peeping Tom. I was trying to rescue my cat."

Both detectives looked at him in disbelief." Your cat. You want us to believe that you were shinnying that drain pipe looking for a cat? What do you think Starsk'?" asked Hutch

"I'm not sure I can think. Buddy tell it to someone who wants to know at the station." Starsky said, as he started the engine.

"Wait, wait!" shouted the panicked man, "You can't just leave her!"

"Huh?" queried Starsky

"Stella, my cat. She's still up there. You gotta get her down!"

"What? You gotta be kiddin……"began Starsky, but was interrupted by Hutch, "Well go on then Starsk'. Go and get her"

"Why me?" Wailed Starsky

"Because you got sneakers on, beside I'm allergic to cats."

"Hutch" Starsky pleaded, but Hutch just smiled and nodded towards the drainpipe.

Reluctantly Starsky turned off the engine, opened the door and made his way, sullenly, to the drainpipe. He gave Hutch one more pleading glance before he began to climb. He was more than halfway when he realised it was actually quite easy. About four feet from the roof he could see Stella. She sat, looking at him, on a ledge.

"Here puss, puss, puss. Nice kitty kitty. Come on" Starsky called.

Stella looked indifferent.

"Aw come on now, play nice" Starsky begged "What you say you and me get outta here huh?" he was beginning to realise how high he was and decided to make a grab for her just as Hutch honked the Torino's horn and yelled out of the window "Come on Starsky what's taking so long?"

Startled, Starsky slipped, scrambling to grab hold of something/anything he mis-footed and slid all the way down the drain pipe, landing heavily on his left ankle. "AAAHHHHHH!!" he yelled.

"You - Stay there!" Hutch ordered their prisoner, as he bolted out of the car.

"Starsky!" he ran over to his stricken friend, who was still lying on the floor.

"Starsky, Starsk'" Hutch almost slid into him, "hey" he said attempting to haul him up.

"aaaahahhhhhhhh" Starsky repeated.

"What talk to me, what is it?" Hutch asked, concerned.

"My foot…….I think it's broken"

"Okay, 's'okay. Stay here I'll get an ambulance."

"I aint goin' no-where" smiled Starsky meekly.

Hutch ran back to the torino and radioed for an ambulance, he then ran back to Starsky. "Hey Buddy" he soothed.

"Oh Hutch, it hurts."

"Yeah I know, I know. Come on don't be a baby you'll be okay. It's probably just sprained or something." Hutch smiled.

"Sprained, sprained! God damnmit Hutch I wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't yelled."Starsky protested.

Hutch knew his partner was right and felt terrible.

"Okay look I'm sorry. How 'bout, after this is over, I take you bowlin' or something?"

"Are you being funny?"

"No. Oh look there's the ambulance now." And not a moment too soon" Hutch thought, relieved.

Two Paramedics approached the detectives, "Can you tell me what happened?" one asked

"Ah my partner slipped about 20 feet and landed heavy. He's complaining about his foot. Hutch advised.

"Okay sir, any headaches, dizziness, pain anywhere else?"

"Headaches, dizziness, for a sore foot!" Starsky exclaimed.

"Sir I'm……"
"Look I think my partner is a little grouchy" Hutch interrupted, "Can you just look at his foot and give him a bandage or something?"

The paramedic took a look at Starsky. As soon as he came to his left foot he could see it was trying to swell and it was only Starsky's sneaker that was stopping it. "Oh my. Well sir we have to get that shoe off quick. This may be a little bit painful." but as soon as he attempted to remove Starsky's shoe he screamed. "Sir that shoe has to come off"

The other paramedic removed a pair of scissors, from his kit, and Starsky looked on, in horror, as he cut away his sneaker. He was in far too much pain to resist but not to notice Hutch's smug look as he said, "Looks like you'll be buying new sneakers after all!"