No I don't own anything except my random thoughts.

I have never written in this genre before but I have been watching old reruns and this story just will not go away. I hope I get the characters right but feel free to give constructive feedback. My life is insanely busy but I hope to post this as often as possible. I always finish what I start; mainly because once a plot bunny bites it chews my ankles until I'm done. I hope you enjoy.

Payback

Hutch stared at the wall across from him and tried to keep a neutral expression on his face. Standing in the foyer of the precinct and allowing his emotions to show just wasn't a good idea at the moment. If he truly let anyone see what was going on in his head he probably would have scared everyone away.

Starsky had gone back upstairs to take a phone call and left Hutch waiting for him in the foyer. He felt like pacing but instead he balled his fists up inside his jacket pockets and then forced himself to unclench them.

Dobey had just finished briefing him and his partner about something that just made his blood boil. He figured that he must be a pretty simple guy because it seemed obvious to him that the cops were supposed to be the good guys. And the good guys went out and caught the bad guys. Except now it seemed that the simple line had blurred because they were the good guys and they were going after fellow cops. Someone was dirty and it had been dropped on them to find out who that someone was.

A chilly gust blew in off the street as the door pushed open. Hutch watched in amusement as Benson dragged a scruffy looking kid in through the door. The young officer had only been on the beat for four months. He was certainly conscientious and maybe a little over zealous. The older detective watched as the kid struggled to pull away from the tight grip on her arm and he winced in sympathy as a foot shot out and kicked the young newbie in the shins.

Benson yelped in surprise and loosed his grip just enough for the kid to twist away from him and attempt to make a run for it. She looked towards the door and made a split second decision to try to reach it but skidded to a halt as Hutch stepped sideways and into her path. She glared at him before trying to bolt around him. Two strong arms grabbed her in a bear hug and she tried to twist away from them. Having seen her do it once already Hutch was prepared for the attempted kick in the shins and he lifted her off the ground before the foot could connect.

"Put me down! This is police brutality!" the girl screamed out to anybody who would pay attention. Her legs swung harmlessly in the air but her captor showed no sign of putting her down.

"Stop kicking and I will put you down." There was no sign that she had heard him so Hutch continued to speak quietly into her ear. The calm voice eventually seemed to work as the girl's legs stopped swinging. Hutch set her down on her feet and slowly unwrapped his arms. Benson was standing beside her and grabbed her right arm before she could think of escaping again.

"Thanks Detective." Benson looked a little sheepish as he retrieved his charge and steered her towards the back of the station. She glanced back over her shoulder and glared at the man who stood watching her depart. He noted the threadbare jeans and tatty shirt; the unkempt hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. The girl's arms seemed thinner than they should have been. As she tried to wriggle out of Benson's firm grasp her shirt rode up at the back and revealed an ugly bruise. He wondered why she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt given how cold it was outside. The girl turned back to see where the officer was leading her and Hutch felt compelled to follow them. He couldn't define what it was but he was curious about who this kid was and why she was there in his station.

He trailed behind them into the detention area and saw Benson park the girl on a chair. She wrapped her arms around herself and dropped her chin onto her chest. She didn't seem to notice him as he walked over to the younger officer and inquired what the charge was.

"She tried to rip off a deli down on Fourth. The owner caught her stuffing things under her shirt. She tried to cut and run when she saw me but I got her."

Hutch noted the man's pride but quickly dismissed it. After all it wasn't that hard to run down a scrawny kid. He suddenly realised what it was about her that was tugging at him. Her eyes looked too big for her face. She wasn't just scrawny. She was malnourished. Add that to a flimsy shirt on a cold day and he began to wonder just where she came from and who was taking care of her.

Benson continued to fill out his paperwork while Hutch slipped off down the hall. When he returned he was carrying a salad roll and a juice. The girl was still hunched over and seemed to be ignoring the world around her when he sat down beside her. She flinched and pulled away before registering who it was and then she plastered a sneer across her face.

"Wadda you want?" she glared at him.

"I thought you might be hungry." He offered the food and drink but she continued to glare at him.

"What? Do I look like some kinda charity case?" she demanded.

Hutch continued to hold out the offering and he noted that her glare wavered slightly. She seemed torn between keeping up the appearance of anger and taking the food. Finally his suspicion was proven right when she grabbed at the roll and ripped open the wrapping. Once she caught the smell of fresh bread she wolfed down chunks of the roll. He was surprised when she got half way through and suddenly stopped. She caught up the edge of the wrapping and carefully re-wrapped the roll. He glanced at her but said nothing.

"It's for … it's for later!" she insisted.

"No problem."

Hutch looked up as Benson came over towards them. The younger officer looked unsure of what he should do. After all, it wasn't normal for a detective to stoop to interviewing a street punk who had swiped a few things from a corner store.

"Ah, you got a name, kid?"

The girl glared at him. "Yeah."

"Well you wanna let us in on what it is?"

"Not really!"

Hutch tried not to smile as he could read the uncertainty on the younger officer's face.

"Maybe I should leave you to it, Benson." He rose from the seat and stood next to the other man. Maybe having two of them standing over her would be enough to rattle a name out of the kid. She glared at the floor but refused to answer.

"Come on kid. You gotta tell me sooner or later."

The girl clamped her mouth shut and glared at him. Hutch watched as her eyes betrayed her bravado. She wasn't as tough as she would have liked them to believe. In actual fact her eyes were beginning to water and she dropped them back to the floor.

"OK then. Have it your way." Benson reached out a hand to grab the girl's arm and she shot out a foot that connected with his shin again. He hopped back in surprise and she jumped to her feet and shoved him towards Hutch before throwing the bottle at his head. Before either man could reach her she had bolted past them and was running towards the front door.

Hutch tried to quickly disentangle himself from Benson and turned to run after the fugitive. He heard, rather than saw the other officer fumbling after him as he dashed out into the street. He looked both ways up and down the sidewalk and across the road but there was no sign of the kid.

"Damn but she's fast!" he muttered to himself. He turned back to see Benson shaking his head. He slapped the younger man on the shoulder and turned him back towards the precinct door.

"C'mon. Let's see if we can find you something more your pace." Hutch grinned and ignored the dirty glare he received. He felt a pang of sympathy as he knew the young man was going to be the subject of much ridicule from his peers for quite some time.

Across the street a young girl crouched behind a stack of crates and watched the two men walk back inside the warm station. She shivered as she ran her hands up and down her arms. The roll that was stuffed inside her shirt reminded her that she needed to get going. Jess was waiting for her. It was a shame about the juice but at least tonight her sister would get to eat dinner.