A/N: Without reading my previous four (4) S&H stories - "For the Love of a Child," "The Hero," "By Any Other Name," and "The Lucky One" - you won't fully understand the context of Starsky's relationship with Ashley. However, you're more than welcome to read this story without the background; I hope you enjoy it and will read the rest of the series.

xXxXx

It was late, but Starsky knew Ashley would likely still be awake. He walked down the hall from the living room to Ashley's bedroom and poked his head through the partially open door. Starsky looked toward the bed and saw his stepdaughter looking back.

Starsky smiled, though in the darkness she probably couldn't see it. "Hey, kiddo. Your mom said you'd probably still be up."

"You didn't call. I thought maybe something had happened to you."

Crossing the room, he sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry, Ash. I meant to. Hutch and I had a court appearance this morning, and that took longer than we expected. Then we had a couple busts to make this afternoon, and we spent the rest of the day wrapping those cases up. That's why I'm so late getting home; I was literally working from the time I left this morning until about twenty-five minutes ago."

Ashley quickly changed topics. "Guess what my teacher told us today? Next Friday is Career Day, and Mrs. Sanchez wants us all to bring a parent in to talk about their jobs. Can you come?"

Starsky mentally reviewed the next couple weeks. Tomorrow was Tuesday, and unless something major happened in the next few days, he had about a little over a week and a half to plan his schedule around Career Day.

"I have to okay it with Captain Dobey and run it by Hutch, but I don't think it'll be a problem. What time?"

"It starts at nine. I left a flyer about it with your dinner plate in the kitchen."

He smiled again as he leaned down to kiss Ashley good night. "I'll look at it while I eat. I love you, squirt. Sleep good."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Good night, Daddy. I'll see you tomorrow."

Daddy…god, he loved to hear Ashley call him that. He didn't take it lightly either, because he knew what kind of memories it brought back for her. The thought of Melissa's first husband wasn't a pleasant one for any of them, but it was especially hard on Ashley, and Starsky knew - had known since the beginning - that he had a lot of work ahead of him in rebuilding Ashley's view of men. The fact that she'd just recently started referring to him as "Daddy" told him that he had to be doing something right.

Starsky stood and walked across the room, then out into the hallway. He pulled the door closed behind him, and as he made his way to the kitchen, he ran his right thumb across a bullet scar on his left forearm, a permanent reminder of just how much he loved that little girl.

xXxXx

Ashley watched her step dad leave her room, then she rolled over to look at the picture on her bedside table. It was a photo from the wedding a year and a half before; it showed her, her mom, and her then-new dad. That had been one of the best days of Ashley's life, mostly because it was the day Dave had become a permanent fixture in their lives.

Ashley remembered what life was like without Dave, and it had gotten better when he showed up. Now that he was married to Ashley's mom, life was the best it had ever been.

He hadn't always been "Daddy"; she'd just started that a few months before. In fact, he still wasn't "Daddy" all the time. Mostly, she still called him Dave, and he was okay with that. But it was a really good feeling to say that word and know the person she was referring to loved her.

A dim stream of moonlight was shining through Ashley's window, and she could just barely see Dave's arm around her mom's waist and his other hand on Ashley's shoulder in the picture. She knew Dave loved them. Not just because he told them everyday, even though he did. She knew because he treated them like they were important to him. He was the dad her birth father should have been, and she loved Dave for it.

Ashley closed her eyes and soon fell asleep, a smile on her lips.

xXxXx

Starsky walked into the kitchen, finding his dinner plate and Ashley's flyer on the table. He sat and picked at his food while glancing over the paper. It's never to early to start dreaming. Bring a parent to Career Day to share about their jobs.

It listed the date and time, the teacher's name, and the room number, things Starsky already knew.

He looked up from the green beans on his plate when Melissa walked in and hugged him from behind. He turned his head just enough to kiss his wife on the cheek.

"Ashley sounded like she really wants me to be there."

"She does," Melissa stated as she joined him at the table. "She didn't ask me if I could come…she thought of you first. She also mentioned that Mrs. Sanchez wants the parents that are able, to bring one or two items from work."

Starsky chuckled at the thought of carrying his sidearm into a grade school classroom. "It's a good thing I carry my badge with me everywhere I go; at least that will get me off the hook with any school administrators regarding my gun."

xXxXx

Melissa smiled as she thought of her husband getting in trouble for bringing a gun to Career Day. To be honest, she'd be surprised if it didn't start at least a little commotion. Trouble had a habit of following Dave wherever he went, but thank God he had Hutch to bail him out.

Now there's an idea…

"Dave, what about Hutch? He's your partner, something you have to have for work. You think you could talk him to coming with you?"

"Sweetheart, when Mrs. Sanchez said 'items,' I'm not sure she was thinking 'people.' Probably, she meant things you can carry on you. With Hutch, what do I do…handcuff him to my arm? Give a demonstration of what a normal day looks like for me?"

xXxXx

Starsky had meant that as a joke, but as the words crossed his lips, he thought, Hey, why not? I could go for that, though Hutch'll probably kill me for it.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. I'll give Mrs. Sanchez a call in the next day or two, find out how much trouble a couple cops could get into for this."

For that matter, what would Dobey say? Oh well…

He continued with his meal, using his knife and fork to tear apart his chicken and letting his imagination run away with ideas for Career Day.

xXxXx

Melissa smiled again as she pictured her husband's mental wheels turning. Whatever he was planning, he was enjoying it.

She sat with Dave as he finished his dinner, then cleaned up the kitchen while he took a quick shower. She listened to the bathroom water run and realized once again how lucky she was.

Meeting and falling in love with Dave Starsky certainly had not been part of the plan. After Stephen, the last thing Melissa had wanted was to let another man into her and Ashley's lives. But Dave had proved to be completely different from her first husband. The way he treated her, the way he was with Ashley…especially the way he was with Ashley.

It was nights like tonight that made Melissa wonder if perhaps Dave's relationship with her daughter was what she loved most about the man. Melissa knew that Dave's own father hadn't been a good one, but he had an idea of what a father should be like from watching Hutch with his dad. Melissa was grateful that from halfway across the country, Mr. Hutchinson had spent the last eighteen months helping to ease Dave's transition into fatherhood.

Melissa soon made her way into the master bedroom, where she found Dave already asleep in bed.

Poor guy…I didn't realize how tired he was.

Melissa silently changed into her nightgown, and after crawling into bed, she gently ran her fingers through her husband's curly hair. "I love you," she whispered. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

She lightly kissed his cheek before leaning back onto her pillow and drifting off to sleep.