Feedback: Always shamefully solicited, but please remember, none of us are professionals so when critiquing, be lenient.

Disclaimer: I own no one, and nothing. The OC's are ours and the idea is loosely based on a movie called 'The hitcher', no infringement on the copyright is intended. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, namely, me!

Author's Note: This story is being written with the help of a couple of very important people to me. Thank you Eli for your contributions and encouragement, also written with the constant help of Brook, (she is, and always will be my sounding board.)

Warning: Some foul language ahead.

Red

Chapter Three

"Just who in the hell do you think you are, tellin' me what to do?" Robert spewed, his face turning flushed with anger.

He continued to keep a hold of the hooker to his right, firmly grabbing a handful of her hair causing her to squeal in pain. Instinctively, her hand went up to grab his wrist trying to ease the pain.

"Robert, please let go of me…don't do this…" She pled as Starsky locked eyes with hers.

For one brief moment Starsky wondered what had happened in her life so terrible that this is where she wound up. Who hurt her, walked out on her, left her alone and desperate enough to cause her to turn to this to make a living.

Starsky stood, puffing out his chest, leaning back slightly, placing each hand on his waist, pulling back his jacket just enough to expose his weapon. "Trust me buddy, you don't wanna do this…" He stated as the drunken man seemed oblivious to his warnings.

"Yeah? An' just who's gonna stop me?" The man slurred as he leaned forward and poked Starsky in the chest with his index finger.

Starsky's eyes slowly raised, his breathing paced evenly. "Listen Bob, I'm a cop, an' I think it would be in your best interest to call it a night and head home…leavin' the lady alone." Starsky encouraged the man, trying at all costs to avoid a 'situation'. "And trust me, I'm in no mood."

'Situations' seemed to find the brunet no matter where he went, he was a magnet for them and this was no exception.

"You wanna fuck with me cop?" Robert let go of Tracy's hair, shoving her to the side as he squared off with Starsky, assuming an attack stance, his legs spread wide apart, both fists slowly coming up in front of him. "Come on., let's see what you got…"

Starsky turned to his side, not believing that this man was completely serious, thinking that he was just inebriated and needed to sober up. As he turned back around to face him and try once more to reason with him, he was met with four, large and hard knuckles connecting with the left side of his face. His head snapped to the side as he heard a pop in his jaw, momentarily throwing him off balance. He heard the bar break out in hoots and hollers as people rose from their chairs and cleared the way.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Starsky said as a matter of fact as he regained footing and turned back around and took up a defensive stance against his attacker.

Robert staggered briefly as the room spun in his drunken stupor. Starsky looked at the man, his hand on his jaw, checking for fractures. Although it was a solid punch, he had had better. His attacker regained his balance as he drew back again and prepared to deliver another devastating blow to the curly haired detective. He swung with his right fist but Starsky simply leaned back and allowed the arm to pass in front of him causing Robert to nearly fall to the ground.

Starsky grabbed the man's arm as it flew past him, placing his foot out in front of him and his other hand on the man's shoulder, twisting him and slamming him face first into the bar counter in front of him. Starsky leaned forward and whispered in the man's ear, "I warned you not to do that." He said as he pulled Robert up by the handful of hair he had grabbed, exposing a badly split lip, blood flowing freely down his chin.

Tracy had run off screaming and sobbing hysterically, as Starsky manhandled Robert and escorted him towards the front door. Before giving him his final shove at the door, he whispered one final warning to the man, "If I ever hear 'bout you hurtin' her again, or any other woman for that matter, I'll come back and personally deal with you myself, you got that? And by the way, don't even think about comin' back in here and fucking with me again, cause trust me, you're gettin' off easy tonight."

The frightened man nodded as Starsky shoved him out into the parking lot and watched him stagger away. Starsky turned to head back inside and came face to face with the hotel/bar manager. He had an irritated, yet sorrowful look on his face. He appeared to want to tell Starsky something but looked frightened to do so.

"Can I help you?" Starsky asked, slightly irritated that the man was standing in his way.

"Well…um…I'm afraid I need to ask you to leave Mr. Starsky." He said, stuttering.

"What?" He exclaimed, not sure if he had heard him correctly.

"You see sir, with all due respect…we don't need any trouble here, an' after seeing what you did to Robert there, I can assure you he won't let that go. He'll be back…an' I don't need the trouble." The man tried to politely informed the detective.

Starsky ran his hand through his curly locks as he sighed heavily. "I don't believe this." He looked around for Tracy, but she was nowhere in sight.

"You will of course get a full refund on tonight's stay, but I think it would be best for all involved if you cut your stay with us short." The smaller round man waved his hand in the direction of the hotel office.

"Well that's just t'riffic." He muttered as he headed for his room to pack. As Starsky walked across the parking lot he thought about the irony of him being dumped twice in a twenty-four hour period. If his luck didn't change soon, he'd probably find himself with out a partner.

He looked down at a shiny coin lying on the dark pavement as he bent down to retrieve it. Noticing that it was a quarter facing heads up, which was a sign of good luck, he tossed it up and caught it with his right hand in mid air. Yep, my luck is definitely changing…this is a good sign…He thought.

Once back at the room, Starsky started to pack up his things thinking that there was no reason to drive any further. He would have liked to stay one more day, but with the way his luck had been going he figured it would be safer just to head home. Besides, his body was beginning to ache, he felt feverish, he thought that after spending last night out in the cold air, he may just be coming down with something and he wanted to get home, to his own bed before it hit him hard. He felt like he may be catching something, the flu or a cold. It was hard for him to tell, and right know, it was hard for him to really be in touch with what he was feeling, inside or out.

He finished packing and picked up the phone, once again requesting an outside line, he dialed Hutch at home to check in like he had promised.

"Hello?"

"Hey Hutch, s'me." Starsky stated the obvious.

"Hey Buddy, how's it going, you enjoyin' your trip?"

"Well I was, up until about 20 minutes ago…"

"Why? What happened?"

"Nothing, just forget it…listen I am checking in as promised, just like a good little boy, but I wanted you to know that I am gonna head home tonight…I should be home and in bed in time to pick you up tomorrow for work, kay?" Starsky let out a hellacious sneeze as Hutch pulled the phone away from his ear to avoid getting sprayed.

"You sure you okay? Tell me what went down, why you leaving so soon? Sounds like you're getting a cold." Hutch sensed something in his partner's voice, an air of defeat that he rarely heard come from the dark haired man.

"Let's just say, the natives here got restless, I think best thing for me to do is get my butt home, so that is exactly what I'm doin'? He said quickly, "Unless you don't want me comin' home tonight?" He sneezed again.

"Don't be an asshole, of course I want you back here, just want you to drive carefully, I can tell you're tired and it is a long drive. You sure you feel okay? You better not be getting sick, Starsk. Half the damn department was out with the flu." Hutch mothered his partner.

"Yes dear…I'm fine…Don't worry, I got my lucky quarter." He said as he snorted a small laugh and hung up the phone.

He threw his bag into the back seat of his car and checked out with the front desk getting his refund and stating his displeasure with the staff. Starsky notice the unusually dark night, no moon was out to cast some shadows or illumination across the sky. He thought about the four to five hour ride ahead of him in silence. He wished he had brought Hutch with him, at least for the company, it would help him keep his mind off…what's her name…but now it looked that was exactly what he was going to do, spend the next several hours contemplating what went wrong and who's fault it is. He may never know whose fault it was, but he knew who he would always blame…himself.

XXXX

He was about half way in to the drive and had been on the road a little over two hours. He drug his hand down over his face trying to conceal a long drawn out yawn, but from who. Reaching for his console he turned off his police radio and turned up the AM/FM band one. He hit the first button on the radio bringing up his favorite station, The Captain and Tennille were belting out their new song "Love Will Keep Us Together", Starsky paused long enough to listen to the chorus as a stab of pain shot through his heart. He quickly changed stations only to find Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", playing loudly.

"Aw, shit!" He cursed the radio as he tried a third station. "Baby Come Back" by the Players was screaming out loud and clear earning the radio a fiery stare from the brunet. If it was possible of an inanimate object to think and turn against someone, Starsky was sure that his radio had.

He reached up, turning the radio off with such force that he nearly broke the knob. H e blinked his eyes together hard, and then opened them wide, shaking his head trying to clear his mind and wake himself up.

Up ahead on the side of the road he saw a car pulled over and the hood popped open, indicating a stranded motorist. As he got closer he saw a man standing beside the car, hands on his hips. The car was a muscle car like his own, only this one was a Mustang, a red Mustang. The mag wheels shimmered with the reflections of Starsky's head lights as the detective slowed to make sure there hadn't been an accident.

He stopped just short of the scene, revving his engine one final time before turning it off. He figured that he was really in no hurry, not to mention the fact that he was lonely. He wanted to help the guy, and could really use the company.

The owner of the car appeared to be a younger man, late teens. He had reddish brown wavy hair and fair skin. His eyes were crystal blue, clear as the sky, they kind of reminded him of Hutch's pale orbs.

"What seems to be the trouble…?" Starsky asked as he approached the fellow car enthusiast.

"Dunno, she just up an' quit on me…I thought is might be the battery, but I checked the terminals and the connections good…"

"Mind if I take a look?" Starsky asked permission before helping himself.

"Suit yourself." The man said with a wave of his hand.

"M'name's Starsky, Dave Starsky." The brunet held out his hand for the man.

The young kid reached out and shook the brunet's hand firmly, surprising Starsky with his grip. "I'm Kevin Marsh." He introduced himself.

"What happened here?" Starsky asked as he moved around the car to take a peek under the hood.

"Couldn't tell ya', I was driving one second, then my lights grew dim and the car just lost power. That's why I thought it was the battery." He informed the detective.

Starsky bent over, looking at the engine, both hands planted firmly of the fender of the car. Kevin looked around nervously checking for another vehicle to happen along.

"Nice car you got here." Starsky complimented the younger man as he continued to search for the problem.

"Thanks, it was a gift from my father…graduation present."

Starsky looked up at the man, "That's quite a graduation gift." He noted as he returned his attention to the car.

"Yeah, I guess so." Kevin agreed as he continued looking up and down the street.

Starsky noticed the boys peculiar behavior, "Don't worry kid, I ain't gonna hurtcha, I'm just tryin' to help." Figuring that having a stranger stop on a dark road, with few people traveling it at this hour was cause for the boy to be nervous.

Kevin smiled embarrassed that he had been caught. "Sorry, it's just that you hear a lot of stories about things that happen…ya' know what I mean?"

"Believe me, I've heard plenty of horror stories about what can happen to someone on their own out here in the middle of nowhere. But trust me, I ain't the one you need to be worried about. You're probably lucky I stopped." Starsky tried to ease the boy's fears.

The young man just jammed his fists into his pockets as he watched Starsky examine his car. "So what's the verdict?" He asked.

"I think your alternator is shot…" Starsky informed him as he looked up and down the road. "Well I might as well give you a lift, doesn't look like you're gonna get this fixed tonight, but I'm sure there is a town up ahead…I could drop you off there and maybe you can get a mechanic from the gas station to bring you back up here and get her fixed."

Kevin shot the detective a worried glance as Starsky smiled at him. "You don't have to worry about me, I promise, I won't bite…besides who knows, if you wait for someone else to come along, they could just be more dangerous than me!" He joked as he slapped the kid on the back and directed him towards the Torino. "Get in."

The boy smiled as he let his fears subside and he climbed in the passenger side of the detective's car. Starsky started the engine as it literally roared to life. Kevin could feel the power that the Torino held as the seats vibrated.

"Whoa!" He said impressed. "Now this is a sweet car!"

Starsky smiled at the compliment as he dropped it into gear and burned the tires off as he pulled away, giving the boy something to smile about. They obviously shared a deep love for muscle cars. This may not be such a bad trip after all; maybe his luck was beginning to change.

Kevin immediately noticed the CB radio on the dash board. His eyes darted curiously at the curly haired brunet as he reached over and turned it on. At first there was silence over the air waves, but then the familiar crackle of radio traffic rang out. Starsky watched his passengers face as the drama over the radio unfolded.

'Zebra Four, I have a patch through from Mrs. Smith…'

'10-4 dispatch, patch her through…'

'Charlie Ten, what's your 10-20?'

'Dispatch, this is Charlie Ten, we're 10-6 at Fifth and Vine…'

Out of the corner of his eye Starsky watched Kevin as he looked around the car, noticing the Mars light on the dash board, the radio, notepad…He got amusement as he watched the boy try to piece together the puzzle. Finally he decided to put him out of his misery.

"Don't worry, I'm a cop…" Starsky smiled as he kept his eyes on the road ahead of him, "See what I mean, you couldn't be safer."

He heard the air escape Kevin's lungs in what he presumed was relief as the continued down the road, listening to the police activity that was going on in the world around them.

They had been traveling for about twenty minutes as Starsky heard the familiar beeping over the police radio indicating an alert was about to be announced. His attention heightened as he knew that something important was about to be announced. He leaned over and turned it up slightly so he could hear the alert.

"All units, all units…" Millie's familiar voice resonated over the airwaves. "…be on the look out for a young male, late teens early twenties…brown hair…blue eyes…approximately 5' 10"…wearing blue jeans and yellow sweat shirt…last seen traveling south on Sycamore Canyon Road…vehicle description…1973 red Mustang…California plates…378MaryBravoCharlie…suspect is armed and dangerous…"

Starsky's heart jumped into his throat making it difficult to swallow no matter how hard he tried as he realized that his passenger fit the description just given. He laughed to hide his fear as he reached over and flipped of the radio, "You know somethin'? I hate that damn radio; it's a good thing I'm off duty…" He stammered nervously while keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead. "I really don't have to pay much attention to it…matter of fact; I never really do anyway…"

Starsky slowly raised his left hand, moving carefully so he would bring the unwanted attention of the boy sitting next to him. He tried desperately to maneuver his hand inside his jacket, trying to retrieve his gun from its holster. Starsky grunted as he was jabbed roughly in his side, causing him to exhale heavily.

"Don't fucking move a muscle…" The boy spoke like a man now. "Put both hands on the wheel an' keep 'em there."

Starsky slowly turned his head to the side to see his passenger holding what appeared to be a Magnum, similar to Hutch's pointing it directly at Starsky's head.

"Take a right up ahead." Kevin directed the detective as Starsky silently obeyed. They drove in silence, with the exception of the young man's heavy breathing, for at least fifteen minutes. Kevin continued to give instructions as Starsky continued to follow them. They were traveling further into the mountainous area before Starsky got the nerve to speak up.

"Take it easy kid! You really don't wanna do somethin' stupid now do ya'?" Starsky tried to talk some sense into the wanted man.

"Stupid? Stupid!?! Are you calling me stupid?" Kevin shouted, his face turning bright red right before Starsky's eyes. "I should just fucking blow you away right now…pull the car over…" He commanded as Starsky swallowed what was left of his stomach contents. "Now!" He yelled out of control as the brunet obeyed his order.

To Be Continued…