Feedback: Just 'Do it'!

Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing. I do feel like they own me, at times. But if I did own them (grin) I know how I'd use them...Oh, I can dream can't I?

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone for the reviews. It is much appreciated. Things over the next few chapters are going to get much more serious. It will be dealing with assault, but not too graphically. I am having a great time writing this one. Thanks to everyone reading it!

Chapter Seven

Hutch opened his eyes, his vision blurred. It was dark and cool. It took a minute for him to recall how he had gotten there. He sat up slowly, the pain in his head was blinding. Raising one hand to the back of his skull, he could feel the pronounced lump that was obviously the cause of his headache. He felt for his gun but found his holster empty. Patting the back pocket of his jeans, he noticed his I.D. and badge were gone too.

Hutch was trying to clear the cobwebs. Slowly rising from the ground, still wobbly, he leaned against the wall behind him. Where was Starsky? Did he make it out okay? Was he looking for me? Where am I? Who are these guys? Oh, what he wouldn't do for some answers.

He knew these guys now knew he was a cop. That could work for him or against him, depending on what these guys were after. He took a couple of deep breaths. His ribs hurt, they felt bruised, he put one arm around his ribcage. He heard the knob of the door turn and click. Slowly the door creaked open; and two dark silhouettes entered the room…

XXXX

The very large assailant had Jenny by the collar and was pulling her closer to him. Starsky started to stand in protest, but he was pushed back to the ground by a second man. The second man was the one he'd met in the lobby, the one that had so kindly invited him to join this party.

"You think you're scared now?" The larger man said to Jenny, grabbing her by the back of her neck and pulling her face close to his. "Just you wait sweetheart!"

She trembled and cried. "Please, don't." She begged him as he tightened his grip, she squealed in pain.

"Leave her alone!" Starsky said loud and slow. Looking the man deep in the eyes, letting him know he was serious. "Let her go."

The second man grabbed a fistful of Starsky's dark hair, yanking his head back. "If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut." He said throwing his head forward. He then looked at Jenny in his accomplice's arms, moving towards her. "She's a pretty little thing, don't ya' think, Carlos?"

"Yeah, I was thinkin' the same thing, Jace." Carlos said as he grabbed a handful of her hair, smelling it creepily.

"Either one of you hurt her, and you'll answer to me." Starsky tried to sound threatening, but in his current situation, he failed miserably. Both Carlos and Jace laughed.

A third man approached them, chastising the two with Jenny. "There's no time for that now! Get back to the front, we have to figure out how we're gonna get out of this." They both looked each other, then at the new thug speaking.

"We're not through with you, honey!" Jace said as he grabbed her and roughly kissed her. She tried to pull away, pushing against his shoulders as hard as she could. Unfortunately, he was considerably stronger than she was. Her cries of protest were muffled by his mouth on hers. Starsky clenched his teeth together and tried again to rise off the floor, this time he had two adversaries holding him back.

"You son of a bitch!" Starsky cursed.

"Leave her alone!" Heidi screamed, finally finding her voice. She kicked the attacker as hard as she could across both shins. Letting out a shout of pain, he immediately released Jenny, shoving her to the ground next to Starsky. He bent over grasping his shin and looked directly at Heidi. Jace raised his arm, preparing to backhand her across the face.

"No!" Starsky shouted, just as a hand grabbed Jace by the wrist stopping him from striking her.

"Later Jace, get back to the front like I told you!" The third man ordered.

Jace looked at Heidi. "This ain't over!" He whispered menacingly. He rose and moved with the other two back to the front of the room with the other gunmen. They were huddled near the auctioneer's podium.

Starsky could see Jenny on the ground curled up in a ball with her hands over her head. He looked over at Heidi who was sitting with her back against the wall. She looked scared, but she was okay. Starsky was glad to see that. She was strong. He also took a quick look at Rebecca, she was silent, possibly out of fear, but she was fine. He moved closer to Jenny and put one hand firmly on her back. He could feel her body tense with his touch; he wasn't sure if he should keep his hand there or remove it. He left it, speaking gently, he leaned over her.

"Hey, you okay?"

She sobbed. He moved his hand up and down her back as he spoke.

"It's alright, they're gone. They won't hurt you."

Heidi moved closer to her. Starsky could see she was trembling, but she wasn't thinking about herself at that moment, she was thinking about her younger cousin.

"Jen, it's me. I'm here, honey." Jenny reached up with both arms and embraced Heidi. She started crying loudly; Heidi held her firmly rocking her back and forth as she whispered reassuring comments in her ear. She looked over Jenny's shoulder at Starsky; he saw the tear roll down Heidi's cheek. He reached up and wiped it away, giving her a nod and a wink. Letting her know she did a great job!

XXXX

The seven armed men were standing together, discussing the current situation. Their conversation was getting heated and loud. The man that appeared to be somewhat in charge of this operation was Mike. He was not the biggest, but probably the smartest of the bunch. On the right wall of the room there was floor to ceiling windows, landscaping the beautiful scenery that was San Diego. Mike could see emergency vehicle after emergency vehicle drive by. Some black and whites stopping in plain view of the window. Mike ordered Carlos to close the massive blinds along that entire wall.

They group was starting to panic, what was supposed to be a quick in and out heist, has now turned into a major hostage situation. How did the police respond so quickly? They had only been in there a few minutes.

"We can still get outta this." Mike assured his team. "All we have to do is stay calm and think this through. We have plenty of bodies in here. Those cops don't want to be responsible for killin' all these people."

"I don' want no part a' killin' no one." One of the more studious men stated.

"You don't have a choice, Moose. We've already killed those guards, you idiot! You're a part of anything that happens, got that?" Mike stated. "If we have to kill a few more people to ensure our lives, so be it!"

Another man walked into the room carrying a cordless phone. "It's them." He said handing the phone to Mike.

He listened to the voice on the other end. "Here's the deal. We want a free ticket outta here. Police escort to the Mexican border. We need three vans with full tanks of gas."

There was a pause while he listened.

"I don't care!" He shouted. "Don't try anything funny, we're taking hostages with us. Once we're safely across the border, they'll be released. You have three hours." He hung up the phone while the negotiator was still trying to speak.

XXXX

Starsky counted the man that brought in the phone. Ten. Starsky scooted next to Rebecca. "How you holding up?" He asked, noting that she had been unusually quiet through this whole ordeal.

"I'm fine." She said looking at him. They were sitting side by side with their backs against the wall.

"So, we still on for tonight?" He asked flashing a crooked smile at her.

"Well, I guess that depends."

"On what?"

"Whether or not you'll still be up to it after this." She stated. He put his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, I'll be up to it, alright. After this, I'll definitely be up to it!" She laid her head on his broad shoulder.

"Hey, what ever happened to your friend?" She asked.

"I wish I knew." He replied, thinking about where Hutch could possibly be. "Last I saw, he was fighting with these two guys in the restaurant."

"What two guys?"

He looked around the room. "I don't know. I haven't seen them yet, but when I do…" He allowed his thought to trail off.

Starsky looked over at Heidi, who was still holding Jenny. He silently mouthed 'She okay?'

Heidi nodded. Starsky sighed deeply, laying his head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. He just remembered the other three men in the elevator last night. Eleven, twelve, thirteen. How many more were there?

Heidi and Jenny were shuffling their way closer to Starsky and Rebecca. They too, sat against the wall. Jenny sat next to Starsky with Heidi on the other side of her.

He looked over at her. "You doin' okay, kiddo?" He asked. She looked at him and nodded nervously, not saying a word. He winked.

Starsky watched as the eight men at the front of the room split up, fanning out throughout the ballroom. Some going to look through the blinds on the right side of the room, others heading to the left where the kitchen doors were, and good ol' Carlos, Jace and Moose headed for the back of the room where Starsky and the ladies were. He felt Jenny begin to tense up and start shaking again. She let out a whimper.

"It's alright." He said as he placed his right hand on her knee.

Jace walked directly up to Heidi, who was doing her best to stare him down, and knelt in front of her. Starsky watched, holding his breath. He was in no position to help her, and he knew that. He was doing his best to control his temper, but his anger was simmering. He felt Jenny grab his upper arm and squeeze.

"So bitch, you think you're tough?" Jace said, reaching up and grabbing Heidi's chin in his strong hand. She jerked her head away.

"Don't touch me!" She said defiantly. He swung his hand, slapping her across the face. She didn't make a noise; she snapped her head back staring him directly in his eyes, not wavering. Starsky closed his eyes and lowered his head. He heard Jenny gasp, her grip on his arm tightening.

"Heidi, don't." Starsky begged quietly. He didn't know how much longer he could control his own temper; it was no longer simmering; now it had started to bubble.

Keeping his eyes on Heidi, Jace grabbed Jenny by the wrist, pulling her away from Starsky. Starsky reached out, trying to pull her back. Moose placed his huge hand on Starsky's shoulder pinning him to the wall.

"Let go of her!" Heidi yelled, her voice now cracking. Jenny was pulled to her feet.

"Please, don't hurt me!" Jenny begged. She was breathing quickly, her voice shaking.

"Don't do this, Jace." Starsky warned. "Leave her alone." The intensity of the bubbling grew. He could feel his face flush.

Carlos again grabbed Jenny by the hair, this time pulling her into him. Jace let her go, looking back at Heidi.

"There's more than one way to hurt you!" He pointed out, as he and Carlos started walking away, taking Jenny with them.

Moose released Starsky's shoulder and started following the other two men. "Noooo!" Heidi exclaimed.

Boiling now! Starsky jumped up and lunged at the evil perpetrators. He hit Carlos around the waist taking him to the ground. He started punching the guy, not even thinking of the damage he was inflicting.

Moose and Jace both had a hold of Jenny, Starsky never saw it coming. He felt the heavy blow to the back of his head, as he turned he saw Rebecca, holding a pistol, as everything faded to black…Fourteen.

To Be Continued

Chapter Eight

"Starsk? Hey Starsk?" He thought he was dreaming. He heard Hutch's voice calling him. Starsky blinked, it was hard to open his eyes. Blinking was painful. "Hey buddy, you okay?" He had to be dreaming…He tried to move, his head hurt, his hands bound behind his back. He turned his head to see what bound his hands. They were his own cuffs. He could tell his gun was gone as well. Terrific. He thought to himself. He was laying on his right side. He remembered seeing Rebecca with a gun. Did he see that? Was that part of his dream, like Hutch had been?

He sat up, propping himself against the wall behind him, the room was spinning, he felt nauseous. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out. He could taste blood in his mouth when he swallowed. He could tell his lip was fat without looking at it. Someone had taken their punches while he was out. Carlos. He thought. He coughed sending a sharp pain to his head.

"You alright?" Starsky heard Heidi's voice. Blinking hard, trying to clear his vision, he looked to his left. He felt her touching his temple as he winced in pain.

"What happened?" He asked, struggling to swallow. Things started to come back to him. Her face finally came into focus. Her eyes were puffy and red. She'd been crying, a lot. "Jenny. Is she okay?" Heidi's eyes darted off to her left as she started crying again.

"Dave, they…they…" She couldn't finish the sentence; she couldn't bring herself to say it. Starsky's eyes followed hers. He saw Jenny, sitting on the floor in the corner. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms around her legs. She was rocking herself, staring at the wall.

"She hasn't said a word since they brought her back. She hasn't even cried. Dave they really hurt her. Why'd they do that?" Heidi sobbed staring at her cousin.

The huge lump in Starsky's throat returned, he found it nearly impossible to swallow it. From where he was sitting, he could see her tattered and torn clothes. Her face and arms housed multiple bruises.

"Oh, my God!" He gasped, the nausea returning.

"I don't know what to do!" Heidi continued. "She won't let me help her. I can't even touch her without her screaming."

"Heidi, go sit with her, don't leave her alone! Don't touch her, don't try and force her to talk to you. Just be there with her! Got that?" Starsky instructed her, recalling their victim sensitivity classes they were required to take. "Go!" As she was getting up to leave, Starsky asked. "Where's Rebecca?" He scanned the room, finding her nowhere in site. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

"You don't remember?" Heidi questioned as Starsky shook his head.

"I'm not sure." He responded.

"She's one of them, Dave! She knocked you out when you were fighting with Carlos."

Damn! It wasn't a dream, he thought. He laid his head against the wall, sighing heavily. Help us Hutch. Heidi put one hand on Starsky's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She then returned to her cousin's side.

XXXX

Hutch now had an ice pack pressed against the back of his head. He was in one of the large suites of the hotel on the top floor. Nearest to his recollection, he and two of the dark suits had taken a freight elevator from the bottom to the top floor.

He was sitting in a huge padded chair. There were ten to twelve men, all dressed in charcoal suits, surrounding him. One of them handed Hutch a bottle of water, which he gratefully accepted. Another man was handing him back his weapon and badge. Special Agent Bernstein introduced himself as the agent in charge of this operation.

"Let me get his straight, you guys knew this was gonna happen, and did nothing to stop it?!" Hutch said angrily.

"Detective Hutchinson, we understand your frustration…." Bernstein started, but Hutch cut him off.

"Frustration? Frustration? Thanks to you idiots, my partner and at least a hundred other innocent people's lives are in danger. That hardly qualifies as frustration!" He snapped.

Bernstein tried to explain. "We were simply tipped off. We knew something may go down here. We had no idea of what, when, or who was involved. Our agency determined it was best to place our men on the inside, to see if we could stop whatever was about to happen. Unfortunately, we failed."

"Ya' think?...Exactly which agency would that be again?" Hutch asked.

"We're FBI, with a few members of our HRT joining us just in case."

"What's HRT?" He questioned.

"Hostage Rescue Team. It's a special unit of the FBI." Bernstein explained, clearly not satisfying the blond detective.

"FBI? Federal Bureau of Idiocy?" He couldn't help himself. "So what's our next move?"

"Our?" Bernstein questioned, obviously not amused with Hutch's interpretation of FBI. He already knew that it was unlikely this detective was going to sit this one out. At least if he included him, he could keep an eye on him.

XXXX

Starsky had managed to scoot his way back to Heidi and Jenny. The flight attendant was still very concerned about her young charge. Starsky inched closer to Jenny, being careful not to invade her space. Something they had learned in their sensitivity classes. They needed to be there for her, without forcing her to relive or discuss what had happened, until she was ready to.

Jenny was still rocking herself back and forth, with her chin on her knees. Heidi looked at Starsky, her eyes begging him to fix it. To fix Jenny. This was something he couldn't fix, and he knew that.

"Jenny," he said gently. She continued to stare straight ahead. "Honey, I know they hurt you." He paused. "I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything." It was hard for him to speak. "I need to know if you're okay. Please Jenny, answer me." He spoke with such concern and tenderness, Heidi started to cry.

"Jen, talk to Dave, please." Heidi begged her. "He just wants to help us."

Help? Starsky thought to himself. Help? Like he helped her earlier? No! It was too late to help! Now, he just wanted to make sure she could get through this. There was nothing else he could do! Damn, he felt so useless!

He looked at Jenny. "Come on sweetie, let me know you're still with us." He whispered.

Taking a deep breath, closing his eyes tightly, he tried to get the images of those bastards hurting her, out of his mind. Just thinking about what she must have gone through, how terrified she must have been, made him ill.

He opened his eyes, now Jenny was staring directly at him. She wasn't crying out loud, but tears fell freely down her cheeks. Starsky could literally feel his heart break. He wanted so badly to hold her; he pulled at the cuffs on his wrists.

She fell over laying her head in Heidi's lap. Now she was sobbing loudly. Heidi placed her left hand over her own mouth as she gasped, and stroked Jenny's hair with her right. She looked back up at Starsky, who was tearing up at the sight of Jenny in her cousin's lap. One single tear rolled down his cheek. Heidi leaned over and wiped it away. She gave him a nod and a wink. Letting him know he did a great job!

XXXX

Back upstairs, Hutch was with the 'dark-suits' trying to come up with a plan. They couldn't bust their way in, too many possible casualties. Sitting around and waiting for something to happen was not Hutch's idea of a good option. They had been in touch with SWAT, who told them of the terrorists' demands.

What he really wanted was to get word to Starsky; let him know he was okay. He wanted to know if Starsk, Heidi and Jenny were holding up alright. If they needed anything. If only he knew. It was probably a good thing that he didn't know what had happened to Jenny. At least not now, he had to concentrate on getting them out alive.

The agents had everything at their disposal. All the latest high tech gadgets, top of the line surveillance equipment. All of it worthless right now, at least as far as Hutch was concerned.

They knew that the terrorists had people stationed at all exits, and at all elevators on the bottom floor. They were trapped themselves on the upper floors of the hotel.

Two of the dark-suits were getting wired up. They were preparing to take the elevators down to the lobby, intending to get caught, and to join the group in the ballroom. If they could get a better look from the inside, they could form a comprehensive rescue attempt.

The word attempt made Hutch nervous. He wanted to be on the inside, he wanted go on that elevator ride with them, but he figured it would be best to wait for awhile. They still had an hour and a half before the terrorists were expecting the vans. If necessary he'd infiltrate the ballroom later. He did specifically ask the agents to seek out and check on his partner and their friends. They agreed to do the best they could.

XXXX

"Thank you." Heidi said.

"Thanks for what?" Starsky asked.

"You got through to her. When I couldn't, you did. Thank you." The sound of her quivering voice bothered Starsky. She was being extremely brave, but he didn't know how long she could keep it up. Jenny was still lying with her head in Heidi's lap, her eyes closed. Starsky was sitting next to her, he wasn't sure if she was shutting the world out, or she had fallen asleep. Either way, she was settled for the moment.

"You know, she's gonna need a lot of help to get through this, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know. God, Dave…" She started; her voice cracking. She stopped; she couldn't break down now, not yet. She let out a big sigh, even her breath was shaky. He wanted to put his arm around her, to hold her, to give her support. Damn, these cuffs.

She must have known how he felt, because she laid her head on his shoulder. Drawing from him, the strength to control her emotions, at least for the moment.

Jenny jerked violently, screaming out loud. "Nooooo!"

To Be Continued