PART 40

"It's snowing." Little Rosie Dobey squealed with excitement as she looked out of the window and saw the tiny white flakes drifting down from the cloudy skies above. "Can I build a snowman?"

Edith Dobey looked down at her small daughter and laughed, as Rosie looked up at her with large expectant eyes. "Perhaps." She smiled a warm and affectionate smile. The love she felt for the little girl was clearly written all over the woman's face, and radiated from glistening hazel eyes. "We'll see how deep it is after dinner."

Rosie Dobey smiled.

"You know, I think this has been the best Christmas ever." The little girl beamed, and as she spoke turned to smile in the direction of Starsky, who was sitting contentedly in the armchair opposite.

He winked at her as she turned to look at him and she giggled.

"I'm glad you're feeling better Uncle Dave." She smiled. "I'm happy you and Uncle Ken decided to spend Christmas with us."

"You know something Rosie," Starsky grinned as he looked deep into the small child's eyes. "So am I."

He took in the sight of the little girl before him. In his eyes little Rosie Dobey would always be like a delicate china doll, small and vulnerable, with a childlike innocence which needed to be preserved and protected, but as he looked at her now it seemed to him as though he were seeing her through altered eyes.

She was six years old now, nearly seven, and every time he saw her she appeared to be a little bit taller, her hair a little longer, and there were a few more spaces in her beautiful smile where she'd already started to lose her baby teeth.

She was growing up so quickly, and Starsky couldn't help but feel grateful for the fact that he was still around to witness it. Despite this however she still hadn't lost that childlike imagination, nor yet ceased to believe in Santa clause, the tooth fairy, and the Easter bunny. She still played with her dolls, and her teddy bears, all be it a little less frequently these days.

The next few years were so precious Starsky realised, they needed to be savoured and cherished, for childhood was brief, and even little Rosie Dobey would not remain a child forever. Both he and Hutch were so very lucky to be able to share in these treasured moments whilst they still lasted.

Rosie frowned as she caught Starsky looking at her for a little longer than was probably necessary, and she observed the strange, distant look in his eyes. He had a faraway look about him, and a wistful smile upon his face. She didn't understand why, but she was perceptible enough to sense that whatever he was thinking about she was probably still too young to understand. That didn't bother her however, and she didn't question why, she was still too young for that not to matter either.

"Rosie, come and help me lay the table." Junior called to his little sister, and the little girl skipped off in the direction of her brother's voice, the snow outside momentarily forgotten with the lure of the delicious smells wafting in from the kitchen.

"Is there going to be desert?" She asked her mother excitedly, as Edith quickly followed behind her young daughter, wanting to supervise her two children. "I want lots of turkey, and sweet potatoes, and corn, and green beans, and macaroni cheese, with pumpkin pie and ice cream afterwards." She listed.

Edith laughed. "If you eat all that we'll be scraping you off the floor afterwards." She smiled. "But there's pecan pie, and cookies, and vanilla ice cream for later." She explained. By the time the young woman made it into the kitchen with her daughter it was to find that her teenage son had already laid the tablecloth and set seven chairs at the table. Huggy too had agreed to join the small group a little later. It was the first time that Captain Dobey had asked the man to join him and his family for Christmas dinner, or any dinner for that matter, but it was the least he could do for him after everything he'd done for Starsky and Hutch over the past few months.

Meanwhile, whilst the attentive mother and her two eager children busied themselves with the Christmas dinner in the kitchen, both Captain Dobey and Hutch bade a hasty retreat to join Starsky in the sitting room. The curly haired brunette had by now finished with his contemplations, and smiled at the sight of his best friend as the blonde haired Detective took the seat nearest his side.

"So," Captain Dobey sighed, turning to Hutch, as he too seated himself in front of the two young men. "How are you really doing?" He asked, addressing the blonde, and Starsky turned to glance in the direction of his best friend.

He frowned. Hutch had been making an effort to get into the spirit of the season but had been uncharacteristically quiet, and looking increasingly tired all day. Now that he'd finally sat down Starsky could see that Captain Dobey was evidently worried about him, which only added to his own concern.

"And I want the truth now." The Captain stated as he looked across at Hutch with one raised eyebrow. "You look tired Hutch." He observed, the young blonde's heavy eyelids obviously having not escaped the Captain's notice either.

"I've still got some way to go." Hutch nodded as he responded to his Captain with a small only half smile. "But better now than I've been in a very long time."

"I'm keeping an eye on him." Starsky affirmed, although he still bore the shadow of a slightly concerned frown as he looked over at Hutch – taking in his fatigued posture as he sank deeply into the soft cushions and closed his eyes for a moment.

Captain Dobey smiled at his two favourite officers. "Perhaps a rest might be in order though, after dinner." He suggested, and both men observed Hutch smile unconsciously as he said this.

Starsky wasn't tired at all, he could have carried on celebrating the festivities for a few more hours yet. His injured body was still recovering however and although not nearly as fragile as it had once been he still had to be very careful about not over exerting himself. He would have to wait until next Christmas it seemed to chase after little Rosie around to house, and play games of hide and seek and twister. Hutch on the other hand, although he didn't say anything, thought that the mention of a rest sounded like a very appealing prospect indeed.

"Dinners ready." Edith's voice summoned the three men from the kitchen with this, and as Hutch got gingerly to his feet and reached over in order to help Starsky up from his seat he paused for a second and sighed, eyes closing in an aggrieved grimace.

"It still hurts doesn't it buddy?" Starsky asked knowingly, and Hutch nodded.

"Yeah Starsk, it still hurts… sometimes."

Starsky held Hutch's gaze for a moment, blue eyes burning into blue, searching his friend's soul for any sign of the pain of the last few months – and to Starsky's regret he still saw the torment within his troubled eyes.

He smiled sadly – it was a smile of attempted comfort, but also one of mutual understanding.

It was unlikely that either of them would ever be able to forget the day of Starsky's shooting, nor that either would ever completely recover from the damage that Gunther's bullets had wrought – but Starsky couldn't lose sight of the distance both he and Hutch had travelled since the events of that day. He was proud of Hutch for the strength he'd mustered and the bravery he'd displayed in continuing to battle with the daemons which even now still evidently plagued him, and for refusing to give up, despite everything he'd been through. Starsky for his own part was also equally grateful to simply be alive.

It was nothing short of miraculous that after everything they'd been through they were both still here, still living, and still fighting for what they believed in. They had both returned to work and to the busy city streets which they both loved. It was still going to take them both a lot longer to come to terms with what had happened than perhaps they'd originally thought, but Starsky was now confident that united in the combined strength of each other they would not only continue to survive in a world which was frequently hostile towards them, but to thrive.

'Thee and me' was so much more than just a saying, it was a pact between two men which marked a friendship strong enough to bridge the boundaries of both time and the distance between them.

So long as one had the other, then neither would ever be alone.