Author's Notes: Chapter modified 07/11/05. Was chapter 6. Sorry for the confusion, thanks for hanging in there!

'The real test of friendship is: can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple?'

-Eugene Kennedy

The sun rose bright and cheerful over Hazzard County the next morning. For the first time in years, Hutch woke to the sound of a rooster crowing. Birds twittered about on the branches outside and occasionally a cow would moo or a horse whinny. Hutch was very tempted to simply lay in the small patch of sun filtering in through the window and let the world pass him by. A gentle breeze was coming into the room, soothing the reddened skin on his bare back. His muscles were sore and stiff from the long ride yesterday, but the pain in his back was noticeably less today. Some of the smaller blisters that neared his sides were almost gone, and the skin didn't feel as tight. Lying here on his stomach, Hutch found he was more relaxed than he had been in days. What he wouldn't give to simply hover in this state of oblivion for the rest of the day…

"Hey Hutch, you awake?"

Well, it couldn't last forever. Hutch did his best impression of a sleeping man and waited.

"Hutch…."

"Hey, wake up."

"Hutch!"

"What?" he groaned, turning his head to face the obnoxious voice of his partner. Hutch squinted into the sunlight and slowly made out the shape of Starsky sitting on the small bed across the room. "You're really awful, you know that?"

"Well it's morning and everyone else is up, plus it's too noisy with all these animals milling around outside and I'm hungry."

Hutch breathed a deep breath of pure Georgia air and pushed himself upright. "Are you ever not hungry?" he teased, catching the shirt that Starsky tossed him.

After escaping the sheriff's attempt at framing the Dukes for a traffic violation, the four men ended their long, three-day journey by arriving at the Duke farm close to midnight. The cousins led the detectives through the house on tip-toe, giving Starsky and Hutch a very brief and hushed tour of the small farmhouse before grabbing some blankets and retreating to the barn for the night.

Falling asleep in someone else's bedroom had always been a little unnerving for Hutch, but the weight of exhaustion pulled him to sleep too quickly last night. Now that his brain was functioning better, Hutch was able to really observe his surroundings. Whatever he had imagined the Duke bedroom to look like, this was exactly it.

The walls were covered in green and blue checkered wallpaper, and heavily adorning the wallpaper was a multitude of racecar pin-ups. Checkered flags criss-crossed each other amongst the posters, held in place by tiny nails. Miscellaneous racing paraphernalia littered every available surface in the small bedroom. These boys lived and breathed cars. There were only a few car posters that included leggy, feminine models, and these seemed almost as if they'd been hung up as an afterthought. Hutch found himself smiling at the naïve innocence of this honest country family. His belief of their innocence was almost firmly cemented in his mind. This bedroom did not fit that of a criminal, even a novice one.

Starsky had been talking as he put his own shirt on, but Hutch only now started to listen. "…mom's growing boy. Personally, I just don't get the point of your little fasts."

"I respect my body, Starsky, that's why I do it," Hutch tried to explain and was overcome with a strong sensation of déjà vu. Hadn't he and Starsky already had this conversation? "And it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to fast either, once in a while…"

The mouth-watering aroma of frying bacon wafted into the room and Hutch quickly abandoned all thoughts of fasting, or healthy food at all. He was starved.

Hutch grabbed the antique metal doorknob and wondered briefly how many years this house had seen. Didn't he hear Luke say this family had been in the moonshine business for 200 years?

In his haste to find food, Starsky practically shoved Hutch against the small hallway as he stampeded towards the kitchen, and Hutch thought maybe this was what a young Nick Starsky felt like on Saturday mornings years ago. He was tempted to snatch the back of Starsky's shirt and yank him backwards, but Hutch was a grown man now, and he would not lower himself to that level of childish- oh screw it, he thought and grabbed Starsky, pushing the brunet behind him as he rounded the kitchen doorway.

"Something sure smells good in-"

That was all the further Hutch got before a leggy, long-haired young woman jumped and spun away from the stove in front of her, bringing with her the heavy, black, cast-iron frying pan she had been holding, and swiftly nailed Hutch on the side of the head. Momentum sent him stumbling over a wooden chair and Hutch fell against the wall, his ears ringing loudly as he was barely aware of his partner placing himself between Hutch and the woman in a yielding, hands-up gesture.

At that moment, out in the barn, Bo and Luke heard the commotion and winced.

"Hey, take it easy!" Starsky ordered, standing over his fallen friend. "We're the good guys!"

Hutch put a hand to his head, hoping to stop the reverberation that coursed through his skull.

An old man rose to his feet and moved beside the woman. "Well who in tarnation are ya?"

"We're friends of Bo and Luke-" Starsky started, but was interrupted when the screen door banged open.

"Daisy, Uncle Jesse, it's okay!" Luke began and Bo cut him off.

"They came back from California with us, they're detectives!"

Daisy dropped the skillet as if it had burned her and Uncle Jesse looked annoyed. "Well why didn't ya say so?" he admonished.

Starsky knelt beside Hutch, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" he questioned, gently trying to pry Hutch's hand from where it was clenched against his skull.

Hutch's vision slowly stopped spinning and the songbirds quit chirping so loudly. "I think so," he murmured, pushing himself into a half-sitting, half-collapsed position against the bright yellow wall. He finally let Starsky pull his hand down. "How bad is it?"

A small smile spread over Starsky. "Well, your brains are still safe inside your head, so I'd say you're good to go."

"Listen mister, I am so sorry… you shouldn't go creepin' up on people like that! I didn't know who you were!"

Hands were on him then and Hutch was deposited in one of the kitchen chairs. A refrigerator door was opened and shut as introductions were made. Daisy, the third Duke cousin, plopped down in the chair next to Hutch and handed him a towel filled with ice cubes.

"Here ya go sugar, hold this to your head while we get ya somethin' to eat."

Hutch did as he was told and soon a plate full of thick bacon, fried eggs, cornmeal mush and homemade buttermilk biscuits was set down heavily on the table before him. Suddenly the pain in his head lessened considerably and his neglected stomach reawakened. He supposed his head wasn't hurt as badly as he thought.

Soon the others were sitting around the table as well and an awkward conversation was taking shape.

"So," Starsky began tentatively, "that's a mean swing you got there."

Was Starsky, the great womanizer of Bay City, actually scared of this female? Hutch snorted softly.

"Well growin' up with these two, ya learn real fast," Daisy smiled, leaning into Bo as she spoke. "Why, they taught me everything I know about stickin' up for myself."

"So this sort of thing happens often?" Starsky asked, picking up a piece of bacon. "I mean, having intruders in your house?"

"It happens more than you'd believe," Uncle Jesse said gruffly from his spot at the head of the table. "But we manage alright."

"What time did you boys get in last night?" Daisy asked.

"And why didn't I hear the General when ya got here?" Uncle Jesse added.

Bo answered, "Well that was the point. We didn't wanna wake you up so we rolled the General up to the house. Me and Luke showed Starsky and Hutch where our room was and we slept out in the barn. Sorry for scaring ya," he added thoughtfully.

Hutch eyed the glistening bacon wearily, one hand still pressing the ice to his head. His stomach rumbled. It did look sorta good… Man, he must be hungrier than he thought.

"So how long you boys in town fer?" Uncle Jesse asked, directing the question to Starsky.

"Just long enough to get my car," Starsky replied.

Hutch looked over to his partner's plate. It was half empty already.

"Your car?" Daisy questioned. "What car?"

"Well your cousins here owe me a car for keeping their tails out of-" Starsky stopped suddenly and looked to Bo and Luke, suddenly afraid that he had said too much.

Uncle Jesse and Daisy turned to Bo and Luke also.

"Boys," Uncle Jesse began warningly, "is there something I need to know?"

"Well now Uncle Jesse, you knew as well as we did that once we crossed the county line we were breaking our probation," Luke said.

"And then there's the diamonds," Bo added.

"Diamonds?" Uncle Jesse echoed. "What diamonds?"

"See, after Starsky and Hutch agreed to trade one of Cooter's old cars for our freedom," Luke began boldly, "They found diamonds hidden in that cookie jar of Boss's. Looks like he had more motive for wantin' us to bring that thing back than we thought," Luke finished gloomily.

Uncle Jesse narrowed his eyes and looked between the four young men. "That true?" he asked.

Starsky nodded. "Yes sir." He patted Hutch on the shoulder as he smiled, "But don't worry, Hutch and I are gonna get to the bottom of this and see to it that whoever's guilty pays the price."

Uncle Jesse held his firm glare a moment longer before smiling. "Well in that case, I'm much obliged to ya for keeping my boys outta jail. I never woulda let 'em leave Hazzard in the first place, if it wasn't for their sick cousin Jeb Stuart." He paused for a moment. "These kids are my life. I don't know what I would do if they were taken away from me."

Starsky smiled and nodded his understanding, and the room felt very dismal for a few seconds.

Hutch looked up from picking at his biscuit, suddenly noticing the lack of conversation. He had missed something, that much was obvious.

"Your boys saved my partner," Starsky spoke up at last. He smiled at Bo and Luke before looking at Daisy and Uncle Jesse. "There was a fire at our motel two nights ago. Bo, Luke and I were getting people outside while Hutch went into the room to get our stuff. When we saw him, his whole back was on fire. Luke pushed him in the pool before I could hardly move."

Luke blushed into his plate while Daisy broke out in a huge grin. "Why Luke, you're a hero!" In the next instant, she turned to Hutch. "You poor thing, you were on fire?"

Hutch looked up from his breakfast. "What? Oh, yeah, it's nothing really-"

"Nothing?" Starsky questioned, and Hutch felt irritated at his partner for not allowing him any dignity, "You couldn't even wear a shirt for the better part of yesterday! It looks awful!"

"Well how 'bout I take a look at it after breakfast, while the boys take care of the chores? I've been tending bumps and bruises ever since I can remember. It's the least I can do after hittin' ya like that."

Hutch froze as Daisy smiled warmly.

"Yeah, Starsky, you wouldn't mind helping us out, would ya? Then as soon as we're done, we can go see 'ol Cooter."

"Uh…" Starsky fumbled, and Hutch's ego swelled. "Sure, I'd love to help."

Liar.

Hutch smiled brightly and turned to his partner. "It's okay, I'll be fine," he purred, resting a hand on Starsky's shoulder and giving it a competitive squeeze. "You go. Have fun."

Hutch had to fight very hard to keep from laughing at the jealous look on Starsky's face. "All right, you win," Starsky conceded, his voice low. "You better get those burns looked after. I don't want to hear you complaining the whole way back to Bay City."

Daisy rose to her feet and began clearing the empty dishes as Uncles Jesse pushed away from the table. "It's settled then. Oh, and boys," he said, standing stiffly and reached up, grabbing a glass bottle off the top of the refrigerator, "Maudine needs this liniment rubbed on her. Old girl's getting as rickety as I am."

Bo and Luke rose from the table. "Sure thing, Uncle Jesse," Luke said, taking the bottle.

Starsky was on his feet too, glaring down at Hutch like a child who had not gotten his way. "I'm off to do manly chores," he murmured, trying to get a rise out of Hutch. "You take it easy, sugar."

Hutch smiled and leaned back in his chair, then jerked forwards again when pain flared in his back. "Get on out there, farm boy. Them chickens ain't gonna feed themselves."

Starsky's smile faded as Daisy grabbed Hutch's hand and gently tugged him to his feet. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't their be two female Dukes?

With a small sigh, Starsky followed Bo and Luke outside, trying to ignore the way Daisy was giggling at whatever Hutch had said to her. He stepped through the rickety screen door and down into the dirt, feeling the morning sun already shining brightly upon the small farm. The air seemed to be cleaner here in Georgia, unpolluted by traffic and humans the way Bay City was. It was one of those things you didn't notice until you had something to compare it to. Starsky was a little surprised to find that he rather liked the sweet smell of honeysuckle in the air.

As they walked towards the barn, Starsky took in his surroundings. The screened-in porch caught the morning sun and Starsky raised a hand to his face to shield his eyes from the bright light. A large, weather-worn barn sat roughly fifty feet away, and the sounds of many different animals could be heard from within. The General Lee glistened in the sun where it was parked next to the house. An old, beat-up white pickup sat next to it, and beside the truck sat a white Jeep. Those must be Daisy and Jesse's vehicles. A little further away, a large green tractor was parked under a dense shade tree.

More than what was there, Starsky noticed what wasn't present. Noise. Traffic. Trash. People.

Land stretched on for miles around, dotted with both deciduous and evergreen trees. Wildflowers bloomed tall and fragrant. Birds soared soundlessly overhead instead of airplanes. The country tranquility was a new experience for Starsky, and one that he might be able to get used to.

"Here ya go," Luke said, suddenly breaking into Starsky's reflections. A metal bucket was shoved into his chest and Starsky brought his arms up to hold it.

"What's this?" he asked, looking into the bucket. It was filled with some sort of yellow grain- cracked corn?

"It's chicken feed," Luke replied. "Just throw it on the ground, but spread it out so they all get some. Me and Bo will be in the barn when you're done."

Starsky stuck his hand in the bucket as Luke walked away. He scooped up a handful of the corn and let it fall through his fingers and back into the bucket, examining the dusty substance.

"Cluck?"

Starsky looked up, and felt his breath leave him.

A swarm of chickens surrounded him. They were everywhere, darting and bobbing about as they completely covered the ground at his feet. They were quietly clucking amongst themselves as they moved and the constant noise reminded Starsky of a flock of pigeons back home. Except these birds were bigger, and had masks of red. One brave, white chicken moved forward, it's head and red comb bobbing and it's black eyes unblinking, then it reached out and pecked at the shoestring on Starsky's left shoe.

"Hey!" Starsky exclaimed, jumping back and causing a few of the birds to scatter out of the way with clucks of protest. "Back off, bird," Starsky growled, and threw a handful of food at the group.

The entire herd of chickens dived for the food, like a star imploding. Feathers flapped and beaks snapped as the corn was plucked from the dirt with amazing precision and speed. Within seconds, the food was devoured and the group expanded again.

Somewhat amazed, Starsky grabbed another handful of the corn and raised his hand.

The group fell silent and every single eye was on him.

Starsky tossed the food again, this time letting it disperse as he swung his arm. The birds dived for the food, but this time not as violently.

Starsky chuckled as the birds looked to him for more. "You know, I could get used to this," he said, both to himself and the to birds as he threw more corn.

"So which one of you is regular and who's extra crispy?"