Hi All,

Thanks for reading and for the reviews… (blush) I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

The Usual Suspects: As always - THANK YOU!

Chapter 12

Colby looked down from his treetop perch. It was too dark to see anything down there. But he was sure he wasn't alone. He heard the occasional sounds issuing up from the darkness far below. He would have to spend the night right where he was. It was too risky otherwise. It was his own damned fault. How could he… HE… have been so damned dumb? He had nearly been caught.

He turned his gaze to the heavens above and noticed a swarm of fireflies off to the south of him. Having nothing better to do, he watched them for a while. It slowly dawned on him that it was not fireflies in the distance, but a fire, far away, but there. The night air was still and rather cool, a nice change after the hot day. From his vantage point he could see for miles. That fire was far too distant to be of concern to him. He shifted on the narrow branch. It creaked in warning. He held still and the creaking stopped. He cursed his stupidity once again, a true rarity in his life, admitting he was the one at fault for anything.

He had been so intent on finding Hutch that he had nearly gotten himself killed. He had spotted a mop of blond hair and he snuck up on Hutch. Only it wasn't Hutch he found. But a blond bear cub. He had started to back cautiously away when the sow bear made her appearance. He had shot at her as she charged. He wasn't at all sure he had hit her as he had been firing Hutch's Magnum over his shoulder as he ran. He had backed her off enough and that had given him - barely - enough time to climb this tree. But he had lost his backpack in his mad dash to escape the bear. She had reared up on her hinds and clawed the tree, breaking off some smaller lower limbs.

He shinnied up the tree as far as he could get and stayed there. He didn't have a choice. All he had now was an empty gun and the clothes on his back. He had dropped his backpack in his haste to get away from the bear. He had listened to her tear into it hours ago. Occasionally, the tree would shake hard, letting him know she was still around and still angry with him. Though it had been a while since the last time she had done that. There was nothing he could do but wait for the bear to leave so he could get down and back to the business of finding Hutch.

He settled in for an uncomfortable night on a thin branch, high in that tree, with nothing to do but watch the distant fire burn.

XXXX

Starsky blinked at his now sleeping partner. Blind? Nah, he couldn't be. Hutch was running a fever and confused when he had said that. It was dark in the little cave. That must be why Hutch thought he was blind. To prevent detection, the brunet had to keep the flashlight off as much as possible and that could also be adding to his friend's confusion. He nodded to himself, that had to be it.

His memories of Vietnam were coming back to him. Memories he had tried very hard to forget over the years. The circumstances surrounding Jake's death where so similar to the ones now with Hutch… an injured friend, the hiding, the hidden enemy… the memories were coming back to him in frightening waves, each one breaking higher on the shore then the last one.

He stared into the darkness of the cave, just beyond small circle of light that the flashlight gave off. The ending of this ordeal would be different from Jake's. The brunet fisted his hand. Hutch was ill, but he would live. Starsky pounded his fist into his thigh. Hutch would live.

The tired detective bit his lip. The Baron would have told someone, maybe Dobey, or Huggy now knew where to look for them. They would just have to sit tight until the rescue party came for them. It shouldn't take them long. Hell, they should have seen the rescue party by now. What was holding them up?

Hutch gave a low moan and shifted next to him.

Starsky pulled the blanket down to the blond's waist and continued to put cool cloths on the overly warm brow. A damn raccoon had gotten by his traps and alarms. That wasn't good. But then again, it was a fairly small animal. His traps were meant for humans, not animals the size of a raccoon. He leaned back, resting against the remaining backpack. He knew he would not be getting much, if any, sleep tonight.

He turned out the small flashlight again. Darkness descended around him. It was tempting to leave a light on, it would make caring for Hutch easier, but with no way to completely block the light from escaping the cave, it would be far too easy for Colby to see it. He couldn't take that chance and he didn't want to use up the batteries, just in case he needed them later.

XXXX

Fullerton Airport Fire, 2 a.m.

Craig Johnston, the Incident Commander or IC was, watched the fire that he was now in charge of. Now that it was night and cooler, the fire had dampened down a bit, the rate of burn decreasing. It was still burning the acres up though. He sat on a soot-blackened fender of the truck as he tried to figure out what was bothering him. They seemed to be gaining the upper hand on the fire, but his gut was telling him otherwise.

He watched as the wind, when it gusted was erratic, sending sparks and cinders in odd patterns. Igniting spot fires all around, but they were gaining ground. They had lost a few homes and the airport was gone. The crew of twenty hotshots had been increased to eighty, with more on reserve, if they needed them.

Craig had been on the fire line for many years before making IC. He had been on loads of fires over the last fifteen years. This fire seemed to be like a hundred others he had seen. But he knew better than to think of any fire as 'normal' or 'typical' that kind of thinking got people hurt or killed.

He drummed his fingers on his knee. Something just wasn't right. He shook his head and started back to his crew. Perhaps he would be able to figure it out later. In the morning he would have a copter fly him around to check out the fire scene to get a better overall picture. He climbed back into his truck and headed back down from his vantage point to confer with some of his people.

XXXX

Starsky yawned. The night was passing into morning rather quickly. Hutch asked for water a few times and he gave it to him, but Starsky was pretty sure that his friend wasn't completely awake at those times. He had tried to ask Hutch a few questions and got some mumbled answers. He shook his head; the answers would have to wait until his friend was a little more awake to answer them.

Hutch had been cooling down a bit and slept more peacefully as the night wore on. Starsky rolled his neck, which had a massive crick in it. He was one big knot. His legs in particular hurt, as they were not at all used to the activity level that he had been forcing upon them. He rolled his neck again; he would just about kill for an aspirin… He whacked his head with the palm of his hand; the Baron must have packed some of those in the little first aid kit.

He picked up the kit and then put it back down. If there were some aspirin in there, he had better save it for Hutch. 'I could use a drink of water though', he thought and swished the canteen around, it was almost empty, he would have to go outside and get a refill from the stream, before it got too bright out.

He eased away from his sleeping friend and cautiously exited the cave; all his senses were on high alert. Dawn was breaking to the east and it was getting lighter out. A light whiff of smoke in the air made him freeze in his tracks. He again sniffed the breeze and the smoke smell was gone. He warily continued to the stream to fill the canteen, ever on the alert for Colby.

XXXX

Dawn was breaking when Colby started down the tree. He stopped every few feet just to make sure that the sow bear was truly gone, he had seen nothing of her so far. In the dim light of dawn, he could see the shredded remnants of his backpack lying in bits and pieces around the base of his tree. He spotted a box of shells and hoped it was the shells for the Magnum.

He waited for fifteen minutes before jumping out of the tree to land next to the box, which he snatched off of the ground. It was a box of shells for the Magnum. Colby smiled and loaded the gun, all the while keeping a sharp look out for the bear. When he finished, he grabbed up a few of the scattered supplies and headed back towards the little stream.

Obviously he had gone the wrong direction when he went looking for Hutch. He would go up stream this time. There was no other explanation for how the blond had gotten so far ahead of him then that he had gone up stream, instead of down stream. Colby shook his head. Being blind, the blond should have headed down stream in hopes of finding a river, which would lead him back to civilization. Hutch was a smart one; John had known that since the day they had met. Not that Starsky was a slouch when it came to brains, but he wasn't here, so it didn't matter.

He kept a watchful eye out for the bear as he trotted through the forest; he took no notice of the smell of wood smoke in the air as he made for the little stream, he was too intent on finding his quarry.

XXXX

Hutch woke up and blinked. He opened his eyes as wide as he could and then closed them. It was still dark or, he was still blind. Hoping that it might still be nighttime, he listened carefully and heard the sound of a songbird and knew that he was still blind. He clenched his fists and fought off a wave of panic. As he gave the matter some thought, his panic subsided. He vaguely remembered Starsky showing up at some point.

He sighed and opened his eyelids again, but at least Starsky was here now. He wasn't alone any more. Hutch listened for movement or breathing, upon hearing nothing, he whispered "Starsk?"

He waited for an answer and got none. He sat up and the world spun wildly for a moment before settling back to its normal speed of rotation. He felt better, but that was a relative statement. His whole body ached. But he didn't feel as hot and ill as he had before.

"Starsk? Hey buddy, where are you?" He whispered as he patted the ground around him, but he could not find his friend. Perhaps he had dreamed that Starsky had come for him. He felt around and found two backpacks. He checked his arm –which didn't hurt nearly as much as it had before - and found that the stick was gone. So, Starsky had been there. But where was he now?

A thought shot through his head like lightning… Colby! What if Colby had gotten him? Could that be why Starsky didn't respond? Hutch made his way to the cave entrance and pushed through it. Thoughts churning in his head as he eased passed the bush and stopped. He had forgotten his stick, his heart pounded in his chest as he realized anew just how helpless he was. He was lost without his stick. He beat the frustration back. He would get his stick and then find Starsky.

Sweat popped out on his forehead and beaded on his upper lip, reminding him that he was not in peak condition. His right arm burned with each movement, so he kept it tucked close to him as he worked his way further outside after getting his stick. He swept it back and forth, checking his route. His memory of the lay out of the immediate area was vague at best. He knew there was a shale patch that led to the steam. But that was an open area… if Colby was there, he was aware that he could be easily seen. So he couldn't go that way.

He made his way to the edge of the shale and into the brush beside it and that's when something grabbed him around the legs and pulled. It happened so quickly that he didn't even have time to yell.

XXXX

Starsky took extra care as he headed back to the little cave; he thought e had heard a sound a few minutes ago. He decided that he would let his friend recuperate as much as he could during the day and tonight they would head for to the meadow where the Baron had dropped him off. It would be a hike, but Hutch should be able to make it, provided he continued to improve as he had been. By traveling at night, it would make it much more difficult for Colby to find them as well.

He headed into the little cave and stopped immediately. Hutch wasn't in there. Fear wadded up in his throat, creating a stricture so tight it was nearly impossible to breathe. "Hutch?" he hissed. Hoping against hope he would hear his friend reply. When Hutch didn't, Starsky almost panicked. Hutch had been sleeping. His temperature had been down for several hours, but what if he was wrong about that? He did not have a thermometer; he had had to go by touch and gauging how easily his friend had slept. What if Hutch was delirious? Where would he go? God help Colby if he had found Hutch before he did.

The brunet checked his Beretta and headed back out of the cave in stealth mode.

XXXX

10 a.m., Hopeful Farm, just outside Fullerton

Carol Winters looked out at her little ranch, knowing it was the last time she would see it in this condition. The smoke was rolling in a head of the fire. The sheriff had told her she had just five minutes to grab what she could and get out. He told her she would get no other warning. He was right and she would go, even though it hurt like hell. Smoke burned her eyes and made her blink rapidly, causing her to tear up. At least that's what she told herself.

She heaved a sigh and then hollered for her daughter "Jenel! Hurry up! We have to leave NOW!" When her daughter didn't reply, she ran to the barn and went in. "Jenel!"

"Here mom!"

Carol ran to the back door of the horse barn. She exited and saw her ten-year-old hugging Paco, the little BLM rescue burro. Tears were streaming down Jenel's face. Carol swallowed a lump in her throat. "It's time honey, let him go"

"Can't we take him? Mom… please! He won't be able to keep up with the other horses if… if" The young girl couldn't continue, she hugged the gray burro instead, burying her face in his shaggy coat.

The little burro took it in stride. His large ears rapidly tilting this way and that, but that was the only sign of concern he showed, though he had to be able to sense his owners distress. But nothing bad ever happened around humans. They kept him safe and fed him.

"Jenel, we've been over this. We can't take Paco, unless you want me to unload Missy or Clair…"

"You CAN'T! Clair's just a baby… she can't be without her mom!" Small hands clenched in the burro's stiff mane.

"And I can't leave Missy… she needs her baby… and she's not that young anymore…" Carol didn't finish, she just gabbed her shaking daughter around her shoulders gently pulled her away from the burro. "Look, Paco was born in the wild. He will know what to do. He can help the other horses to find safety" she pulled her child away from the burro and towards the waiting pickup and horse trailer. "It's time to go. Did you close all of the gates and doors?"

"Yes mom. Why did you have me do that, though?" Jenel looked back at the burro that looked back at her, his ears still waggling.

"So the horses can't run back into the barn, if it catches fire." Carol put her hand firmly in the middle of her reluctant child's back and pushed her towards the truck.

"Why would they do that?"

"Because the barn is the safest place in the world to a horse, they are protected there. There are no predators there, they get fed and brushed there, they are out of the weather there" one of the animals in question trotted by them, confused by the change and sudden freedom. Carol opened the passenger side door and Jenel climbed inside. Embers were blowing towards them now. She would have to hustle to get to the main road before the fire cut her off. She ran to the driver's side and got in, putting the vehicle in gear as she sat down.

More embers blew by and she stomped on the accelerator, rooster-tailing gravel as she headed out of her driveway. She checked her rearview mirror as she left; saying a silent good-bye to the little ranch Jenel had named 'Hopeful Farm' after she had read 'The Black Stallion' books by Walter Farley. There wasn't much hope for the ranch right now. It was in the path of a wildfire. She gunned the motor and raced to get to safety.

XXXX

Paco trotted around the barn and met up with the other three horses that were left behind. It was a strange day. The humans had let them out and closed the doors to the buildings. They couldn't get in and there was something fearful coming, all of the animals sensed it. They wanted in… they wanted to be safe. There wasn't any way in. It was fight or flight and there was nothing to fight. That left flight. The horses wheeled about and bolted from the fire. Paco followed as fast as his little legs could go, but soon fell far behind.

He brayed for them to wait and heard a distant answering whinny from one of his horse friends. An ember landed on his hindquarters, spurring him to greater speeds. Paco soon found himself in a most fearful of all predicaments for an equine, all alone with something very big and very scary chasing him.

XXXX

Fullerton fire, 10:20 a.m.

Craig Johnston was nervous, the fire had nearly been under control just two hours ago and now it was out of control again. He was on a fly over to get a birds eye view of the fire. The wind had picked up and that was all the fire needed to take off. The copter dipped suddenly and the pilot struggled with the yoke. The copter steadied a bit but the wind and thermals rising from the fire still buffeted it. "I've seen enough, let's get the hell out of here" he hollered at the pilot over his headset.

The pilot nodded, relieved, maneuvering the copter away from the scene, heading higher.

Craig slumped in his seat as the ride smoothed a little. He caught a glimpse of smoke far off on the mountain. He keyed the mic "IC Johnston to BLM Keith Adams"

"BLM Keith Adams here" The reception was poor on the radio; there was crackling and interference from other radio traffic.

"Hey, just noticed some smoke on that mountain." Johnston yelled into the mic to be heard over the sounds of the copter and the radio traffic.

"That's not our problem; this fire is our problem… let the Forest Service take care of their own damn mess." The reply was curt.

Johnston shook his head. It was obvious that the local BLM and Forest Service were at odds. It didn't surprise him. There had always been a rivalry between the two. Probably always would be. His problem was this fire, as Adams had pointed out. He returned his attention to the Fullerton fire and what he could do to put it out.

XXXX

Elk Meadow, 10:30 a.m.

The little fire had been burning for almost two days now. It had been slowly consuming the ground litter and what it couldn't burn, it dried out. The fire had remained small but had managed to burn nearly three acres of the meadow. It was already a hot day with very low humidity and high winds where expected later in the afternoon. Just what every little fire needs to become a big fire. The fire crackled with anticipation.

TBC

Author Notes: The BLM has a program where they round up mustangs and burros and sell them to the public (last I heard, the price was $125 per animal, this may have changed). Each animal is branded for tracking purposes. They sell the animals as opposed to killing them off when the herds get too big for the range that they occupy.