"Sometimes you put up walls not to keep people out but to see who cares enough to break them down." (author unknown)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aftershock is the third part and conclusion of my interpretation of Starsky VS Hutch.
Yes there is a murder to solve here along with the repair of a meaningful friendship. Both will be accomplished in the following chapters.
Debbie, thanks again for keeping my imagination swirling. The above quote fit right in with my vision for this story. Also, curiosity resulted in the ending of chapter 16. That's for you!!
Becky
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FAULT LINE-PART 3
CHAPTER 16
AFTERSHOCK
Hutch made his way to his car and sank behind the wheel. His hands were shaking. He gripped the steering wheel while the scene he'd just left flashed before him. Starsky loved Kira. Hutch was willing to bet that the feeling wasn't mutual. At least not in the same form that the dark haired man loved. The problem was that when Starsky was in love, he put his big heart right out there on the very last stitch of his sleeve.
Hutch rested his head on the steering wheel. His head ached with knowing. It finally dawned on him that he had to intervene. Maybe he couldn't save himself from whatever crap he was wallowing in, but he could damn well save his friend.
The car sputtered and complained as Hutch guided the car onto the road. It seemed the car was an extension of Hutch at that moment. Hutch was bone tired but his muscles flexed and twitched against the intended destination.
He had no choice but to face Kira. He still hoped that there was the possibility that Kira really did love Starsky. Hutch knew all the gossip about her. Hell, he was part of that gossip now. But how did Starsky keep from hearing or knowing it? But maybe-- it was no use. He was about to face Kira, intervene for a friend and kill the friendship that had kept him sane all these years.
It was still early morning but there was no way Hutch was going to back down on his mission. His mind was made up. If he hesitated for a second, he wouldn't have the guts to complete it. He pulled up in front of Kira's and dragged himself over the passenger seat and pushed open the car door.
As he stood there waiting for her to unlock the door, his mouth went dry. He didn't have a clue what to say. He only knew that he didn't really want to hear her answer. Once inside, there was no use trying for normalcy. Acting as if he'd stopped by because he was in the neighborhood, just didn't cut it. Jump right in-- why not?
"Kira, what are you doing? Do you love Starsky?"
I stood in front of her, trying to clear my head so I could be objective. But jeeze, those eyes were drawing me in. I shifted from foot to foot, feeling like I was looking down a steep mountain. I needed her answer to be 'no'.
"Yes, I love David." Those words washed over me and I suddenly felt confused. I felt the room tilt. If she loved him, why was she looking at me like she wanted to devour me?
"Okay, so he was right. Starsky said you loved him. Now I can leave the two of---" She moved toward me and cupped my face in her hand.
"But I love you too Hutch! I love both of you. You're both different people so I love you in different ways. Haven't you ever made love to two different women, during the same week or even the same day? C'mon, you got a reputation you know. Both you and David. Well, so I guess I'm not much different. It's nothing personal. Just the pleasure of two different bodies."
Kira seemed pleased with herself. She kept staring at me. Touching me. She traced my lips with her thumb. God at that very moment I hated her. I hated her for being right.
Starsk and I well, yeah sometimes we did go through a woman or two but hell-- there were never any strings. We were always up front about no committments. At least I was. I'm not ready for permanent. Knowing Starsky, he wouldn't want to hurt anybody. So unless he wanted something more, he'd be honest. If he had no intention of callling after the first time out, he wouldn't offer the promise.
"Hutch, what do you feel? Don't you see? You're the only one important to me. You're the only thing that exists in my world right now."
Her voice was low and sexy. She really knew how to use what she had. I should turn around and leave. I should slap her. I should---
"Tell me you don't want me." She licked her lips and her eyes bored into me. I felt hot. She kissed me and my hands suddenly had a life of their own. Without any guidance on my part, they encircled her face. My hands traced her eyes. I couldn't help touching her hair and winding my fingers through it.
She was all over me. She kept breathing. She has this husky, smokey laugh that makes my toes curl. Her hands were hot and the pressure from her hands on me burned. All I could think about was possessing her. All of her. She never asked, I never asked.
There was no David Starsky with us. Would a woman in love turn her attention away from her man so easily? What kind of game was she playing? But none of this mattered now. I couldn't refuse her. Remembering the other times, with her in my arms, I was lost. All my good intentions, my anger at her, just melted as she pushed my shirt down past my hips. I knew it was gonna happen again. I knew I had to have her in my arms. I needed to feel that curtain of blond hair, feel her next to me. She drugged me with her scent. She won. She smelled so good.
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We were in bed. God what had I done? I rolled over but she was standing up. She was getting dressed. She turned around and half smiled
"Now, you know."
'Yeah, I know all about you lady. I hate you.' I thought to myself and stared after her. She walked away to answer the doorbell.
Oh shit-- Starsky! Well now the world is coming to an end. The best friend I ever had and it's going to hell. I quickly put my pants on and shrugged into my shirt. There was no place to hide. He saw my car outside. I couldn't pretend not to be there. I had to face him. I had to hurt him. I had to make him see the truth.
I tucked my shirt into my pants as I came out of the bedroom. I was so ashamed. I watched the devastated look come over him. His eyes turned black with anger and hurt. I knew I was the cause of that. But he had to know that it wasn't all my fault. It was Kira. She didn't think any more of him than a stranger on a bus. Sure she 'loved' him. In her own way. In her own hungry, selfish way.
I walked over to him with every intention of apologizing. But he glared at me and started walking away.
"Let's talk Starsk. All three of us, we need to talk." I tried reaching out to him but he shrugged away from my hand.
"Talk about what? I just caught you sleeping with Kira. After I told you I loved her. Kira, why? You know I love you!" He was so angry and by now he was breathing heavy.
He moved closer, nostrils flaring. More angry words came flying past me. My face felt scorched from the fire in his eyes.
"So you wanted to work things out. You wanted to apologize. That's all bullshit!" His eyes darted from me to Kira. She was no help. She just stood back against the wall, trying for invisible.
Starsky moved closer to me and grabbed at me. Before I could defend myself, he punched me in the stomach. Took me totally by surprise, but I deserved it. I let him have a few punches until they started to get more deliberate.
Then all of the sudden I was madder than hell. I really wanted to punch Kira but well, she's still a woman. So I slammed Starsky against the wall and landed a punch or two of my own. But I stopped when I heard Kira's whining voice. I looked into Starsky's eyes and flinched at the amount of hate I saw there. It was directed at me. But I saw something else too. A glimmer of understanding. We both listened as Kira started complaining.
"You guys, you can't come in here and break up the place like a coupla love sick wolves! Fight over me like you're in some bar. What about me? Did ya ask what I wanted? How I feel?"
The whole thing was making my stomach cramp up and I felt a bitter after taste. Kira threw us both out. I found that really ridiculous. She was mad at us!. What the hell did she expect? Did she think we'd never find out? She actually thought we'd be okay with her game? Lady, you don't know a damn thing about us. Yeah, this is gonna be the damndest thing to fix between Starsk and me but I gotta somehow make him understand.
He walked out ahead of me toward his car. He jerked open the car door and layed a lot of rubber down as his tires squealed down the street. I stood in the yard, watching after him. I looked back at the house and the closed door. Now what?
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Behind that closed door, Kira stood, staring into the room. She wiped her eyes and started toward the living room when her gaze landed on the beautifully wrapped package that Starsky had brought. She moved to it and fingered the bow, wondering what might be inside. She picked it up and went back to the couch. She caressed the package.
She could still smell the two men who had just left. Their anger and hate was so strong that she took a great whiff of their scent. Just like their personalites, their scent was completely different and in that instant, her desire grew again for them both. The mix of emotions that still hung in the room was cloying but such a turn on. She let out a low moan and closed her eyes. It was as if they were both there. God, she loved it when a man fought over her. The adrenaline and animal aroma were such a thrill. Usually though, she could control it all and not have to watch the understanding dawn on them.
She was surprised that David and Hutch could be so weak. In the end they cared more about each other than her. The physical anger between them wasn't really about her. She saw it in their eyes when they glared at each other. Some secret or promise had just been revealed, remembered, between them.
'Well, let's see what my prize is here!' Kira breathed in again but dismissed the scent of anger and lust in favor of opening her present.
Peeling back the neatly wrapped package, she exposed the spoils of war. Nestled under layers of filmy tissue was a treasure which expressed her current lover's heart.
A ceramic rose, beautiful in it's simplicity, delicate and so real. She gently picked it up to admire it closer. The petals of the rose were outlined in soft pink. The white center even held a dewdrop. The stem served as it's base, but --- and Kira laughed out loud--- there were no thorns to mar it's life like portrayal.
"Oh David, you were so easy!"