Feedback: Pretty please, with a cherry on top?

Disclaimer: I make no money from this. Starsky and Hutch do not belong to me, I just borrow them, and promise to return them in the same condition I found them in. My characters do belong to me, and I can use them as I see fit, until they start fighting back.

Warning: Oh my, more stuff we all like. H and C in this chapter, sort of. This one and the next chapter may be a little darker (okay, a lot darker) than I'm used to writing. I hope I succeed. Please let me know…

Chapter Twelve

With Sandy unconscious, the three captors saw no reason to continue with this game, they wanted to take a break, see if she would come back around. Joey didn't want her to miss out on any of the fun.

Tommy and Ricky held their weapons, training them carefully on the two detectives. They untied both Starsky and Hutch, allowing them to rise out of the chairs. Tommy waived his weapon signaling them to move towards Sandy. Hutch immediately noticed Starsky's limp as he moved towards the unconscious form on the ground. He could tell that whatever had happened to cause his impaired gait, was serious.

"Both of you, pick up the bitch, and take her with you. I don't want any trash left in my living room." Joey fumed. He seemed upset that Sandy had passed out and the game was over so soon.

Hutch bent down, feeling the pulsing pain in the side of his chest, and picked her up placing both arms around her legs at the knees. Starsky carried her by placing his arms under her shoulders and around her chest, both men exchanging nervous looks.

"Be careful, her ribs are in real bad shape." Starsky warned Hutch, who nodded in acknowledgement.

All three captives were taken back to the room. Starsky and Hutch did their best to move her carefully and gently, the brunet hobbling down the hallway on his swollen ankle. Compared to Sandy, his ankle was a minute injury, as far as he was concerned. As they crossed the threshold of the small room, the door was slammed shut and locked behind them.

They carefully placed Sandy on the floor, Hutch quickly taking off his jacket, rolling it up , and placing it under her head. Starsky retrieved the remains of the drapery he had used earlier, placing it behind her, trying to prop her up as much as possible. Her wounds from the cable were visibly horrific. Blood dripped from every lash site, the tissue around each cut was raised and discolored. The skin was flapped back exposing the raw meat underneath.

"How could they do something like this?" Hutch sat back on his heels, wiping his hand downward, across his mouth. "I don't get it…Starsk, how?"

Starsky looked up at his partner, he remembered how Hutch was tormented by the cruelty of the attack on the victim in the alley, Jane Doe. They still had no idea who she was. Now they were witnessing the brutality first hand.

"I dunno partner, I dunno." Starsky shook his head and returned his focus on Sandy's motionless form.

"What happened to you?" Hutch asked his friend, obviously concerned about his ankle.

"I had a run in with a cast iron bar." He glanced at Hutch, then quickly dismissed him.

Hutch could hear the rattling in her breathing. "Starsk, she's gonna die if we don't get her some help, soon."

"No, she's not!…Hutch, she's tougher than most men I've ever met, she's gonna be fine, you'll see." Starsky remained busy, tending to both her old, and her new, injuries. There were just too many of them. He didn't know where to start. Hutch watched his partner's futile efforts.

Sandy moaned, moving her head from side to side. She blinked slowly, taking her time as she came back to the reality that was her nightmare. Starsky took her small hand in his. It seemed so tiny, so fragile. A sharp pain hit as she closed her eyes tightly and drew in a quick breath.

"Shhh, it's okay, breathe…" She listened to Starsky's calming voice, following his directions as best she could, as he stroked her dark hair, with his free hand. "Atta girl, breathe." Starsky shot his partner a worried glance, then looked back at the teenage girl lying before him. "You're gonna be fine, just hang in there."

She opened her eyes and looked directly into the curly haired detectives' face. Starsky saw the pain in her dark eyes, not just the physical, but the emotional pain as well. Her eyes were large and sad. Suddenly, she looked far older than her nineteen years. He felt a stab to his chest, his heart ached, his stomach hurt. A hollow feeling began to consume him as he stared into her soul. He could feel the tears in his own eyes start to well up as he fought to subdue them. He wasn't going to let her die, he was going to make her live! Her eyes opened wide, as her back arched. Another wave of pain flowed over her. Starsky could feel her body tense and the short spasms that ran through it, and this time she groaned.

"It's okay…" He tried to talk her through it. "Come on, honey…let it go…" He stuttered, nervous perspiration beading on his upper lip. "Hutch, lift her legs would ya'? She's gonna go into shock. We gotta do something."

Hutch quickly complied with Starsky's instructions, placing a small empty box from the corner under her ankles for support.

Starsky looked back down at her. "Is that any better?"

She didn't or couldn't speak, he wasn't sure which. She simply bit her lower lip and nodded , letting out a heavy sigh.

Hutch brought himself up to Sandy's side. She turned to look at him.

"You okay?" She managed to whisper.

Hutch looked up at Starsky with a look of surprise, than back down at her.

"Me?…I'm fine, Sandy." He said with a soft, remorseful smile. "Don't you worry about me."

"Yeah, that big lug's been through a hell of a lot worse than this." Starsky said as he caught his partners' stare, neither one of them wanting to show her the gravity of their situation, or their despair.

As Starsky brought himself even closer to her, he gently brushed her hair out of her face with his fingertips, his other hand still holding hers. She closed her eyes, his touch felt good. It had been a long time since someone had touched her, that wasn't paying to do so.

"Hey?" He called to her as she opened her eyes back up and looked at him, in response. "I need you to try to stay with us, 'kay? Can you do that?"

"I'll do my best." She coughed slightly.

Hutch looked nervously at Starsky, then back to Sandy. "Hey, tell us something about yourself? Where'd you grow up?" Just trying to keep her talking.

She turned her head to look at Hutch. "The streets…I grew up on…the streets…" She fought to stay awake.

"Whatta 'bout your family? Where do they live?" Starsky asked wanting to know more. If they got out of this, when they got out of this, he was going to see to it that this girl got home. Back to her family, back to people who cared, back to where she belonged.

"Don't have any…" She winced. "It was just me an' my Mom…She died five years ago…On my birth…day." Sandy grew quiet again, she closed her eyes.

"Don't you got any Aunts or Uncles?" Starsky inquired. Hutch became busy, pacing the room, looking for something, anything, that would help them, help her, out of this.

"Nope." She kept her eyes closed. "Lisa was the only person I had left in this world…Now,…now she's gone too. Everyone …" She moaned, feeling the onslaught of another attack. "…everyone in my life is taken away. I was never meant to be loved…That's why everyone that gets…close…gets punished…It's because of me…they were gonna punish you guys."

Her body tensed as another phantom pain shot through her. She inhaled sharply and held her breath, her hand squeezing Starsky's with surprising strength. Her moaning mixed with whines, again tearing at Starsky's heart. He couldn't stand to see her like this, couldn't stand the pain, couldn't stand the fear he was feeling for her. What she did, she did to save them. He was going to make her live!

"Oh my God!" She said, holding her breath, her knuckles turning white around Starsky's hand.

"I'm right here." He said as he leaned towards her. After what seemed like forever, he felt the tension slowly leave her body. Hutch looked over at the two, sighing. He knew what was happening, even if his partner didn't.

Once the pain had passed, Sandy tried to reposition herself, trying to get some relief. The injuries on her back were hurting, her ribs were hurting, her legs, her face, arms…Come to think about it, there wasn't much that didn't hurt. She let out a throaty groan.

"Why'd you do it, Sandy? Why'd you volunteer?" Starsky was curious. "Hutch an' I weren't gonna let them touch you."

"Because…I saw how much it hurt…hurt you…When they hurt him…" She stammered. "I saw it in your face,…your voice…"

"You think it didn't bother us to see them hurt you?" Hutch asked.

She looked over at Hutch. "It's not the same…You two…you're a part of each other…I see that…" She took a deep breath, slowly she turned her head back to the dark haired man. "Whenever something happened to him…it hurt you…I could tell…It was like you…felt his pain…With me, it was just me…no one else had to hurt…there's no one that would have to cry for me…an' that's okay…"

That statement pierced both of their hearts. How sad it must be to have lived the way she had. Alone. She was paid to love, and be loved. To have no one to laugh with, no one to cry with. Starsky and Hutch looked at each other with a new appreciation for the friendship they shared.

"I didn't think it was going to…feel like this." She stated, closing her eyes.

"What was going to feel like this?" Starsky questioned her, furrowing his brow.

"Dying…" Starsky snapped his head to look at his Hutch. He swallowed hard, lowering his gaze back to her.

"You're not dying, damn it!" He let the anger resonate in his voice. "You have to fight. I tell ya', if something happens to you, it would hurt both Hutch and I. You need to fight. I know you can do this, Sandy."

She was sure he was only saying that to make her feel better, they didn't know her. How could they care? Why would they care? She slowly opened her eyes, shaking the urge to sleep, she was tired. Tired of hurting, tired of living.

"Promise me something." She asked Starsky. Hutch joined the two, kneeling on her other side. He too, took her hand in both of his, stroking it gently.

"Anything." Starsky replied.

Again her back arched, Starsky again squeezing her hand for strength, both for him and for her. This time she cried. She rode the roller coaster of pain as it peaked at the top, and slowly rolled back down.

"Promise me, that I'll be the last." She moaned.

"The last?" He wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean.

"You won't let Joey do this…to anyone else…He needs to be stopped…" Starsky looked up at Hutch who shrugged at his friend, than lowered his eyes. "I don't want anyone else to die. Promise me?"

"There ain't no one else gonna die, that includes you Sandy." Starsky said as he looked her over, trying to see if there was anything else he could do. He looked up at his partner. "Help me, Hutch."

The blond put a hand on his buddy's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "It's okay, Starsk."

The door to their room opened, Joey came in.

"Time to play the bonus round." He sneered.

To Be Continued