Aftermath

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Just my take on what happens after Hutch saves Starsky at the zoo in Bloodbath.

 

Coming back to S+H after a break, I thought I’d practice with a short missing scene before launching into anything longer.

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Hutch went down on one knee and gathered Starsky to him. His partner latched onto his lapels as if to a lifeline and murmured, “Hutch…” into this chest.

“It’s all over. It’s all over,” Hutch reassured him, and tightened his protective embrace to reassure himself that he really had Starsky safe in his arms.

“What took you so long?” came the reply, spoken only half in jest, and then Starsky lifted his head until their gazes locked. Hutch saw overwhelming relief in the blue depths of Starsky’s eyes, but also the shadow of the terror that had preceded his arrival.

Not prepared to deal with his own emotions yet, Hutch took refuge in the familiarity of teasing humour. “Nice looking night-gown you got there.”

Starsky’s head went back down again, there was a moment of silence and then he started laughing. There was more than an edge of hysteria to the sound, but it was music to Hutch’s ears; he knew his partner was going to be okay. As for himself — well, that was a different matter, but right now he had to be strong for Starsky.

Still focused almost entirely on his partner, Hutch was vaguely aware of the uniformed cops who had finally arrived on the scene and were collecting up the cult members from where they lay after the fight. One of the cops also gathered up the young woman who was wrapped around Starsky’s legs, leaving the two detectives free to move. Hutch rose to his feet, pulling Starsky up with him, and was relieved to find the other man strong enough to stand on his own feet without support. Together, they turned and made their way down the grassy hill towards where the Torino waited.

They met Captain Dobey halfway down, who graced Starsky with a satisfied nod, evidently pleased to see his missing detective in one piece.

“I’ll just take Starsky home and then I’ll come into the station to sort out the paperwork,” Hutch promised, but Dobey dismissed his words with a wave of his hand.

“Hutchinson, you look like hell,” came the gruff reply. “Take the day off — you can file your report tomorrow. And Starsky,” he continued with a jab of his finger, “I don’t want to see you until Monday morning — got it?”

Starsky gave Dobey a tired smile. “Thanks, Cap.”

When they reached the Torino, Starsky cocked one eyebrow at Hutch and questioned, “You’ve been driving my car?”

“Well, yeah — mine’s in the shop, remember?” Hutch replied. “Besides,” he added, dropping his gaze to the ground as he felt a flush spreading over his cheeks, “it made me feel closer to you.”

A hand on his shoulder made him look up to see Starsky grinning at him. “Ya big softie,” his partner teased, though the affection in his eyes belied his light tone and spoke of feelings that would have to wait until they were alone to be expressed.

Hutch wrestled his own surging emotions back under control again and they both got into the car, Hutch retaining possession of the driving seat for the moment.

“Your place or mine?” he asked once Starsky was settled beside him.

“Yours,” came the immediate response. “I wanna be with you tonight.”

Hutch’s heart was warmed by the idea that Starsky felt connected to him at his place, much like Hutch had gained comfort from driving the Torino while Starsky was missing. He turned the car in the appropriate direction without further ado.

The journey was conducted in silence, Hutch concentrating on driving while Starsky simply enjoyed the feeling of safety that had washed over him the moment Hutch had come sprinting up the hill. His ordeal at the hands of Marcus’ minions was already fading to the back of his mind, though he knew it would be a while before he was truly free of it. For now, he was content just to sit back and let Hutch take control, clearing his mind of everything but his partner’s comforting presence at his side.

When they arrived at their destination, Starsky followed Hutch inside, closing the door behind him. The moment the catch slid home, Hutch spun round and threw himself at Starsky, enveloping him in a tight embrace, his face buried in Starsky’s neck. Starsky returned the sudden hug full force and discovered that Hutch was shaking.

He brought one hand up to cradle the back of Hutch’s head and murmured soothingly, “Hey, hey — what’s all this?”

“I — I thought I’d lost you,” came the muffled reply. “Every time I thought I was getting somewhere, I hit another dead end. None of it made sense and there was just no reasoning with those maniacs. Marcus was playing with me the whole time and I just felt so helpless. I know exactly what his followers are capable of, and I was so scared, thinking of what they might be doing to you.”

The shaking eased as the rush of words spilled out, but Hutch’s arms were still locked around Starsky’s torso in a desperate embrace. Starsky loosened his own arms and shifted backwards, encouraging Hutch to bring his head up and meet his gaze.

He looked deeply into the anguished blue of Hutch’s eyes and said firmly, “But you found me, just like I knew you would. We beat him, and now he’ll go to jail for a very long time. I’m fine, and we won — okay?”

Hutch’s expression was still troubled, so Starsky reinforced his words by leaning in and planting a soft kiss on Hutch’s lips. Hutch opened his mouth to receive him and he was drawn into a long, passionate kiss that reaffirmed just how much Hutch loved him and how relieved he was that Starsky was alright.

When they finally broke apart, Hutch was smiling. “I’ve been wanting to do that ever since the zoo.”

Starsky grinned back. “And that’s exactly how long I’ve been waiting to give you the opportunity.” The he looked down at the robe he still wore and grimaced in distaste. “Now, thought, I’d like to get out of this horrible thing and take a shower, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Hutch said. “I could probably use a shower myself — I’ve been wearing these clothes since yesterday morning. Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” Starsky assured him, and led the way to the bathroom.

In a matter of moments, they were both sighing in contentment under a stream of hot water in Hutch’s shower. They took turns washing each other and exclaiming over the various injuries they discovered in the process.

“What’s this?” Hutch asked as he carefully cleaned the blood away from the cut on Starsky’s temple.

“That’s where they hit me over the head as I was coming out of the john,” Starsky told him with a wry smile. “Of all the places to get kidnapped from — talk about embarrassing!”

“And this?” Hutch’s long fingers had moved down to caress the burn-reddened skin of Starsky’s cheek.

“Ah, that would be the work of The Keeper Of The Flame,” Starsky explained. “Lovely fellow — shame you didn’t get to meet him.” He spotted a bruise on Hutch’s shoulder and turned the other man to reveal several more down his back, accompanied by a long scrape. “Looks like I wasn’t the only one having fun. Where did you get these?”

“Oh, I had a run-in with an exploding barn on the investigative trail yesterday,” Hutch said lightly.

Now it was Starsky’s turn to pull Hutch into a protective embrace as it suddenly hit him that his partner had been in just as much danger as he had in the last 24 hours. He bent his head and pressed his lips against the nearest bruise, then gradually kissed his way up Hutch’s neck and across his jawline until he reached Hutch’s mouth. They indulged in another long kiss while the water cascaded over them, but that was as far as it went, since they were both still exhausted. As he climbed out of the shower, though, Hutch threw a suggestive look over his shoulder, promising a more thorough exploration of Starsky’s body later, after they’d had some sleep.

Starsky dried himself off and slipped into Hutch’s red-and-white-striped bathrobe, which was hanging on the back of the door. He ventured into the bedroom to find Hutch already stretched out on the bed, wearing only a pair of boxers. Starsky joined him, putting one arm around Hutch’s shoulders and pulling him across so that his head rested against Starsky’s chest.

“I’m sorry I fell apart on you earlier,” Hutch said quietly once they were both settled. “You’re the one who was kidnapped, not me. It should have been me comforting you, not the other way around.”

“Ah, but you had all the worry of not knowing what had happened to me,” Starsky pointed out. “I was scared, sure — but I knew you’d find me. You always do. That was Marcus’ biggest mistake, targeting only one of us — he left you free to stop him.”

Hutch snuggled closer. “I wish I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow,” he said sleepily, finally relaxing after the tension of the last few hours. “I’d much rather just stay here in bed all day with you.”

Starsky chuckled. “Me too, babe. But Dobey already gave us today — we’d better not push our luck. Besides, you’re due to pick up your car tomorrow.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather drive the Tomato for another day,” Hutch replied unexpectedly. “I kinda like it.”

“No problem — I won’t be needing it tomorrow,” Starsky acquiesced. “It’s probably a good idea — who knows what Merle might have done to yours?”