Passages Nine: Full Circle

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Part Thirteen of the series A Fairy Tale Life. The series wraps up back to the beginning and they are living their happily ever after.

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Final scene from A Bear to Remember:

“That was a turning point for us, Starsk,” Hutch commented to his lover. “Not long after that, we moved in together, remember?”

“Yeah, of course I remember,” the darker man replied. “We decided we could face anything together.”

“Better together than apart, right, old man?”

“Hey, who you callin’ an old man?” Starsky said, leaning closer, a gleam in his eye. “You’re askin’ for it!”

Hutch tried to escape the couch, but his partner’s fingers were faster. Nimble fingers tickled his sides and he fell to the side, Starsky right on top of him.

“Stop!” he cried, giggling as he tried to squirm out from underneath the attacking man.

“Say it!”

“No!” The fingers became more aggressive in their attack, and soon Hutch was breathless. “Okay, okay. You’re the best cook!” he shouted, laughing as the man above him stopped tickling him and relaxed, resting quietly. Hutch’s arms came up and wrapped around Starsky and the two men lay peacefully on the couch.

“I love you,” Starsky whispered, “But you know you stink right now.”

“You just want to go fool around in the shower,” Hutch commented. “I’m comfortable right here.”

“No, you really do stink, Hutch,” the dark haired man complained, but made no effort to move. Quiet reigned for a few minutes. “Ya know, a shower sounds interestin’, don’t you think?”

Hutch laughed, pulling his lover closer. Nothing changed and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

And now Full Circle…

“You know, we might actually have time…”

Hutch chuckled. “You never give up, do you? We’re expecting company, remember?” Hutch pushed at his partner, who groaned, and rolled to his feet, then stretched down a hand to help the blond to his feet and into his arms. Starsky leaned his head in close to his lover, their lips almost touching.

“C’mon, Blondie,” he whispered. “Surely we’ve got time for this.” Their lips joined in a tender kiss and Hutch’s arms came up to embrace the dark haired man.

“Whatcha doin’ Grampa?”

Hutch looked over his shoulder to see the little girl standing shyly in the doorway of the den. Dressed in a white t-shirt, denim overalls and pink sneakers, the four year-old looked to be the picture of innocence.

“Rachel.” he smiled, clearing his throat as he stepped away from his partner. “We’re just watching the news, sweetie.”

The child stepped slowly into the room, a devious smile creeping across her face. “You were kissin’ Poppy again, weren’t you?” she said, teasingly.

“She caught you, old man.” Starsky laughed. “Face it, you’ve been…”

“Busted!” Rachel giggled, joining in an apparent running joke. Suddenly another voice was heard in the hallway.

“Rachel Rebecca Wiley, where are you?”

“Uh oh…” the little girl whispered, moving to hide behind the legs of the two men. “P’tek me, Poppy.”

Hannah walked into the room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel and spotted her daughter attempting to hide. “Poppy isn’t going to protect you.”

Rachel popped out from her hiding place, a smile on her face.

“Hiya, Mommy. I was gonna play wit’ Poppy and Grampa,” she said as she skipped over to her mother. Hannah knelt down so that she eye level with the mischievous child.

Rachel was the spitting image of Hannah at the same age, except for her hair. Where Hannah, and her twin brother Adam, had straight, white blond hair, Rachel’s was brown and wavy, like her father’s.

Hannah had met Matt Wiley in college and, upon his graduation, they had been married. With the help of her Uncle Ken and Starsky, the young couple moved into a small apartment and life seemed to be perfect. Matt was accepted at the Police Academy, which had been his life long dream, and had graduated at the top of his class.

It was in her second year of college that Hannah became pregnant. The pregnancy had proven to be a difficult one and, on the advice of her doctor, Hannah left school. When Rachel was born, perfect in every way, Hannah felt that she was the luckiest person in the world.

But her luck didn’t hold out. After six months on patrol, Matt had moved up to Robbery Division, on his way to making Detective. While investigating a series of jewelry store robberies, Matt was caught in a shootout and killed. Hannah’s world fell apart.

With the help of her brother and her uncles Hannah survived the pain and loss and, with her new daughter, set out to get her life together. She and baby Rachel moved back into the house on the end of the street, with the big yard and the ever-present basketball hoop. After Rachel’s second birthday, Hannah returned to college to get her degree.

Now a four year-old, Rachel was intelligent and kind, a beautiful child who simply adored both her grandfathers and they doted on her. But, she did posses what Hutch referred to as a ‘Starsky streak’ of devilment.

“Rachel,” Hannah said, speaking in a calm, reasonable tone. “Do you have a toy box?”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“And do all of your toys fit in that toy box?

“Yes, Mommy.”

“Then can you explain to me why your toys are scattered all through the hall and down the stairs?”

Starsky and Hutch both tried to restrain the smiles that were threatening to break out on their faces. Rachel had a tendency to leave things where they fell and Hannah was working diligently to break her daughter of that habit.

The little dark haired girl thought for a moment, the look on her face one of deep thought.

“I think,” she said slowly, “that maybe they tried to follow me from my room, Mommy.”

Even Hannah had a hard time keeping a straight face in light of that oh so reasonable explanation. Refusing to look at the two men standing behind her daughter, for fear of losing all control, Hannah took the little girl’s hand.

“Well, do you think you could pick them all up and put them back before everyone comes for the barbecue? And maybe you could have a stern talk with your toys about following you around.”

“But Poppy and I were gonna play.”

“Poppy doesn’t have time to play, sweetie.” Hannah gave Starsky a stern look. “If he doesn’t get the grill started, we may never eat.”

Starsky crouched down and put his arm around Rachel. “Well….it looks like we’ve both got important things to do. What do you say we get to it, Shelly Belly.” He teased, tickling her stomach.

“Poppy…” Rachel sighed, “It’s not Shelly Belly. I’m just Rachel.”

“OK, whatever you say, Just Rachel.”

The little girl turned to look at Hutch, a long-suffering expression on her face. “Grampa…” she groaned.

Laughing, Starsky scooped her up into his arms and started towards the stairs. “C’mon, Miss Rachel, you’ve got things to do upstairs, and I have a date with a grill in the backyard. Go on up and do what your mother asked you to do.” He sent her on her way, then jauntily waved at his partner and niece before heading for the backyard.

Hutch shook his head at his partner’s antics and, walking over to Hannah, put his arm around her shoulders.

“Have I thanked you lately for coming home?”

Hannah turned to face him. “Have I thanked you lately for letting me come home?”

“There’s nothing to thank me for, Hannah. This will always be your home, you know that.”

“Yeah but I worry, sometimes, Uncle Ken.”

“About what?”

“Well, I know Rachel can be a handful sometimes. You and Starsky are retired and you deserve to have a little peace and quiet. You don’t get that with us being here.”

“If it weren’t for you and Rachel, Starsky and I would be driving each other crazy. Besides, the squirt keeps us young.”

Hannah wrapped her arms around the taller man. “I love you, Uncle Ken. You and Starsky both.”

He gave her an extra squeeze. “We love you, too, Hannah Banana.”

Starsky’s voice bellowed through the back door. “Yo, Blondie. Get your old bones out here or you don’t eat.”

“I better get out there,” Hutch laughed. “Before he burns the house down.”

His arm still around Hannah’s shoulders, they both walked out of the den towards the kitchen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An hour later found Hutch back at his garden, Starsky tending the grill with Rachel sitting at the picnic table, playing with the few toys that ‘followed’ her into the yard.

The side gate opened and a tall man with blond hair walked in.

“Don’t I get a welcome?” he asked loudly. Starsky looked up, Hutch turned around but it was Rachel who reacted the fastest.

“Uncle Adam!” she yelled jumping off the bench and running across the yard, leaping into her uncle’s outstretched arms.

“Hey, cutie patootie, how you doing?” he asked, squeezing her in a bear hug.

Slowly getting up from his knees, Hutch walked over to greet his nephew. Starsky closed the grill and moved towards the young man.

“Adam,” Hutch extended his hand. “How are you?”

Adam took the hand and pulled the older man into a hug, Rachel squeezed between the two men. “I’m fine, Uncle Ken. You?”

“He’d be better if he’d listen to me sometimes.” Starsky said as he stood next to his partner.

Adam laughed. “And when did he start listening to you?”

“My point exactly.” As Adam lowered Rachel to the ground, Starsky wrapped his arms around the younger man.

“How you doin’, kemo sabe?”

Stepping back, Adam looked at the older man. “Come out front and see.” As he led the two men and little girl out through the gate he yelled “Hannah….”

Hannah stepped out onto the front porch just as the group rounded the corner. She watched as Starsky suddenly froze, speechless.

“It’s…it’s…my car!”

Sitting in the driveway, shining and looking brand new, was a 1974 Ford Torino, bright red, with a white stripe.

Starsky walked slowly towards the vehicle, reaching out to touch it reverently.

“What…where…how…” He turned to look at his partner. “Blondie…it’s my car!”

“Well, actually, Starsk,” Adam said, smiling. “It’s my car.”

“But where…?”

“I found it in a junk yard about six months ago and I just had to get it.”

“Looks pretty good for a junker.” Hutch offered, enjoying the look on Starsky’s face.

“It definitely needed a lot of work. But I took it to an old friend of yours, Starsk. A guy named Merle?”

“Starsky’s head shot up. “Merle? I thought he retired years ago.”

“He did,” Adam confirmed. “But, when he saw this car, he just had to work on it himself. Said he had to give it a Starsky Special.”

Hannah came down from the porch and picked up Rachel, who didn’t quite understand what all the fuss was about. It was, after all, just a car.

Meanwhile, the adults looked it over, inspecting the paint job, checking out the interior. “So what do you think, Hannah?” Hutch asked.

“It’s very red, Uncle Ken,” she replied, remembering the first time he’d asked that question. “But it’s very pretty.”

Laughing at the conjured memory, Hutch walked over to his partner. “Well, Starsk? What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful.” He looked over at Adam. “This must have cost a fortune to rebuild.”

“It wasn’t cheap but, hey, I can afford it.”

“Being a veterinarian must be paying well.” Hutch offered, giving his nephew a worried look. Although both Adam and Hannah received the trust fund when they reached age twenty-five, Hutch still worried that the young man was over-extending himself financially. It was an old argument between the two.

But Adam smiled at his uncle, knowing what was going through the older man’s mind. “Trust me, Uncle Ken. With the investments I’ve made in the past few years, believe me, I can afford it.”

“And to think,” Starsky interrupted, wanting to turn the mood towards happier thoughts. “I gave you the dog that started it all.”

Both Hutch and Adam laughed.

“If I remember correctly, Starsk,” Hutch laughed. “You complained about that dog incessantly when we first got him.”

“I know we suckered you in to bringing him home,” Adam added. “Then he wormed his way into your heart and became your faithful companion.”

“Yeah…but…but…I…”

“Can I have a dog, Mommy?” Rachel asked, getting everyone’s attention.

“Well, pumpkin, that’s up to Grampa and Poppy.” Hannah smiled at the older men smugly.

Rachel looked over at them, a pleading expression on her face, her eyes begging. “Please, Poppy?”

One look at that angelic face and Starsky sagged. “Oh no, not again.”

The three other adults laughed at the defeated man but Hutch tried to save the day. “We can talk about it later, Rachel. OK?”

“OK, Grampa.” She said, smiling. Even at four years old, she knew she’d won this battle.

“So,” Starsky clapped his hands and rubbed then together. “Gimme the keys and we’ll take her for a spin.”

“Uh, I don’t know, Starsky,” Adam hedged. “I’m not sure you can handle this car.”

“Not handle it!” Starsky sputtered, totally affronted. “I may be older than you, but I can still drive a car.”

“I know you can drive but…” Adam glanced over at Hutch to see his uncle smiling. “with this…I don’t know. You have to be a really good driver.”

“Hey! Who taught you how to drive, young man?” Starsky asked, hands on his hips.

“Uh…” Adam thought for a moment. “I think it was Uncle Ken.”

“Oh yeah, well…” Starsky stammered. Then he looked at Hutch, saw the smile and realized that they were pulling his leg. “Just gimme the keys.”

Laughing, Adam tossed him the keys and walked around to the passenger side of the car.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dinner was finished, the grill was out and Rachel was in bed for the night. Starsky and Hutch were lying in their hammock, still a favorite resting place even after all these years.

Adam and Hannah sat at the picnic table talking with their friends. Megan and Tracy Williams had been visiting their parents and, as was their usual practice, had stopped by at their favorite childhood play yard. The four children had grown up together, almost as close as siblings, and still got together on occasion.

“Hey, babe,” Starsky whispered. “Look at that.”

“What?” Hutch asked as he looked over at the kids.

“Is it me or it Adam paying extra special attention to Tracy?”

“You just noticing that?” Hutch laughed. “That’s been going on for the past six months.”

“Think it’ll lead anywhere?”

“Yeah, probably,” Hutch said softly as he closed his eyes.

“Tired?”

“No,” the blond man murmured, “just listening.”

Starsky closed his eyes and listened too, wondering what was putting that smile on his lover’s face.

“Do you hear it?”

“Yeah.” Starsky said through his own smile. “The kids talking, the crickets chirping, and the neighborhood kids playing basketball out front. It’s almost like twenty years ago.”

Hutch sighed as he turned in the hammock to face his partner. “We’ve had a good life here, haven’t we, Gordo.”

“Yeah, Blondie, we have. I know there were some bad times but, damn, I can’t for the life of me remember them.”

“I wish Becca could have seen them grow up.”

Starsky reached up to caress his lover’s face. “She did, babe. She did.”

“Hey, you two asleep over there?” Adam yelled, laughing.

Hutch laughed, too, as Starsky yelled back. “Yeah, you know us old guys. We sleep all the time.”

“You’re not old, Mr. Dave.” Megan said as she and her sister stood to leave. “You two have always been perfect.”

“Thank you, Megan,” Hutch smiled. “It’s nice to be appreciated by the younger generation. You two be careful walking home, now.” He added, voicing an old warning.

The girls laughed and waved as the closed the gate behind them. Adam and Hannah walked over to the hammock and, handing each man a beer, dropped down to sit in the grass next to the older men.

Hannah reached out and took Hutch’s hand. “You know, sometimes if feels like we’re still back there, being little kids. And you two are always there to take care of us.”

“We loved taking care of you, ” Hutch said, running his hand over her hair.

“When you guys got together,” Adam asked. “Did you ever think you’d spend your life raising two kids?”

“No,” Starsky smiled. “That was a complete surprise.”

“Did we make your life crazy, Uncle Ken?” Adam asked seriously.

“Maybe a little. Hell….yeah. A lot. But you know…..”

“…we wouldn’t have change a minute of it.” Starsky finished. “You kids, and Rachel, are the best things that ever happened to us.”

They sat quietly for a moment, all four caught up in the memories. Then Adam raised his beer in a toast.

“To the best family a kid could have wished for.”

Hannah, Hutch and Starsky each raised their bottle, echoing the toast. “To family.”

THE END