Family Matters

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Part Two of the series A Fairy Tale Life. The guys move in together and life happens.

 

Originally published in 2002 in the Starsky & Hutch Zine, The Fix #22.

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A knock at the front door interrupted Hutch’s journey to the kitchen. Turning, he moved down the hallway that bisected their home and entering the foyer, opening the door. He was greeted by several teenage boys.

“Hey, Detective Hutchinson. Can Dave come out and play?”

Hutch nodded, a smile creasing his face. “Sure, guys. Give him a minute.” Hutch closed the door, shaking his head. Starsky was like The Pied Piper…attracting every kid in the neighborhood, from five to fifteen. He related to each one of them on their own level, something Hutch wasn’t as good at. Maybe it was because Starsky was their age…mentally.

Laughing to himself, Hutch shouted. “Starsk!”

“I’m comin’. I’m comin’…”

Hutch looked towards the staircase to see the man in question descending, pulling his t-shirt over his head. Hutch took the opportunity to admire his lover’s torso…the strong muscles in his stomach, the well-defined chest, all lightly dusted with the dark curly hair that Hutch loved running his fingers through. He sighed as the shirt was pulled down, cutting off his view of heaven.

Starsky was dressed in Hutch’s favorite shorts, the little denim ones, athletic knee socks and sneakers. He walked towards his housemate, an ever-present bounce in his step.

“Who was at the door?”

“Your little friends.” Hutch smiled. “They wanted to know if you could come out to play.”

Starsky snaked his arms around his lover’s waist. “And what did you tell them?” he asked, his eyes dancing with silent laughter.

“I told them only if your homework was done and your room was clean, young man!”

“Ah, Dad…” Starsky whined, pressing his lips against the other man’s, getting lost in the taste of his heart’s desire. For moments they stood there, locked together, neither man wanting to let go. Finally, remembering that someone was waiting, Hutch stepped back, his heart pumping, his breath ragged.

“Oh, man….”

Starsky laughed as he stepped out of the embrace. “Why don’t you come with us?” he asked as he moved to the hall closet. He opened the door and reached down, picking up the basketball he conveniently kept there.

“No, I’m going to work in the back garden. It’s a perfect day to get the seedlings planted.”

“OK, whatever,” Starsky replied as he headed for the front door, not at all interested in horticultural discussions. “See ya later.”

Hutch’s voice stopped him as Starsky’s hand grabbed the doorknob.

“Starsk…” Starsky turned to face his lover.

“Remember…they’re only kids. Don’t let them beat you up too bad.”

With a laugh and a wave, Starsky was out the door.

Hutch moved back through the house towards the kitchen and to the back door. Stepping out onto the back porch, he stopped for a moment to survey the large yard with satisfaction. The last six months had been a lot of hard work, but it had definitely been worth it. If you had asked him two years ago, he could never have predicted the drastic turns that life had taken.

First there was the shooting. Hutch still got a chill up his spine when he thought of that horrible moment that led to even more horrible days. But they had both survived. Consciously shaking himself, Hutch moved on to thinking about the good things that had come out of that day. Their relationship, living together, and finally this house.

Labeled a ‘fixer upper’ in the auction literature, he and Starsky had gotten the place for a song. The couple that had owned it for many years had moved into a nursing home then died within a month of each other and their family was looking for a fast sale to pay the overdue taxes. Aided by the Policeman’s Credit Union, they had secured an affordable mortgage in both of their names.

It was a large two-story house with three bedrooms, two baths, and a roomy two-car garage with an attached workshop. The garage and workshop were the main selling points for his partner. Starsky now had a place to keep his beloved Torino and the workshop had quickly been converted into Starsky’s own little haven. He had a place to keep all the tools needed to keep the Tomato functioning and he had also added a workbench that he used for his ship models.

Hutch’s dream was the outside. The house had porches on the front and back and was set directly at the end of the street. In a newer ‘development’ the realtors would call it a cul-de-sac, but essentially it was a dead end street. Next to the driveway was a large, grassy front yard and new shrubbery that Hutch had been planting over the last few early spring weekends. It was a great place to test his landscaping skills.

The nearest neighbors were almost a full lot away on either side with a wooden privacy fence separating the yards. The fence encircled what Hutch considered his prize: the backyard. Covered with thick green grass, the yard extended back a half-acre. On the right side of the yard there were two large shade trees and hanging from them was Starsky’s rope hammock. ‘Built for two,‘ he would say and Hutch smiled to himself at the memory of he and his partner lolling in the hammock on a hot, lazy Saturday afternoon.

On the left side of the yard was a garden, which took up almost a third of the space. It had fallen into disarray once the former owners left. But at one time it was obviously very well taken care of and was a showplace for any gardener. It consisted of a section for vegetables and another for various flowers. Sitting at the end closest to the house was a shed, which Hutch had quickly filled with all of the tools he needed to restore the neglected garden.

This Saturday, Hutch’s plans involved planting the tomato seedlings that he had picked up at the garden shop downtown. He hadn’t had the opportunity to have a true garden of his own since he lived back in Minnesota. Even then, his parents didn’t think gardening was a useful hobby for their son. It was an activity best left to the hired help.

Fortunately Hutch’s grandfather did not feel the same. He had spent many hours with his beloved Grandpa, carefully tending the garden during the short spring and summer of Duluth. After moving to California, Hutch had lived in apartments or places that were too small for a decent garden. Still, he had managed to keep plants wherever he lived and had been lucky enough to have a greenhouse at Venice Place.

Hutch took the flats of small plants out of the shed and moved into the area of the garden he had groomed for the seedlings prepared the previous day. He knelt in the dirt and began to carefully dig small holes with his hands, letting his mind wander.

Nothing was quite the same as a backyard garden, where he could grow his own vegetables. While slightly dry, the climate in southern California allowed for a much longer growing season than he was familiar with in Minnesota. He was still in the process of learning what would and would not grow successfully and how to best nurture and care for the plants.

Suddenly his neck prickled and he had the feeling of being watched. Hutch continued to work as he used his peripheral vision to scan the yard. Noticing a slight sway to the hammock, he realized that whoever was watching him was in the tree. It was probably one of the neighborhood kids, he thought. Since he and Starsk had moved in, they had been the subject of intense scrutiny by the neighbors, but most particularly by the neighborhood kids.

When they first looked at the house, they noticed there was a basketball hoop placed strategically at the end of their driveway. They learned that once the older couple had been placed in the nursing home, the kids had taken the opportunity to utilize “the best pavement on the block” and the area had become the place for both organized and pick up games.

Once they bought the place, the kids waited to see if they would remove the hoop. One evening, just two days after they had officially moved in, the partners had unpacked Starsky’s basketball and the need for fresh air had driven them outside for a quick game. Aware they were being observed, the men looked at each other with amusement as the kids gradually lost their shyness and moved closer to watch the game. Starsky had asked the teens if they wanted to play and the neighborhood team was formed.

“I could sure use an extra set of hands,” Hutch said aloud, continuing to work with plants. “Unless you’re busy, of course.”

After a moment, a tall, gangly youth dropped out of the tree and walked slowly towards the kneeling detective. Hutch figured he was probably about fourteen years old. He had a shock of black hair, combed back and left long, as was the current style. The boy stood at the edge of the garden, but ventured no further.

“I might have thought you were a burglar, or something.” Hutch teased.

The boy looked down and scuffed his feet.

“Sorry,” he said quietly, then looked up at Hutch as if suddenly thinking of something. “You could have shot me, couldn’t you?”

‘Ah, the drama of youth,’ Hutch thought as he suppressed a smile. Aloud, he responded, “I don’t usually carry my gun while I’m gardening. The tomato plants usually tend to surrender without much of a struggle. Did you scale the fence?”

The boy blushed and dropped his gaze. “Yeah. I guess I should go.”

“How come you’re not out playing ball with the other kids?”

The sounds of the game drifted over the house and into the backyard, the occasional shouts and the sound of the ball hitting the backboard of the hoop.

“They don’t want me out there,” he replied quietly. “I’m not very good.”

Hutch stopped what he was doing and looked up at the boy, hearing the pain behind the words.

“Well, I meant it when I said I could use the help,” he replied. “If you’re not busy, of course.”

“I’m not busy,” came the rushed reply.

“Why don’t you come over here and I’ll show you what I’m doing.”

The boy walked through the turned earth of the garden and knelt opposite Hutch.

“We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Ken Hutchinson, but you can call me Hutch.”

“I’m Danny Williams. I live up the street.”

“Nice to meet you, Danny,” Hutch said. “So how are your gardening skills?”

Danny didn’t answer right away, again looking down and not meeting the older man’s gaze.

“I’m OK, I guess,” he mumbled in reply. “My mom has a garden and I help her with it sometimes.” Then he looked up at the detective, looking for a reaction to his next words. “Dad says it’s woman’s work.”

“Do you think it’s woman’s work?” Hutch asked the boy as he continued to dig holes and plant the seedlings. Danny began to dig holes as well, unconsciously helping as the conversation continued.

“No, I kinda like it.”

“Me too.”

“But you’re a cop,” Danny commented with a puzzled look. “You don’t think it’s girly or anything?”

“I gave up caring what other people think a long time ago, Danny,” Hutch responded, looking up at the boy with a smile. “The only thing that should matter is that you’re happy with yourself. Does that make sense?”

“I guess,” the youth replied. “My Dad thinks I should spend more time doing sports and stuff.”

“Do you like sports?”

“I’m not good at basketball,” he mumbled. “Nobody wants me on their team cuz I’m too clumsy.”

“You probably just need practice,” Hutch replied, then looked up at the boy. “You look more like a runner to me.”

“I do?”

“Tall with long legs like that? Absolutely.”

“I probably wouldn’t be good at that either.”

“Well, we could see.”

“What do you mean?”

“I could sure use a partner for my morning run.”

Danny looked up at the older man.

“Partner?” he asked. “I thought you had a partner?”

“Starsky?” Hutch laughed. “He is my partner, but you’re not going to find him running with me. He’s definitely not a morning person. So what do you say? I leave about 6:30 most mornings and do a couple of miles before work. It would be nice to have some company. You’d actually be doing me a favor. It gets boring after a while running by myself.”

“I could give it a try,” Danny tried to appear nonchalant. After all, he didn’t want to appear too eager, and therefore uncool.

“Check with your parents and make sure it’s OK with them.”

“They don’t care what I do,” the boy replied defiantly. “My Dad is gone by that time anyway.”

“Do me a favor and ask them?” Hutch requested. “I think they might care more than you think.”

Danny mumbled his reply, but Hutch caught the basic sentiment anyway. They worked quietly together for a few moments before Hutch started speaking.

“You know, it’s tough sometimes for parents to know the right thing to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s not like kids come with an instruction book or anything. It might seem like they’re saying or doing something to hurt you, when that’s the last thing they want to do.”

Danny seemed to mull this over a bit, then replied, “My Mom is always busy with my little sisters. I have two of them.” He ended the sentence with a gagging noise that made Hutch laugh.

“Oh, they can’t be that bad.”

“You try getting anything done with a three year old and five year old screaming all the time.”

“I could see where that could get irritating after awhile,” Hutch commiserated.

“Do you have any sisters?”

“I do,” Hutch said thoughtfully, suddenly filled with memories of his long absent sibling. “I have one sister. Her name is Becca, but I haven’t seen her for years.”

“How come?” the boy asked. As much as he complained about his sisters, he couldn’t imagine not having them around.

“I don’t know,” the older man answered honestly. “She got married and moved out of the country, and I haven’t heard from her for a long time.”

“How about your parents?”

“They’re still alive, but I haven’t seen them for a long time either.”

“I bet your Dad was really cool. He probably didn’t jump all over you if you didn’t want to play ball…” Danny’s voice trailed off.

Hutch looked over at the boy with concern.

“Actually my Dad and I never really got along. He definitely did not agree with my choices and let me know it. Now my grandfather, on the other hand, was a guy you would have loved. Man, did he love to garden.”

“So your Dad was like mine? He didn’t like you either?”

“What makes you think your Dad doesn’t like you?”

“I’m no chip off the old block, he always says. He was this big sports hero, and I can’t even catch a basketball without dropping it,” Danny eyes glistened a bit as he blinked back tears. “I think he hates me.”

“Danny, I bet your Dad really does care about you,” Hutch said, catching the boy’s attention. “Remember what I said about parents not always knowing the right thing to say?” Danny nodded. “Well, I think that might be what’s going on with your Dad. He wants the best for you, but doesn’t understand that you’re not the same person as he was.”

“Like I might be a runner instead, like you?” Danny said hopefully.

“Exactly. You just wait. I bet your Dad is more proud of you than you know.”

Danny surreptitiously wiped at his eyes, and concentrated on the patch of dirt he was working on.

“So your grandfather was a cool dude, huh?” he said, making Hutch laugh.

The conversation continued as the two worked in the garden. They finished planting the tomatoes and started fertilizing another patch of garden in preparation for more planting. Hutch was impressed with the boy’s quick mind and thoroughly enjoyed the morning spent in his company. As they were finishing up and putting things away, they were interrupted by a voice.

“Hey, Blondie, what’s for lunch?”

Hutch looked up as Starsky bounced down the back porch steps and started across the yard towards him.

“Do I look like I’ve spent the morning slaving over a hot stove?” he replied, as he dodged his partner’s arms. He nodded his head towards the gardening shed as the boy emerged. “Have you met Danny?”

Starsky turned around, noticing the youth for the first time.

“Hey, Danny, how ya doin’?”

“Danny, this is my partner, Dave Starsky.”

“Hi,” came the shy response. “I have to go.”

The boy quickly walked towards the gate.

“Hey, Danny!” Hutch called and the boy turned around. “We’re still on for Monday morning, right?”

Danny nodded and then was gone, the gate closing behind him.

“Do I smell or something?” Starsky lifted his arm and pretended to sniff his armpit. Hutch laughed at his antics.

“Don’t take it personally,” he replied, grabbing his partner to finish the aborted hug. “He’s a little skittish.”

The two men casually embraced, enjoying the feel of each other’s strong bodies.

“We’re both pretty ripe,” Hutch commented, pulling back from the hug to enjoy the view. His partner’s curls were damp with sweat, but his face glowed with a healthy tan. “How about a shower before you make my lunch?”

“Me? Why am I making lunch?”

“I’ve been working all morning,” Hutch replied.

“I’ll mow the lawn this afternoon,” Starsky offered hopefully.

“Not a chance.”

“C’mon, Hutch, I won’t touch your precious garden.”

“Starsky, you cannot be trusted on the riding lawn mower,” the blond man teased as the two men moved towards the house. “Or any motorized vehicle, for that matter. You’re wasting your breath.”

“I gave you that lawn mower!” came the indignant reply.

“Yes, and I thanked you for it, repeatedly, if I remember last Christmas morning correctly.”

They reached the bottom of the porch steps and turned towards each other.

“But it’s red, Hutch,” Starsky pleaded. “And it has a 16.5 horsepower engine.”

“So we’ll paint a white stripe on it and call it the Cherry Tomato, but you’re still not riding on it,” Hutch continued his teasing. “All my hard work would be at risk.”

“You’re no fun,” Starsky pouted.

“Oh, yeah? Last one in the shower makes lunch!” Hutch sprinted up the porch steps and through the back door before his partner realized what had happened. Starsky took off after him.

“Huuuutch!”

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

Monday morning Hutch sat at the kitchen table, glancing through the morning paper as he sipped his coffee. Just as he began to wonder if Danny would show up, there was a light tapping at the back door. He rose and opened the door, gesturing the boy inside. He was dressed similarly to Hutch, wearing running shorts and a loose fitting t-shirt along with well-worn sneakers.

“Good morning,” the older man greeted his visitor. “Want some juice before we go?”

“Sure,” Danny replied as he glanced around the kitchen, obviously looking for Starsky. Hutch poured a small glass of orange juice and handed it to the boy, who gulped it down in two swallows.

“More?” Hutch asked, holding up the carton of juice.

“No, thanks.”

“Starsky is still sleeping,” Hutch commented, smiling to himself at Danny’s look of relief. “He’ll just be getting up when we get back. He always tries to sneak an extra few minutes whenever he can. Why don’t you sit down for a minute before we go?”

Danny pulled out a chair and sat down.

“What time to you go to work?”

“We’re usually on the road and logged in by 8 or 8:30.”

“My Dad says he read about you guys in the paper awhile back,” Danny commented. “He says you’re both heroes.”

“I don’t know if I’d use the term heroes,” Hutch said quietly.

“How come?”

“Did your Dad tell you what happened?”

“Just that you caught some really important bad guys,” the boy said, admiration shining in his eyes. “That must have been cool.”

“Starsky was almost killed.”

Danny looked up, startled by the monotone response.

“How?”

“The biggest of the ‘really important’ bad guys tried to kill us, and Starsky was shot 3 times, and hurt very badly. The doctors didn’t think he was going to make it. ”

“He looks OK now,” Danny said, glancing nervously towards the stairs.

“He is,” Hutch replied, with a slight smile. “But it took a lot of work to get him back in shape again. Don’t glamorize what we do, Danny. It’s dirty and dangerous.”

“You’re not gonna get killed, are you?”

“Not if we both can help it,” the blond man replied as he stood up. “Let’s get going so I can get back and grab a shower before Starsky gets up.”

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

The kitchen door opened and the man and boy entered, breathing hard. Hutch grabbed two large plastic cups from the cabinet, and filled them to the brim with cold water from the tap. Handing one to Danny, both were quickly drained as the runners cooled down. They both refilled their cups and began to drink more leisurely.

“You did great for your first time,” Hutch commented, looking at the boy with some pride.

“Yeah?” came the shy response.

“Definitely,” the older man replied, thinking that the way the boy soaked up any attention and praise, he didn’t get nearly enough of it at home. “You ever think of trying out for the track team?”

“Me? I’m too clumsy.”

“You’re not clumsy. I think you’d be perfect for the team. Hey, you beat me that last half mile.”

“That’s because you’re getting’ old, Blintz.”

The two runners turned to see a sleepy eyed Starsky leaning against the kitchen doorframe, hair askew and wearing an old ratty bathrobe.

“You should talk, Gordo,” Hutch teased. “Take a look in the mirror this morning?”

Danny leaned towards Hutch and whispered, “He looks worse than my Dad does in the morning!”

Hutch’s laughter filled the kitchen and soon Danny was cautiously smiling as well.

“Hey, I resemble that remark, Junior,” the dark haired man replied as he wandered into the kitchen.

“I gotta go, Hutch,” Danny said, inching towards the kitchen door. “I’ll be late for school.”

“Tomorrow?”

“OK” came the reply as the boy started to close the door behind him.

“Same bat time, same bat channel,” Hutch called to the closing door, then took another gulp of water as he watched his disheveled partner pour a cup of coffee then sit at the kitchen table to add cream and sugar.

“I guess I scared him off again,” Starsky commented after taking a first sip. “I’m startin’ to get a complex.”

“He doesn’t know you yet.”

“Yeah, if he did he’d run screaming.”

“I’m still here.”

Starsky glanced up at the blond man as he leaned against the counter. The golden hair was sweaty as was the shirt, but he was a vision with those long tanned legs in short red shorts.

“You look good enough to eat,” he said, lustfully gazing at his partner. “How am I gonna compete with all those cheerleaders?”

“Cheerleaders?”

“Yeah, Blondie, seems like you’re the object of the affections of most of the neighborhood girls,” Starsky teased, smiling as he watched the other man blush. “That was all they were talkin’ about during the game on Saturday. The guys are afraid of the competition.”

“Really?” Hutch asked, not looking directly at Starsky. “Danny did really well today.”

Starsky wasn’t deterred by the blatant attempt at changing the subject. “Seems they can’t resist all that tall, cool blondness.”

As he watched his partner’s blush deepen, he felt a surge of affection join the lust simmering in his body. The big lug just had no idea how gorgeous he actually was.

“C’mere,” he urged, turning his chair away from the table and pulling the taller man between his legs. “Oh, God, I love these shorts,” he moaned as he grasped his partner’s luscious backside and buried his face in the front of shorts.

Hutch moaned and dropped the thankfully empty plastic cup as he buried his hands in Starsky’s curls.

“Starsk,” he protested even as he threw his head back and leaned into the embrace. “We’re gonna be late.”

Starsky pulled his head back and glanced up at his partner, who returned his gaze. His hands moved down to caress the lightly furred muscular thighs before they journeyed up underneath the legs of the shorts to grasp and squeeze the well-muscled mounds barely contained therein. He smiled at the reaction, watching his partner throw his head back again and release another moan. The red shorts quickly became tighter as Hutch’s formidable cock grew right before his eyes. Continuing to massage and knead the broad backside in his hands, Starsky leaned in to nip the developing erection. He smiled as the lean hips thrust forward uncontrollably.

“You’re right, Hutch,” Starsky teased, glancing up at his distracted partner through heavy lidded eyes. “We need to get dressed for work.” He started to draw back his hands and stand up, only to be roughly pushed back into the chair.

“If you stop now, I’ll shoot you myself,” Hutch panted.

Starsky chuckled, unsurprised at the response, and then continued his assault. His hands returned to their former position up the back of the shorts, and he leaned forward to grab the waistband of the red shorts in his teeth. Dragging the elastic out and over the large burgeoning erection, Starsky made sure that his chin created as much friction as possible along the way. Soon the shorts were bunched at the top of his partner’s thighs and the painfully hard cock stood freely.

“You make me so fuckin’ hot, Starsk.”

“You are so fuckin’ hot, Blondie,” the dark haired man replied. “No wonder the girls can’t stop thinkin’ about you.” He squeezed the muscular globes in his grasp, drawing another moan from his partner. “You’ve got a great ass and…” he paused to lean down and draw his tongue from the base of the penis to the tip. “…a huge dick.”

Hutch’s hands grabbed at each side of his lover’s head.

“Please,” he pleaded, too aroused to be more articulate. “Starsk, please.”

Starsky smiled as he saw the effect his seduction had on his usually composed partner. Deciding he had teased enough, Starsky opened his mouth and drew in the throbbing penis, mouthing the crown and bobbing his head slightly. He could tell by Hutch’s reactions that it wouldn’t take long, and he made the most of it.

His hands left their former task and one grabbed the cock tightly below the head while the other cupped the testicles and caressed them lightly. Starsky kept his mouth around the head of the penis as he moved his gripping hand in long, even strokes, the motion designed to push his partner over the edge quickly. He felt his hair gripped more tightly as he felt Hutch lose control. The hips moved at first in rhythmic thrusts in time with the stroking hand. But soon the rhythm devolved into a flurry of short uneven thrusts.

“Starsk!” Hutch shouted as the orgasm ripped through his body. He groaned as his partner tightened his grip at first, prolonging the climax, then pulled back as any touch became painful. Starsky stood up and pulled the sagging blond into an embrace which was the only thing keeping him on his feet.

“Ready for some more exercise this morning, Blondie?” Starsky teased as he pressed his own straining erection against his partner. “Let’s go fool around in the shower.”

“You’re trying to kill me,” Hutch groaned as he tried to stand on his own.

“Maybe,” Starsky teased. “Did ya leave me the lawnmower in your will?”

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

It was just about dusk when there was a loud knocking at the kitchen door. Starsky swung the dishtowel over his shoulder and strolled over to open the door. Standing in the doorway was a boy that went from 60mph to zero as soon as he saw Starsky. ‘Still not number one on the hit parade, Starsky old man’, he thought, stifling a smile.

“Hey, Danny.”

“Ummm, hi Detective Starsky.”

“C’mon in,” he replied, letting the boy in and closing the door behind him. “I thought I told you to call me Dave.”

“Sorry…Dave.” Danny mumbled, not quite meeting the older man’s eyes. “Is Hutch home?”

“Yeah, he’s in the den. You know where that is?”

“Sure,” Danny just stood there, his eyes still downcast.

“Well, go ahead, already.” And before the words were out of his mouth, the boy was gone. Starsky smiled as he heard the thundering of feet on their hardwood floor and his partner’s smaller shadow calling his name.

“Hutch! Guess what!!”

Hutch stood up from the couch where he was watching the evening news to see Danny explode into the room.

“What?”

“I made the team! The track team!”

Hutch didn’t think he’d ever seen the boy happier. He reached out and pulled him into a hug, slapping him on the back.

“I knew you could do it, Danny! You’re a natural!”

“I was so nervous, Hutch, you wouldn’t believe it.” The words tumbled from the excited boy’s lips as he started pacing the floor. The blond man stood back and just enjoyed the show. “But I remembered what you said. I was competing against myself and all I needed to do was concentrate and do my best.”

“And you did.”

“And I did! And it worked!”

“I can’t tell you how proud I am,” Hutch congratulated him, and Danny beamed with the praise. “What did your Dad say?”

“I haven’t told him yet. He’s still at work. I came right here after tryouts,” Danny replied, a little bit more subdued at the thought. “You think he’ll be proud too?”

“I guarantee it.” Hutch looked at his watch. “Isn’t it almost time for your dinner? Your Mom will be worried if you don’t show up.”

“Yeah, probably,” Danny said, reluctant to leave. “Can I ask you something first?”

“I’ve already told you that you can ask me anything.”

“Will you come to practice on Saturday?” The boy said shyly. “I know you’re busy and everything, but it would be great to have you there…” his voice trailed off.

“You sure you don’t want to ask your Dad?”

“He always has to work on Saturdays.” He looked up at the older man expectantly. “So will you?”

“I think that can be arranged,” Hutch answered with a big smile.

“Thanks, Hutch! You’re the greatest!” Danny reached out and hugged him, pulling back quickly and running out of the room calling, “Gotta go!”

Hutch stood there for a moment looking at the now empty doorway, then sat back down on the couch still smiling.

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

“Zebra Three logging out.”

“Roger, Zebra Three. Logged out at 1730 hours.”

Hutch returned the mike to the radio then stretched in the passenger seat as the Torino negotiated the freeway on it’s way home.

“God, I love Friday afternoons,” he said and then yawned loudly.

Starsky glanced over at his partner fondly.

“Tired?”

“Hmmm, depends what you have in mind.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the dark haired man replied. “I was thinkin’ of a certain glider on a certain porch with a cold beer and a hot blond.”

“Would that be a certain hot blond?” Hutch inquired.

“The hot blond I have in mind is always a sure thing.”

Hutch smiled and leaned back in the seat, eyes closed. “You betcha.”

Starsky returned his attention to the heavy Friday afternoon traffic. He never got impatient with the longer drive to the house, because he knew when they arrived they were truly home. It was worth anything it took to get them there.

“We sleepin’ in tomorrow?”

“Can’t”

“How come?”

“Tomorrow is Danny’s first track meet,” Hutch answered, then mumbled the rest of the reply.

“What was that, Blondie?” Starsky asked, looking over at his partner suspiciously.

Hutch sighed, knowing there was no way he’d be able to keep this a secret. “I have to get there early because I’m the new assistant track coach.”

Starsky smiled, not at all surprised by the revelation.

“Suits you,” was his only response.

“That’s it?” Hutch asked. “No other comments. No ‘getting too involved’, ‘should have kids of your own’, nothing like that?”

“Nope,” came the laconic reply. “I think you’re the best thing to happen to Danny in a long time. You give him the attention his own father doesn’t have time for. Besides, you’ve ended up at the school every Saturday morning that we’re not working. I knew you’d get roped into something” Starsky glanced over at his lover fondly. “You’re such a big softie.”

“You don’t have a problem with the time it takes away from me and you?”

“Nope,” Starsky replied, then reached over to place a hand on his partner’s thigh. “You’d make a great father, Hutch. Since Kiko moved away, you’ve needed this. I just wished the kid liked me a little bit.”

“He likes you,” Hutch protested.

“He takes off every time I show up.”

Hutch sighed, knowing he couldn’t deny the truth in Starsky’s words.

“He doesn’t trust easily and I think he still associates you with the neighborhood kids. The ones that don’t seem to have much use for him.”

“S’okay,” Starsky replied, glancing over at Hutch and then back at the road. “We have one big thing in common.”

“What’s that?”

“You.”

The Torino turned into their street, slowing in deference to the children playing nearby. Starsky beeped and waved at the boys playing basketball at the end of their driveway as he pulled in. Hutch hopped out and opened the garage door, then moved aside to let the Torino pull in.

Both men entered the house through the garage door and the phone began to ring almost immediately.

“I’ll get it,” Starsky said, picking up the receiver. “Hello, Dave and Ken’s Plumbing and Heating…Oh, hi, Ma…It was just a joke…no, I don’t always answer the phone like that…” He rolled his eyes at a smiling Hutch, who leaned against the fridge watching his partner. “Hey, wait a second, wasn’t I supposed to call you? It’s too expensive…yes, I know I’m worth it, but I’m tryin’ to tell ya I woulda called.”

Hutch continued listening in on the usual banter between the Starsky’s, elder and younger, as he reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of beer.

“Ma, that was two weeks ago. I’m fine now. Ask Hutch…you don’t really want to talk to…yeah, he’s here, hold on a second…” Starsky muffled the receiver on his chest with one hand, grabbing the offered bottle with another. “I can tell her you can’t come to the phone,” he offered.

“No, I’ll talk to her,” Hutch said, taking the receiver from his partner, then winked at him as he began to talk. “How are you, Rachel? Arthritis feeling any better?”

Starsky rolled his eyes again and pulled out one of the kitchen chairs, turning it around so he could straddle it.

“Yes, he is better, really…yes, I would lie for him, but this time I don’t have to…I know you worry, but so do I…you’re right, he doesn’t always know what’s best, but that’s what you and I are for, right?” Hutch laughed with Starsky’s mother, while the man himself made faces at him. “You still seeing that guy in 4B? Such a hunk, huh?” More shared laughter. “Yep, he’s sitting here glaring at me…you know he does this every time you go out on a date…don’t worry, I’ll work on him for you. I better give the phone back before he strangles me with the cord…I love you too, Rachel. Here he is…”

Hutch held the phone aside while he leaned in for a quick kiss before handing the phone back to his partner.

“You’re so cute when you’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous,” Starsky retorted, grabbing the phone away from Hutch. “Gimme that…hey, Ma, see I told you I was fine…I can take care of myself, I don’t need Hutch to…you’re right, he was a good catch,” Starsky sighed in agreement, then stuck out his tongue at his partner who just laughed at him. “So what’s this I hear about you seeing Mr. Gruber…”

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

Early Saturday morning, Danny climbed the steps of the back porch and opened the back door. The kitchen light wasn’t on, but it wasn’t unusual for him to beat Hutch by a few minutes. And he was definitely earlier that usual this morning. Turning on the light, Danny helped himself to a glass of juice and opened the newspaper he had collected from the front of the house to the comic section.

He and Hutch were going for a run before the meet, to get warmed up. Danny was a little nervous, but he had some faith in his new abilities. Plus Hutch would be there, even if his own Dad couldn’t be.

Suddenly his ears perked up as he heard a moan. Worried that Hutch was sick, Danny moved into the dark hall to the base of the stairs and listened. He heard murmuring of male voices and laughter, punctuated by gasps. He flushed hotly as he realized what he was hearing. Embarrassed and afraid he might be caught listening in on a private moment, Danny moved quickly back into the kitchen and out onto the back porch, closing the door behind him.

He sat on the top step, folded his arms and looked out at the garden. He thought about what he had just heard. Danny had heard rumors that Hutch and his partner were more than just police partners, but he had dismissed them as just that, rumors. They were cops, not queers, he had thought. They shared a house because they were friends.

But now he realized that the two men were lovers. He blushed at the thought. Danny had heard that some men liked having sex with other men, although he couldn’t understand it. But Hutch wasn’t girly like all the guys at school said that the queers were. He was a tough cop, carried a gun, and there wasn’t anything girly about him.

And he was Danny’s friend. His best friend. Hutch treated him like an adult, listened to and respected his opinion on all kinds of issues. Did the fact that he slept with guys change any of that? Danny decided to forget what he had heard for now. It didn’t matter, shouldn’t matter, and definitely didn’t change how he felt about Hutch. He knew if he asked about it, the older man would tell him, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. They could talk about it when the time was right. The morning of his first track meet was not that time, Danny thought.

“Danny? What are you doing out here?”

The youth turned, surprised that he hadn’t heard the kitchen door open. Hutch walked out onto the porch and sat on the step next to him.

“Is everything OK?” Hutch asked.

“Yup,” the boy replied. “Everything is just fine.”

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

“All hail the victorious conqueror!”

The front door opened and the revelers tumbled into the hallway.

“Danny, you did it!” Hutch said gleefully. “You won the 800 meters. And the 1500 meters!”

Danny blushed and shuffled his feet.

“This deserves a celebration!” Hutch crowed, as they reached the kitchen and he pulled juice bottles from the refrigerator. “A feast! We shall have a feast!”

“A feast?” Danny asked, basking in the praise that had been heaped upon him since the end of the meet. He and Hutch both took large gulps of the cold liquid.

“Well, maybe not a feast,” Hutch conceded, smiling down at the boy. “At least a pizza. How ’bout I spring for a pizza for lunch?”

“Cool!”

“You need to call your mother to tell her you’ll be home later, OK?”

“Sure,” Danny replied and moved to use the phone.

Hutch quickly looked through the pile of mail he had taken from the front porch, already thinking about the pizza as his stomach growled. A long white envelope with the return address of a Duluth law firm caught his attention. Smiling as he listened to Danny’s end of an excited conversation with his mother, Hutch ripped open the envelope and pulled out the contents.

“Dear Mr. Kenneth Hutchinson,

We regret to inform you of the death of your father, Richard Hutchinson, on February 2nd of this year. As per the terms of his will, we are extending this notification of his death and also advising you of the transfer of your grandfather’s trust into your name and control. Please contact our office as soon as possible to arrange for the completion of the necessary paperwork. The size of the trust is substantial and ….”

The words blurred as tears filled Hutch’s eyes. Dead. His father had died and no one had told him. His hands began to tremble and he dropped the letter on the kitchen table and walked out the back door.

“Hutch?” Danny called as he hung up the phone. The look on his friend’s face scared him. He had lost all color and looked like he was crying. Danny was afraid to follow him, so he watched through the open door as Hutch stumbled down the porch steps and across the backyard to the hammock. The tall man sat on the side of the hammock and dropped his head into his hands.

Danny couldn’t figure out what had happened that could affect Hutch so fast. He looked back into the kitchen and saw the letter open on the table. Looking around, he fought with himself about whether he should read it or not. It was Hutch’s private mail and it was wrong to read it. Glancing behind him again, Danny realized Hutch might need him and he had to know why in order to help him. So with some trepidation, Danny picked up the letter and read it.

“Bastards!” he said fiercely. They told him his father died in a letter! That was horrible, Danny thought. He couldn’t imagine getting such news at all, let alone in such an impersonal way. He read the letter one more time and placed it again on the kitchen table.

Returning to the porch, Danny quietly closed the door behind him and sat on the top step, watching out over his friend. He had no idea what he could say to help Hutch, but he could keep him safe until Starsky got home. Instinctively, Danny knew the only one Hutch needed right now was his partner.

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

Starsky opened the front door, then picked up the bags at his feet, kicking the door shut behind him. Strolling towards the kitchen, he noticed the back door was wide open. Dropping the bags on the table, he looked out the door to see his partner hunched over in the hammock and Danny sitting on the top step watching him. He could tell something was very wrong. He called out softly to the seated boy.

“Danny, what’s going on?”

The boy turned then stood up. With one last glance back at the figure seated on the hammock, Danny walked into the house. His eyes were filled with tears as he faced the detective, but Starsky could also see anger simmering below the surface of the grief.

“Hutch’s father died,” he said simply. “And they told him in a letter! Can you believe it!?”

Starsky turned to the open door at that first statement, looking out at his partner. Goddamn those bastards, he thought furiously. Cold, unemotional, fuckin’ WASP Midwesterners.

“Get me the letter, will ya, Danny?” he asked the boy quietly, controlling his fury, unwilling to take his eyes from the hunched figure of his lover.

The boy walked to the kitchen table and returned quickly to hand the letter to the detective. Starsky read the letter quickly, then dropped the arm holding the paper, sighing deeply.

“How could they do that, Dave?” the boy asked, confused. “It’s his Dad!”

“Hutch’s family isn’t like yours or mine,” Starsky tried to explain. “First of all, they’re rich, which shouldn’t make ’em different, but somehow it does, every single damn time.”

“Rich?”

“Yeah, Hutch comes from a wealthy family, although he’d never tell you that himself,” he explained. “It doesn’t matter to him, ya know?”

Danny glanced at Starsky, then at the suffering man and simply nodded in response.

“They just don’t care about anything but their money and their standing in society,” the detective continued. “You know what that means?”

“You mean, what people think about them? Like on Dynasty?”

“Exactly.”

“But Hutch isn’t anything like that!” Danny replied. “He’s a cool guy. He’s my best friend!”

Starsky turned to look closely at the young man standing beside him.

“Hutch is a good man,” Starsky agreed. “I don’t know why he turned out differently, but I thank God every day he did. He’s my best friend too.”

Danny glanced again to the man at his side, then back to Hutch.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he said softly. “I just stayed here and watched out for him.”

Starsky clasped his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Sometimes that’s all you can do, Danny. Be there for them while they grieve.” He looked out at his partner. “I’m not sure what I’m going to say either.”

“I should go home now,” Danny said quietly. “You guys need to talk, right?”

“Yeah,” Starsky sighed. He had a lot of respect for the way Danny handled himself. “Ya done good, Danny. Thanks for taking care of him until I got here.”

Danny blushed at the comment.

“Tell him I’m sorry, will you, Dave?” Danny asked, holding out his hand. Starsky reached out and shook the offered hand, smiling down at the little adult before him. If nothing else, this had broken the ice between the two of them.

“I’ll do that. Thanks again.”

“Bye.”

With one last glance at Hutch, Danny walked out of the kitchen and disappeared down the hallway.

“Shit.”

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

Starsky descended the stairs then walked slowly over to his partner. He stopped in front of the seated figure then dropped, cross-legged, into the grass. Hutch didn’t immediately look up, although he did reach out a hand, which was quickly clasped between two much warmer ones.

“He’s dead, Starsk.”

“I know.”

“No one even called to tell me,” came the quiet, hurt voice. “I know we didn’t get along, but Jesus Christ, he was still my father! One sentence in that whole letter was about my father, then the rest was about the trust. I never wanted the fuckin’ money, Starsk!”

Starsky didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. He just held the hand a little tighter.

“Why didn’t my mother call?” Hutch asked, not expecting an answer. Then he looked down at his partner, meeting the concerned gaze. “You know it was always the rift between my father and I that drove me away. If Dad was gone, why wouldn’t she call? And what about Becca? I know I haven’t talked to her in a long time, but you think she would at least try to get in touch.”

“I don’t know, babe,” Starsky replied, but in his heart, he knew Hutch was fooling himself. It wasn’t just his relationship with his father. His mother was equally at fault, but if that was something Hutch wanted to cling to, Starsky wasn’t going to deny him that small comfort. Privately, he thought Hutch’s mother was a true bitch, and he likened her to the cold-hearted Vanessa. Why Hutch couldn’t see the women for what they really were, Starsky just couldn’t understand. It was definitely a vulnerability that was exploited once too often for Starsky’s taste. But never again as long as he was around, that was for damn sure.

He wasn’t as sure about Hutch’s sister. He knew she lived somewhere in Australia with her husband. Starsky got the impression that she also didn’t get along with the elder Hutchinsons, but at least she had married a doctor. Poor Hutch ended up with a Jewish cop from New York and a male one at that. No wonder he’d been effectively disowned of everything but his grandfather’s trust. That they couldn’t alter, no matter how badly they wanted to.

Starsky stood up, still holding his partner’s hand.

“Can I get you something?” he asked.

Hutch looked up at the other man, then pulled him down to sit beside him. The hammock swung, as the two men moved to lie back, beside each other, hands still intertwined.

“Just you. That’s all I need right now.”

And the hammock swung lightly in the breeze.

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

“I have to call her.”

“No, you don’t,” Starsky replied, eyes glancing at his partner, then back to the road. “If she wanted to talk to you, she would have called.”

He had been dreading this day since Saturday. Monday, Hutch had called the law firm in Duluth and made arrangements to sign all the necessary forms that would be overnighted to a local firm. The detectives had gone to the downtown office on Wednesday during lunch. Hutch had insisted that Starsky’s name be added along with his as co-executor of the trust. The lawyer saw only dollar signs, and agreed to anything Hutch asked without question. Starsky tried to talk him out of it, having no idea before they arrived what his partner had intended. But Hutch quietly insisted, so Starsky agreed. He was shocked by the figures involved, but Hutch acted like it was no big deal. He signed the forms where he was told to and kept his mouth shut.

Hutch had been quiet the rest of the week, definitely not his usual self. He still ran with Danny every morning. Starsky had no idea if they talked about what had happened or not. He suspected they did, and he only hoped it helped.

Now it was Friday and their shift was almost over. Hutch had mentioned his mother several times during the week, wondering how she was, what she was doing, how she was coping with the loss of her husband. Every single time, Starsky clamed up, not trusting himself to respond diplomatically.

Starsky’s opinion of Mrs. Hutchinson was very low. As far as he was concerned, if Hutch never spoke to her again, he’d be better off. He still remembered the one misguided phone call stemming from Hutch’s near fatal bout with the plague…

“Hutchinson residence?”

“May I speak to Mrs. Hutchinson please?”

“May I ask who is calling?”

“Detective Starsky”

“One moment, please.”

Starsky bit his lip, hoping he was doing the right thing. The two men had agreed not to worry either of their families, unless absolutely necessary. So, it was usually after illnesses and injuries that reassuring calls were made. He was just realizing that the reassuring calls were always made to his mother, never to Hutch’s. This was Starsky’s first time calling and he was nervous. He had not mentioned it to Hutch, who he was sure would object.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Hutchinson, this is David Starsky. I’m Hutch’s partner…”

“I know who you are Mr. Starsky. And please do not refer to my son by that ridiculous nickname.”

“Sorry, ma’am.”

“Please state your business, Mr. Starsky. I have to be at a benefit in one hour.”

“Sorry, ma’am. I was just calling to let you know Hutch…I mean Kenneth has been ill. He caught the plague that you might have read about in the papers?”

“Why does that not surprise me, with the lower class of people that my son associates with.”

Starsky couldn’t believe this woman. By her tone, it was obvious she was including him as one of those associates. He was getting more and more angry, but trying to keep his patience.

“Listen, Mrs. Hutchinson, I just wanted to tell you that Ken pulled through. He’s gonna be OK.”

“I suppose this is leading up to something.”

“Excuse me, ma’am?”

“Kenneth will be out of work, I assume?”

“Well, yes, for awhile.”

“How much does he need?”

“Ma’am?”

“This call is to ask for money isn’t it? Kenneth’s father and I will mail a check tomorrow. But it will be made out to Kenneth and not you. Just remember that.”

“Mrs. Hutchinson, maybe I didn’t say this right. I’m not calling for money. Hutch…I mean, Kenneth, would never ask you for money. I was only calling in case you read about him in the paper and were worried. But you’re obviously not.”

“There is no need for sarcasm, Mr. Starsky. You might be able to fool my son, but as soon as Vanessa told me about you, I had you investigated. I know all about you, Mr. Starsky, what kind of person you are, the family that you come from.”

“Wait just one minute, ma’am. Are you saying you checked up on me?”

“Vanessa told us how you manipulated Kenneth and urged him to get a divorce.”

“I didn’t manipulate anything!” Starsky’s voice began to rise as he felt his face flush red. “That bitch was taking him to the cleaners…”

“There is no need for such language, not that I would expect anything else. And why the concern for my son’s finances if you had no personal interest?”

“That’s it! I’ve had enough of you, lady. Obviously this call was a mistake. Now I know why Hutch has nothin’ to do with you.”

“Just remember, Mr. Starsky, you may think you have wormed your way into my son’s life, but sooner or later he’ll realize what kind of a person you are.”

“I’m hanging up now. Have a nice day.”

Starsky felt a chill at the remembered conversation, then glanced at his partner, who appeared deep in thought. Hutch could be the king of denial, but this was taking the cake.

“Just think about it first, Hutch. She coulda called to tell you about your dad, but she didn’t. So how come?”

“She was probably just respecting his wishes.”

Starsky gritted his teeth, wishing he could beat some sense into his stubborn partner.

“I still say you should leave it alone.”

“You know, not everyone is lucky enough to have a mother like yours, Starsk,” the blond said quietly. “My relationship with my mother might not meet your expectations, but she and Becca are all I have. Is it so wrong to try to reestablish ties with the only family I have left?”

“I’m your family. Ma’s your family. We’re always gonna be there for you, you know that.”

“I do, Starsk, I do,” Hutch reassured him. “But don’t begrudge me this, please. Let me try.”

“OK, Blintz, whatever you want.”

Silently Starsky acknowledged that he would be there to pick up the pieces afterwards.

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

“Mother?”

“Kenneth”

“How are you?”

“Fine, thank you for asking.”

“I’m sorry about Father.”

“Yes, I will miss him.”

There was silence on the line as Hutch tried to think of what to say. The conversation wasn’t going as he imagined it would.

“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked softly. “I would have come.”

“There was no need, Kenneth. He didn’t linger, which was surely a blessing. And you know he would not have wanted to see you.”

Hutch hung his head. Old wounds still had the power to inflict great pain.

“Does Becca know?”

“Your sister didn’t even bother to show up at the funeral. I could barely show my face in public after neither of our children showed up at your poor father’s funeral.”

“Mother, I said I would have come, if only I had been told. I know Father didn’t understand…”

“What was he supposed to understand, Kenneth? Your career choice? Your divorce? Your perversions?”

Hutch reeled at the tone of his mother’s voice. “What?”

“Just because we don’t hear from you, doesn’t mean that we don’t know what you’re doing. The private investigator…”

“W-w-wait one minute!” Hutch stammered, cursing himself. “You had me investigated?”

“Of course. We needed to be prepared for any further disgraces you might bring upon this family.”

“Disgraces?”

“Oh, Kenneth, don’t play coy now. We know all about that person you live with. I told your father we should do something about that man. After he called 3 years ago, I knew…”

“Are you talking about Starsky? He called you?”

“He called once when you were sick. He said it was because he wanted to let us know how you were, but I made it perfectly clear I knew what he was really calling for.”

“He never told me…”

“Of course he didn’t, Kenneth. He wouldn’t want you to know what he was really planning. And now, the Jew has exactly what he wanted: his hands on the Hutchinson money. The lawyers called to tell me what you had done. I just know my friends at the country club are going to hear about this…”

Hutch hung up the phone and stared at the wall. He felt enclosed in a block of ice. But freezing could be a good thing, he thought. When you were cold and numb, you couldn’t feel anything.

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

“Hutch?”

Starsky had been waiting in the living room, trying not to overtly listen, but overhearing his partner’s side of the conversation, nonetheless. Now he approached the blond man, wrapping his arms around him from behind. Hutch stayed perfectly still, not relaxing in his embrace as usual.

“I am so sorry, Hutch.”

“What did I expect? She always made it clear what a disappointment I was.”

“You could never be the kind of man she wanted you to be.”

Hutch’s head dropped. “I know.”

Starsky pulled back, forcibly turning his partner around to face him.

“You’re too damn good, Hutch. Way too good for the likes of them.”

“Maybe that’s what I was supposed to be.”

“I thank God every day that you’re not. Oh, Blondie, can’t you see what a good person you are? You’re the best partner, a faithful spouse, a wonderful lover, a kind and caring cop, and now the best father figure a boy named Danny could ever have.”

Hutch looked at his lover with shining eyes and a half smile.

“That sounds nice,” he replied, then continued. “But it still hurts, Starsk.”

“Yeah, buddy, I know.” The dark haired man pulled his lover into an embrace that was now accepted and returned. The two men stood holding each other, enjoying their closeness.

“C’mon, babe, let’s go outside and watch the stars come out.” Starsky withdrew from the embrace and pulled his partner along with him, out the back door, across the lawn which was lit only by the light shining out from the kitchen, and over to the hammock. “In ya go first, Blondie.”

The two men took turns getting into the rope hammock, then were forced by gravity into each other’s embrace. Starsky hung a leg over the side and pushed lightly so the hammock rocked softly.

After a few minutes, Hutch finally began speaking.

“You must think I was stupid to make that call.”

“No, I don’t. I do understand. I just wish I coulda saved you the pain.”

“She said you called. All those years ago, and you never told me.”

Starsky was quiet for a moment, then pushed off again with his foot.

“Yeah, well, the conversation left a lot to be desired.”

“No Rachel Starsky, is she?”

Starsky laughed, thrilled to hear his partner regaining his sense of humor.

“Now there’s a thought. Let’s send Ma to Duluth to straighten out your mother.”

The two men giggled together at the thought, laughing until their sides ached. Finally they were silent again, as they listened to the crickets chirping.

“I still don’t understand about Becca,” Hutch said quietly. “I know we haven’t seen each other for years, but I thought we were still friends.”

“Ma loves you like a son, you know that, babe. Right?”

“I know, Starsk, and I can’t tell you what that means to me.”

“So you don’t ever have to worry about family. You got plenty.”

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

One night about a week later, Hutch heard his partner slam the front door and he talked under his breath all the way to the kitchen.

“What’s the problem, Starsk?”

“Stupid kids. We were playing ball and look what fell out of someone’s pocket.” Starsky held up a joint. “No one would own up to it, but I think it belongs to that Murphy kid. He did have the grace to look a little guilty.”

“Probably more afraid you were gonna bust him.”

Starsky laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Well, I’ll go flush it.”

“Starsk, wait.”

“What?”

“Let’s smoke it.”

“Are you nuts?!?”

“C’mon, why not?”

“Hutch, I can think of three very good reasons.”

“Oh, yeah, what are they?”

“One, we’re cops, two we’re cops, and three…”

Hutch could see where this going. “We’re cops?”

“Exactly,” Starsky said firmly.

“We’re in the privacy of our own home. Who is it gonna hurt? And when was the last time you got high?”

Starsky mumbled something.

“What did you say?”

“I said I’ve never smoked pot before.”

Hutch was frankly very surprised. “Never undercover? Never in Nam?”

“Nope. Just never came up.”

“All the more reason then,” Hutch said, grabbing the joint out of his partner’s hand and ignoring the ‘hey!’ “You said you wanted to watch that Creature Feature tonight, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Let’s watch it stoned.”

“You know, Hutch, you have this kinky side to you.”

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

“I don’t think anything happened,” Starsky said as he turned his head towards his partner as the two sat close together on the couch. “I feel the same.” Then he burst out laughing, falling into Hutch.

Hutch followed suit and the two held each other as they convulsed with laughter. Finally they wound down, pulling away to lie back on the couch.

“What was so funny?”

“You know, I don’t remember.” The reply set off another bout of the giggles. When they calmed down, Starsky continued. “I guess it did work, huh?”

“Yeah, I’d say you’re stoned, buddy.”

The two men stared at the TV, while taking sips of their beer.

“Hutch?”

“Yeah?”

“Should we turn on the set?”

“Prob’ly be more interesting that way.”

Starsky hoisted himself off the couch and over to the set, turning it on. Upon his return, he straddled his partner’s lap, facing him.

“Gonna be hard to watch TV like this, Starsk.”

“Wanna make out?” the dark haired man asked, staring intently at his lover. “You are so beautiful,” he said dreamily, lightly tracing his fingers over Hutch’s features.

“Am not.”

“Are so,” Starsky replied, used to this response. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to his partner’s and reveled in the texture and taste. They drifted in the kiss for what seemed like hours, when Starsky finally pulled back. “Oh, God, you taste great.”

Hutch gazed up at him dreamily. “How ’bout some more, then?” he replied as he drew his lover back down. The kiss continued until Starsky tried talking during the kiss.

Hutch pulled back this time. “What are you saying?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Hmmmm, me too,” the blond replied, thinking Starsky was talking about the kiss.

“No, Hutch, I mean I’m really hungry.” He swung himself off of Hutch’s lap and headed towards the kitchen. “We got anything to eat?”

Hutch fell back against the couch with a groan.

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

He blearily watched the credits of the monster movie, then looked down at the body draped across his lap. His gaze continued over the coffee table and his stomach rolled as he saw the remains of their orgy of food strewn there.

Hutch continued to rub his partner’s exposed belly. Starsky had passed out a half-hour earlier, more from an excess of food rather than the drug, he was sure. He should have known that the munchies would affect his partner more than most. Not that he hadn’t consumed he share, Hutch thought wryly.

Better have the Pepto Bismol ready beside the bed, he thought, as his head fell back against the couch and his eyes drifted shut. Maybe later…

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

The doorbell rang. Hutch, sitting comfortably in the living room, put down the book he was reading and went to answer the door. Standing on the front porch was a tall well-built man with dark hair.

“May I help you?”

“Detective Hutchinson?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Bob Williams. Danny’s father?”

Hutch smiled and opened the screen door, gesturing him inside. He should have recognized the man. Taller than Hutch, he also had very dark hair worn long, just like his son. His features were enhanced with a neatly trimmed beard.

“Come in,” he said warmly, then shook the offered hand. “It’s so good to meet you. You want a beer or something?”

“Sure, thanks.”

“Let’s go out on the back porch, it’s through this way.”

Hutch led the other man down the hall and through the kitchen, stopping to pull out a couple of cold bottles of beer, then following the man out onto the porch. Hutch sat in the glider and the other man sat in the wooden Adirondack chair. Both men took a moment to open their bottles and take a swig of beer.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Hutch said.

“You!” Danny’s father exclaimed, then laughed. “All I hear is ‘Hutch said this’ and ‘Hutch did that’. I can call you Hutch?”

“Absolutely.”

“And I’m Bob.”

“Everything OK with Danny?” Hutch asked, although he had been expecting this visit.

“He’s fine. Great, it fact. I wanted to meet you awhile ago, but the job is taking up my whole life right now. You know how that is?” Hutch nodded in response, and Bob continued, “I feel like I’m neglecting my family and most particularly my son. But a man has to make a living, and this is my chance at a promotion I’ve been working towards for 5 years.”

“Danny says you’re an engineer?”

“Yes, I’m a chemical engineer, working out at the Stanley plant.”

“That must be where Danny gets his affinity for math.”

“They boy does get good grades,” Bob said proudly. “It was the athletics that always worried me.”

“I understand you were big in sports in college?”

“Yep, basketball in particular. I was worried that Danny never seemed interested. Sports are so important to a boy’s development, but I never have time to spend with him.”

“He was worried you were disappointed in him.”

“Dammit! I was afraid of that,” the older man said, then looked directly at Hutch. “I tried talking to him, you know? But every time I did, he took it as a criticism instead of what I really meant.”

“Ah, the mysteries of the teenage mind,” Hutch quipped and the two men laughed.

“I don’t know how you got through to him, Hutch, but I am forever in your debt. His self-esteem just continues to improve. And he’s a damn fine runner too.”

“I don’t think I did anything special,” Hutch responded. “I could talk to him without all those parent/child issues getting in the way. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a friend than a Dad.”

The two men were silent for a few minutes, enjoying their drinks and the quiet backyard.

“I had you checked out, you know,” Bob said quietly. “I hope you’re not offended, but when my boy started spending all his time over here, I wanted to make sure you guys were OK. I called Lieutenant Spencer. You know him?”

“Sure,” Hutch answered. Spencer was a good cop.

“He’s my wife’s brother. He said you boys are tough as nails, great cops, and also good guys. That was all I needed to hear.”

“He’s a good man, too. We’ve worked together several times.”

Bob stood up and Hutch rose to his feet as well.

“I better be getting back,” Bob said, following the blond man back into the kitchen. “Your partner home? I’d like to meet him too.”

“Nope, Starsky had to go to his aunt’s tonight to help her with some paperwork,” Hutch replied as they walked to the front door. “He’ll be sorry he missed you.”

“I’m sorry I missed him too, but I suspect we’ll catch up with each other eventually. Can’t miss that red Torino coming and going,” Bob teased and Hutch smiled in response. “Thanks for the beer. And thanks for spending time with Danny.”

“He’s a great kid, Bob,” Hutch responded. “I really enjoy his company. How about we give you a call and have you and your family come over for a barbecue sometime soon?”

“That would be great,” Bob said, walking out the door, then turned around. “I don’t know if I should say this or not, but I will anyway. The neighborhood was really glad that two cops bought this place. Makes ‘em feel safe. But there has been talk. Two guys buying a house together…”

“Really?” Hutch said noncommittally even as his heart speeded up. He and Starsky had been afraid of this, but were unwilling to give up their dream of home ownership.

“I just want you to know that there are those of us that don’t care, one way or another, you know what I mean?”

“I do,” the blond man said, very relieved. “Thanks. I mean that.”

“You’re welcome. See you around.”

“Yeah, bye.”

Hutch leaned against the doorframe watching the other man walk away, then closed the door. Looks like they had some good neighbors.

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

The ringing of the phone shattered the silence in the dark room. A muffled curse preceded an arm that reached out and grabbed the receiver, dragging it under the covers.

“‘Lo?…but Cap’n, we just got to bed…they weren’t there when we left…yeah, yeah, OK, we’ll be there…” the arm reappeared and fumbled around, dropping the receiver back on the phone with a clatter. The covers were thrown back and Starsky sat up, then looked over at the other side of the bed, where all that was visible of his partner was a thatch of blond hair. “Hey, Blondie, rise and shine.”

“Have we even been to bed yet?” Hutch whined. “I don’t believe this.”

“Well, believe it. Dobey says Ravanzo and Marsten have been spotted near the warehouse. He wants us to stake it out and see if they show up.” Hutch groaned and sat up. “Geez, you look terrible.”

“Thanks, buddy, you’re such a charmer.”

Starsky snorted in response, patting his rumpled partner on the head. In what had become a practiced routine during the last year for late night calls, Starsky rolled out of bed then headed down the stairs to start the coffee. Hutch would quickly dress, then they would pass each other on the stairs as Starsky returned to the bedroom to dress, while Hutch waited for the coffee to finish so he could fill their thermos.

Starsky was just putting the water into the coffee maker when he heard a shout.

“Starsk?”

“Yeah?” he yelled.

“Did you do the laundry?”

“Nope, it’s your turn,” he shouted, smiling. Hutch hated laundry, and put it off as long as possible. But fair was fair. He quickly got the coffee started and ran back up the stairs to find his frustrated partner rooting through the dresser drawer.

“I don’t have any clean underwear,” the blond complained.

“So go without,” Starsky replied, following his own advice, pulling worn jeans up over his bare butt.

“You know I hate not wearing underwear.”

“Yeah, I know,” the dark haired man’s reply was muffled as he pulled a t-shirt over his head. “C’mon, already, we’re gonna be late. Just wear some of mine. I have plenty.”

“No kidding,” Hutch scoffed. “You never wear it so it never gets dirty.” But he grabbed a pair of black bikini briefs, his partner’s preferred undergarment when he was forced to wear them. He quickly pulled them on.

“Turn around,” the sultry voice ordered. Surprised, the blond obeyed. “Oh, babe, you look hot in those. I love you in black.”

“Shut up,” his partner said, blushing, reaching for his own slacks.

Taking advantage of his own speed in dressing and his partner’s lateness, Starsky leaned against the doorframe, ogling the other man.

“No, I mean it, Hutch,” he teased. “Wear just those bikinis and your shoulder holster, and you couldn’t keep me offa ya.”

“I can’t keep you off of me now.”

“Complainin’?”

“Not a chance, Gordo, not a chance.”

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

Starsky squirmed around, trying to get comfortable, while Hutch stared placidly out the window.

“How can you sit there and pretend your ass ain’t gettin’ numb?”

“It’s not.”

The dark haired man turned and glared at his partner in the darkened car.

“You’re so full of shit, Hutch,” his partner commented. “It must be come kinda WASP thing. You can sit there and be just as uncomfortable as me, but act like your havin’ high tea.”

“It’s just a matter of self control,” Hutch teased, knowing just what to say to get his partner going. Anything for entertainment to relieve the boredom of a stakeout that just wouldn’t end.

“You saying I got no self control?” Starsky demanded.

“Did I say that?”

“Sure sounded like it from here,” the annoyed detective grumbled, now very well aware of what his partner was trying to do. This time he refused to take the bait. “You know, you keep picking on me, and you’re sleeping on the couch.”

Hutch laughed quietly, then looked around.

“Think they’re going to show?”

“They better,” Starsky responded with a sigh. “How long we been out here now total? Ten hours? Our whole evening shift and now we get to enjoy more time spent sitting on our cans while we should be sleeping. I sure want to catch those turkeys with their stash, but this is almost inhuman.”

“Sooner or later, we’ll get them.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s the later that’s gettin’ to me,” the dark haired man replied. “You want to get some shuteye while I take the first shift?”

Hutch looked over at his partner fondly. He really did look tired.

“I think you need sleep more than I do right now. But first I want to tell you something.”

Starsky looked over as he heard the serious tone in his partner’s voice.

“What’s up?”

“I did something and didn’t tell you and now I think I should have before I did it.” He looked up at Starsky as he realized what he said and they both started to chuckle. “That made me sound about 12 years old, didn’t it?”

“You been hangin’ around Danny too much,” his partner teased. “Just tell me.”

“I paid off the mortgage,” Hutch said quietly, looking out the window.

“You paid off our mortgage? With your trust?”

“Our trust,” Hutch said, now meeting his partner’s gaze, trying to gauge his response. “What’s yours and mine is ours, buddy.”

“Yeah, but yours is a hell of lot more than mine.”

“Maybe financially, Starsk, but you contributed something much more valuable to our partnership.”

“If you say my body, I might agree with you,” Starsky smiled at his partner’s little snort in response. “But somehow I don’t think that’s what you mean.”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” the blond said, getting serious. “It’s your mother.”

“Ma?” Starsky said with surprise.

“Starsk, you don’t know how much it means to have a parent who loves you unconditionally. You’ve had that all your life. But for me, every relationship I’ve had came with conditional love. They might love me if I were a better student, a varsity ball player, a college graduate, a lawyer, a doctor, whatever. That continued with Van.” He stopped a moment, realizing he was blurting out the words. Starsky reached over and placed a comforting hand on his thigh. “Then there was you. You loved me exactly as I was, warts and all.” Starsky started to interrupt him, but Hutch shushed him. “When I first talked to your mother, I was so nervous. I already knew I loved you. And so did she.”

Starsky nodded in agreement. “She did. Even before I did.”

“She accepted me as another son and just…loved me.”

“Ma does love you, Blondie. Just like I do, warts and all,” he teased.

“So I figured I’d tell you about the mortgage before I did the other thing that I want to do but don’t want to do without telling you.”

Starsky held up a hand. “Just say it, will ya? You’re giving me a headache.”

“It think we should set up an annuity for your mother.”

“Annuity?”

“Starsk, I know you send her money to help with her rent, and you worry about her making ends meet on your father’s pension. What about if we set up an annuity that would generate enough monthly income to pay her rent for the rest of her life?”

“You sure you want to do that?” Starsky said, his voice all tight, the way Hutch knew it sounded when he was all emotional but trying to control it.

“I do.”

“You…I mean, we got enough money for this?”

“I’ll talk to the accountants, but Starsk, we haven’t even touched the principal yet.”

“If you think we can afford it,” Starsky said shyly, “then I think it would be great.”

Hutch smiled, realizing it was all going to work out. “Sorry I didn’t ask you about the mortgage.”

“You think I’m gonna complain? I like being a kept man,” Starsky teased, then he continued more seriously. “Oh, by the way, I’ve got something for you.” Starsky reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper, which he handed to his partner.

Hutch unfolded the paper and looked at it. “What are all these numbers?”

“It’s a telephone number.”

“For who, the Dali Lama?”

“For Becca.”

Hutch looked up in surprise. “Really?” Starsky nodded. “How did you find her?”

“I’m a detective, aren’t I? How good would I be if I couldn’t find my partner’s sister?”

Hutch didn’t say anything for a few moments while he stared at the number. “I’m not sure I’ll call.”

“I know,” his partner responded. “But just in case.”

Hutch put the slip of paper into his pocket. “Just in case. Thanks.” After a few moments of silence he asked, “You want to crash in back?”

“Nah, I think I’ll sit up here with you for awhile.” Both men smiled and sat quietly in the dark. At least stakeout had the fringe benefit of time spent together.

After another 20 minutes had passed, punctuated by quiet conversation, Hutch saw a flash of light up ahead of the Torino.

“I saw it too,” Starsky whispered. “You think it’s them, finally?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll go check it out,” Hutch responded quietly. “Is the overhead light off?”

At his partner’s nodded response, Hutch slowly opened his door and slipped out, pushing it closed behind him, taking care not to create any more noise than necessary. He moved towards the front of the Torino and the source of the unknown light. Just as he cleared the end of the car, a bullet flew past his head, so close he would later swear he felt a breeze from it. Instinct kicked in and he dropped hard to the pavement, momentarily losing his wind at the impact. At the same time he heard glass breaking, but was unable to immediately move.

Relieved at hearing his partner’s voice calling for back up, he looked around cautiously for the source of the gunfire. He realized the light had come from a car that had been parked by the next warehouse, but was now speeding away.

“Hutch!” Starsky ran over to him in a crouch. “Oh, God, are you alright?”

“You called it in?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the detective said impatiently, looking his partner over and checking for blood. “Are you hit?”

“No, just winded.”

Starsky sat down on the pavement in relief. “You scared the shit outta me.”

“You? How do you think I feel? It’s my head the bullet just missed.”

“Yeah, well it’s my headlight that just got smashed.”

The usual bantering helped the two men decompress after yet another close call. As they heard the sirens in the distance getting closer, Starsky helped a groaning partner to his feet.

“We’re gettin’ too old for this.”

“You can say that again.”

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

“We’re gettin’ too old for this,” Starsky said, as they walked into the house through the garage entrance at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. “I’m so tired, I think I’m gonna puke.”

“Let me use the bathroom first, will you? My bladder is about to burst.”

“Use the one down here,” Starsky said around a giant yawn. “I’ll puke upstairs.”

“OK”

Hutch finished up quickly, then headed slowly up the stairs to bed, feeling his muscles protest every movement. As he stepped into their bedroom, he smiled when he saw his partner sprawled face down across their king size bed. He obviously hadn’t even made it as far as the bathroom nor had he removed any clothing, with the exception of one sneaker which had apparently fallen off on it’s own, as the wearer’s feet hung off the end of the bed.

The blond walked over and removed the other sneaker as well as both socks, then decided to leave him be. He had seen this before and knew that by morning, his partner would have managed to remove any remaining clothing on his own. They would find the pieces flung around the room in the morning.

‘Thank God Dobey had gave us tomorrow off,’ Hutch thought as he pulled off his shirt, then quickly stripped off the rest of his clothing, sitting on the side of the bed to remove his socks, the last of his clothes. ‘The sixteen hour days just don’t come as easy as they used to.’ It was his last thought as he laid down and immediately dropped off to sleep.

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

When he opened his eyes again, the sun was up and he groaned and tried to roll over, but couldn’t. His now naked partner was draped against his side, softly snoring into his shoulder. Hutch glanced over at the clock and realized it was almost noon. He maneuvered his arm behind Starsky and began to stroke the soft curls that surrounded his face.

“Hmmm, that feels good,” his partner said, his voice rough with sleep. He buried his face further into the shoulder that supported him, then rolled back slightly, looking up at Hutch. “With the light behind you, you look like an angel.”

Hutch laughed even as he blushed. Starsky draped one leg across his partner’s thighs and began a slow rolling of his hips, pressing his hard cock rhythmically into hard muscle.

“No holy thoughts for you, little boy,” the blond teased, his own morning erection stiffening further at the erotic contact. They started many mornings like this, one of the many benefits of waking up with man instead of a woman. The morning hornies were usually mutual, with no coaxing or foreplay necessary to get them started.

Starsky groaned, knowing he wouldn’t last long. He shifted himself on top of his partner, who reached up to hold him. Their erections were quickly aligned as their hips began to press into one another.

“C’mon, babe, do it,” Hutch ordered, grabbing the other man’s ass and urging on the motion they both needed for completion. Starsky obeyed, and moved faster, dropping his head down for a kiss. Their mouths met, then quickly parted, as both men panted, straining towards climax. Hutch finished first, arching up, every muscle taut as he felt the sweet ecstasy claim his body. The evidence of his release provided lubrication for his partner, who moved faster and faster, then suddenly stiffened, arching his neck back and groaning with his own climax.

Starsky relaxed on top of his now damp partner, then shifted slightly to the side, taking his weight off Hutch, as they returned to a facsimile of their waking positions. Completely sated, he dropped his head onto the blond’s shoulder and Hutch heard the soft snore begin again. He thought briefly about getting up to wash up, but he also fell quickly into sleep.

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

“You didn’t have to help with the laundry,” Hutch said as the two men stood in the laundry room, folding clothes right out of the dryer.

“I know, but you made dinner…or would that be considered breakfast?”

“Only you would consider lasagna breakfast,” Hutch teased. “But I have to say it is the height of decadence rolling out of bed at 3 in the afternoon.

“Hey, we rolled in at…what was it, something like 4 or 5?” Starsky asked. “I don’t know how you got the energy to just whip up that wonderful meal.”

Hutch smiled, then closed the dryer door, picking up the full laundry basket and following his partner out into the hall.

“I had that lasagna already made,” he said, walking towards the stairs. “I just had to take it out of the freezer and put it in the oven.”

“I guess you’re right,” Starsky said with a toss of his head. “Next time do the laundry yourself.”

The blond haired man laughed and started up the stairs to put away the clothes. “I’ll meet you outside.”

“It’s a date.”

Hutch quickly finished with the clothes, then looked out the bedroom window at the night shrouded backyard. He could just barely see his partner in the hammock, which swung slowly back and forth. It was their favorite spot, now that the nights had turned warm. The perfect place to snuggle and talk and watch the stars come out.

He moved quickly down the stairs, anxious to join Starsky. He grabbed two bottles of beer, then walked out onto the porch, closing the kitchen door behind him. Walking down the stairs and across the lawn, he soon stood beside the lounging man in the rocking hammock.

“Beer?” he offered, holding out both bottles, which Starsky quickly took. “Hold on, I’m climbing in.” He proceeded to use what had become a practiced move, and joined his partner, then took back one of the bottles. Both men took a swig and said “Ahhhh” at the same time, then laughed softly.

“That’s not a bad move for an old man,” Starsky teased. “You shoulda been a gymnast.”

“Now I suppose you’ll want to get me in all sorts of exotic positions.”

“Could you?” the dark haired man responded, then grunted at the elbow that hit him in the ribs. “Nothing wrong with asking.”

The men were silent as they listened to the sound of the nightly symphony of insects and frogs. They were completely relaxed as they sipped from their bottles.

“Hutch?”

“Yeah?”

“You get that bruise on your hip when you hit the ground last night?”

The blond sighed, expecting this. Starsky could be more of a Jewish mother than Rachel Starsky. “It’s not that bad.”

“It’s not that good either,” his partner replied. “It’s all purple and black and gross. Looks terrible.”

“I’m fine, Starsk, stop worrying.”

Starsky was quiet for a moment, then said softly, “How can I not worry? Every time it seems closer and closer. We tease about getting older, but we are. Our reflexes ain’t what they used to be.”

“We’re not ready for the retirement home yet,” the blond replied firmly.

“You ever think about it?”

“What, retiring?”

“Yeah,” Starsky said. “Like how will we know when to give it up.”

“I think we’ll know,” Hutch said reassuringly. “I’m not ready to stop yet, are you?”

“No, but I can’t help thinking about it. Especially when one of us has a close call, like today.” After a moment of silence, he continued, “I can’t lose ya, Blondie. I won’t.”

“It’s not going to happen, Starsk, I promise.”

“You can’t promise…” his words were cut off by a hand across his mouth. He turned to stare into a beloved face.

“I promise,” his partner asserted. “I always keep my promises.”

Starsky looked at him intensely and they could almost feel the connection between them like electricity in the air. It had always been like that. Somehow knowing what his partner said was true, but without knowing how, he nodded in agreement and the hand was removed. The two men relaxed,and the hammock began to rock again as Starsky used his foot hanging over the side to keep it going.

“So when we’re ready, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Hutch answered. “I’ve thought about it a little. We won’t have to work full time if we don’t want to.”

“We can afford that?”

“Yes. Or we could travel.”

“I don’t know, Blondie,” Starsky teased. “You know I like my own bathroom.” He smiled when he heard Hutch snort in laughter. “It would be nice to see some places, but neither one of us is cut out for a life of leisure.”

“Very true,” Hutch agreed. “So maybe we should start thinking about it seriously. So we’ll be ready when the time comes.”

“OK,” his partner replied. “Can I do something for that hip?”

Hutch sighed, knowing Starsky wouldn’t let it drop. “Dr. Starsky, I have this bruise…”

Starsky smiled at the familiar game. “So, how did you get this injury, and in such an…intimate place?” He reached out and caressed the body part in question. “Hmmm, feels…stiff,” he said as his hand drifted further away from the hip. “And it appears to be swollen.” Hutch gasped at the grip that had now turned firm and that was most definitely not on his hip. “I think I can help you with this, Mr. Hutchinson.”

“I’d be forever grateful, Dr. Starsky,” Hutch said, breathing more heavily. “Sometimes it aches.”

“I imagine it would,” his partner said, barely keeping a straight face. “Now if you just turn your head and cough…”

Now instead of the sounds of night creatures, the yard rang out with their joined laughter.

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

“I’ll get you my pretties,” Starsky called in a high pitched voice, then ran over and picked up the lawn sprinkler, aiming at the shrieking girls. They squealed as the cold water hit their skin, then took off across the yard, Starsky and Danny in hot pursuit.

Hutch watched the performance, then turned to his guests with a smile. “Kids. What can you do?”

Bob and Sandy Williams laughed at his comment. The three were sitting in scattered lawn chairs at the base of the porch stairs. Starsky had put a radio on the back porch, and soft rock music drifted in the air. The grill was set off to the side, and the charcoal was burning, working it’s way towards a good cooking temperature.

“We’re so glad you asked us over,” Sandy replied. She was a petite woman, standing only about five feet tall. She had light brown hair and hazel eyes. Despite her size, Hutch already knew her to be a dynamo, having heard from Danny about the way she ran her household, and controlled three kids and an oft absent husband. “Danny has been looking forward to this.”

“Yeah, Starsky too,” Hutch replied. “He always likes to have other kids over to play.” The three laughed again, then he asked, “Can I get you anything else? We’ll be putting the hamburgers and hot dogs on in another half hour or so.”

“No, I’m fine,” Bob answered, then looked down at his wife. “You need anything, hon?”

“I’m fine too, Hutch, thanks,” Sandy replied. “We just can’t keep thanking you, can we?” She looked out at the backyard chase and smiled. “He’s a changed boy, I can tell you that. We were all so miserable. Now look at him.”

Hutch smiled, also watching the chase. “He’s a good kid, Sandy. He just needed some confidence.” Then he turned to face the couple. “And it’s not all one sided. He’s been good for me too.” They all shared a smile, then the phone rang inside the house. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He stood up and ran up the steps to answer the phone in the kitchen.

“Hello?” Hutch said breathlessly, then tears sprung into his eyes when he heard the voice. “Becca?”

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

Starsky finally put the sprinkler down, then left the kids to play, telling them he needed to catch his breath. He walked up the lawn then dropped into a chair next to the visiting couple.

“I don’t know how you do it, Sandy. They’re exhausting!”

“You don’t know half of it, Dave,” she replied, smiling. “This is when they’re in a good mood. You should hear them when they’re whiny.”

Starsky held up a hand. “Please. Not right before I eat.” And they all laughed. “Hey, where’s Hutch?”

“He went inside about ten minutes ago when the phone rang,” Bob replied. “He might be getting the meat ready for the grill. I wonder if he needs help.” He started to rise, but sat again as Starsky waved him down.

“I’ll go see what’s up,” he replied, standing himself. “You two just relax and watch out for those hooligans of yours.”

He ran up the stairs and into the kitchen, surprised that his partner wasn’t there. “Hutch?” he called.

“I’m in here.” Starsky followed the sound of the voice into the living room, where he found his partner staring out the living room window.

“Is everything OK?” he asked. Hutch turned around in response and Starsky could see he’d been crying. He reached out and pulled him into a loose embrace. “Hey, babe, what’s wrong?”

Hutch laughed, his voice hoarse, and pulled back to look at his partner. “Nothing’s wrong,” he said. “Everything’s right.” Then he laughed again.

“OK, now you’re just actin’ weird,” his partner replied. “Tell me.”

“Becca called.”

“She did?” Starsky said, very surprised. “What did she say?”

“We only talked for a little while,” he replied. “I told her we had company and that I’d call back tonight. But we’re good. She thought I knew about the funeral and everything. Mother lied to her, told her all kinds of terrible things about us.” Hutch took a deep breath. “As soon as we started talking, it was just like the old days. We could both feel it.”

“Oh, babe, that’s great!” Starsky replied, thrilled at his partner’s joy.

“And that’s not even the best part,” Hutch continued. “I haven’t told you the biggest news of all.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m an uncle,” Hutch said, almost shyly. “Me! I have a nephew and a niece I never even knew about!”

Starsky pulled his partner into an embrace, slapping him on the back. “Congratulations, Blondie. I can’t think of anyone who’ll be a better uncle than you.”

The two partners remained in the embrace for a few moments, then pulled back for a quick kiss. Suddenly they heard a cough, then jumped away from each other.

“Ah, ah, ah, not in front of the children.”

Danny stood in the doorway, watching them with a smile.

The two men exchanged panicked looks. Clearly neither knew what to say. Starsky decided it was Hutch’s job and inclined his head toward Danny, silently telling Hutch to respond. Hutch lifted an eyebrow, promising retribution later, then turned to the smiling youth.

“Danny, this isn’t what it looks like.”

“No?” the boy said, a feigned look of surprise on his face. “What was it then?” Danny was not going to pass up this opportunity to tease while he had it. “You weren’t kissing? I thought I saw…”

“We were kissing,” Hutch said, trying to be calm. “But it didn’t mean anything.” Starsky snorted. “I mean, I had some good news. And Starsk was just congratulating me…”

While his partner was blithering, Starsky looked more closely at the boy, finally realizing this was no surprise.

“Never mind, Blondie, he already knew.”

Hutch stopped talking, then looked at Danny. “You knew?”

“I’ve known almost since I met you.”

“You did?” They both said simultaneously.

“So what’s the big deal?”

“Right,” Hutch said. “No big deal. Hey, why didn’t you say anything?”

“It’s your private business,” Danny replied. “I’m not a little kid.”

Hutch smiled, relaxing. “Definitely not.” Exchanged a quick look with his partner, he continued. “Apparently you’re a little more mature than we thought. Well, let’s get back outside before your folks think we’ve deserted them. Starsk, can you grab the plate of burgers and dogs?”

As the three walked towards the kitchen, there was a knock at the front door. Hutch was closest, so he turned to go answer it. Opening the door, he was greeted by a group of three teens.

“Hi, boys.”

“Hey, Detective Hutchinson. Can Danny and Dave come out and play?”

Hutch smiled, then turned to look at the man and boy standing in the kitchen doorway. He could have lit the house with the smile that graced Danny’s face.

Turning back, he replied, “We’re just about to have some lunch. You guys want some burgers? I’m sure we have enough.”

“Sure! Thanks!” The three boys walked quickly past Hutch and down the hall, meeting up with Danny. The four boys began talking a mile a minute, and soon they were out the door and in the backyard, shouting and chasing each other.

Starsky and Hutch stood at the back door side by side, watching the romping teens. Bob turned his chair to glance back at them with a big smile, giving them a thumbs up, before turning back to watch the boys get hold of the sprinkler.

“You did a fine job, Ollie,” Starsky said, patting Hutch on the shoulder. “You should be all ready for that that niece and nephew now.”

“I can’t wait.”

END

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Chapter End Notes:

The Third Story in the series is Transitions.