By Otterlady (06/29/99)
 
 

He sat staring morosely into his glass. He had come to Huggy's with every intention of getting as drunk as possible to wipe this whole day out of his mind. But now that he was here, he just didn't feel it was worth the effort. He wanted nothing more than to go back and change everything that had happened. If he had only one more chance…

Hutch had started the fight.
 

It was one of those days when the smog hung thick over the city. The air was still and practically unbreathable. A weather system had parked itself up against the mountains several days before and wasn't budging an inch. Having been in the city since he was a young teen-ager, Starsky was more or less used to this type of thing, but his partner found it intolerable. Even after being in southern California for all these years, the mid-western native still wasn't used to the heat, the smell, the way the whole city slowed to a crawl to avoid breathing more of the polluted air than it had to. He was miserable and he didn't care who knew it.

That morning had been the fourth in a row that the smog buried the city. Each day Hutch had become, along with most of the rest of the populace, more short-tempered, grouchier and basically just plain nasty. Starsky had thought that if he did something nice for his partner maybe it would make him a little happier. There was a new vegetarian café that had just opened on their usual route to the police station. He was going to treat Hutch to breakfast and try not to gag at the thought of eating bean sprouts and seaweed so early in the day.

Hutch started in on Starsky almost before he was in the car. He complained about his tardiness, about the fact that he had been kept waiting for ten minutes, about Starsky's inconsideration. Starsky ignored him. He had heard it all before and knew that Hutch didn't really mean any of it. It had become, over time, almost a mantra for his partner to help prepare him for the day.

Hutch had seemed pleased when they pulled up in front of the café and Starsky informed him that breakfast was on him. Luckily, for the non-vegetarian Starsky, it was not a Vegan eatery. They had dairy-based items on the menu as well as the seaweed stuff he was dreading. Entranced by the idea of a breakfast burrito made with eggs, cheese, and lots of onions he ordered two. Hutch choose a yogurt and fruit combination and a glass of green stuff that his squeamish friend didn't want to know about.

Once back in the car they ate in silence for a few minutes until the blond made a rude comment about the smell of the burrito and his partner's choice of food. He then compounded the insult by throwing his empty glass in the back seat. Unfortunately, the glass wasn't completely empty. Starsky watched in horror as the dregs splashed a green smear on the upholstery of the backseat. Turning to glare at Hutch he opened his mouth to ream out his partner when Hutch beat him to it.

"Oh, for God's sake, Starsky! You've had worse things spilt on that seat than a little protein drink. And if you weren't so anal about this stupid car, you'd be a far more content person. Do you know how much I hate driving around in this glorified parade float every day? You treat it like it was a human being or something. Sometimes I think you're a little weird. You're in love with this hunk of metal. And that's just plain sick." Hutch suddenly realized that he had gone too far when he saw the look on his friend's face. But he was in too foul of a mood to care. He shut-up and turned his back on the other man.

Starsky could forgive Hutch anything but when he attacked his car so harshly he felt like he had been punched. And even a physical blow would have been forgiven and would have hurt less. His partner knew how he felt about the Torino. It was his pride and joy and the first thing that he had really owned and the one thing that most expressed his sense of being. Maybe it was a 'macho' thing and maybe just a little childish, and yes, maybe even a bit anal, but he loved this damn car and nothing Hutch could say would change that. There were only three things in his life that he loved more. Being a cop, his Mom and Hutch. Not necessarily in that order.

But right now he was so angry and so hurt by his friend's tirade that he didn't dare say anything to him. If he had, he knew they would have gotten into a shouting match and that in the mood Hutch was in it wouldn't have solved anything. He had been putting up with that bad mood all week and tried to be as good a friend as he could be to his snarly partner and this was the thanks he got. Well, if that's the way Hutch wanted to be then that's the way he was going to be too.

A stony silence filled the car.

Hutch knew that he should apologize to his friend. Why do you say things to him like that? You know you don't really mean them. He berated himself. You can be such an ass sometimes, Hutchinson. He turned in his seat and glanced over at his partner. Starsky was methodically finishing off his breakfast, burrito in one hand, coffee in the other. His face had the closed look of a locked door. He was studiously ignoring Hutch and if the surrounding air hadn't been so hot, the chill from the driver's side would have made the car feel like winter in Minnesota.

He knew that he was being unreasonable, that Starsky had nothing to do with the real reason he was so miserable. He hated this weather. He couldn't even go for his morning run on the beach because the air was so thick. He wasn't sleeping well because of the heat and air conditioning only could do so much. Why he picked on his friend was simple. Starsky would take it. Anyone else would have walked away from him if he had treated them the way he sometimes treated his partner. Others would have punched his lights out. But not Starsky. Starsky knew that Hutch didn't really mean half of what he said to him. It was the way he worked out his frustrations with the job, with city living, with people in general. And Starsky knew that the reverse was also true. When he was fed up with the world or something had disappointed him he could take it out on Hutch and his friend would simply let him.

But every once in a while, one of them would cross a line and really hurt the other one. And, unfortunately, today had been one of those times.

Before Hutch could make up his mind about apologizing, the silence was broken by the dispatcher's voice. "Zebra three, Zebra three, Hostage situation at 3^rd and Walsh. Uniforms at scene."

Hutch grabbed the mike and acknowledged the call. Starsky crumpled the wrappings from his breakfast and tossed both them and the coffee cup out the window. Checking his mirror for oncoming traffic he pulled out and roared down the street, his partner slapping the mars light on the roof. The sound of sirens filled the void inside the Torino.
 
 

Arriving at the scene the two detectives put their personal feelings aside and slipped into their cop mode. There were two black-and-whites parked in front of a three-story apartment building. Four uniformed officers were crouched down behind one along with a young, frightened-looking woman. One of the uniforms turned towards the Torino and gestured for the two detectives to stay low. Starsky and Hutch quickly ran over to the other officers.

"What's up, Johnson?" Asked Hutch, recognizing the senior uniform.

"Subject is holed up in the corner apartment, second floor. He's got two little kids up there with him." At that, the two detectives exchanged glances. They hated any situation that involved children. Johnson continued, "This is Abigail Smithers, the babysitter." Turning to the young woman, "Abby, tell Sgt.'s Starsky and Hutchinson what happened."

The obviously shaken woman wiped tears from her face and took a deep breath. "He pushed his way into the apartment and literally threw me out the door. He's the children's father." At the questioning look from Hutch she added, "His name is Steve Lacey. He and Joanne, that's his wife, are going through a real messy divorce. She left him and took the kids about two months ago. Since then, he's lost his job and I guess he's been making threats to Joanne. I've known the family for years. Joanne and I went to school together. I can't believe he'd hurt the children. I know he adores them." She paused to catch her breath and to wipe away more tears. "Thank God that my own kids are in school! I'd hate to think what would have happened if they all would have been here. Anyway, he told me to get Joanne over here. So I ran down to the neighbours and called you guys. Then I called Joanne. She works at Myers' Department store across the freeway. It'll be a while till she gets here."

Hutch needed to ask some questions. "Is he armed?"

"Yes, he had his gun with him. He brought it back from the army with him. I don't know what kind it is. It just looked big."

"Can you give me an idea of the lay-out of the apartment?"

Hutch continued with his careful questioning of the upset Abby. Starsky gestured to Johnson to follow him towards the back of the police car. The two officers kept low and duck-walked towards the trunk. "Tell me what you know." Starsky asked.

"Not much more than what she told you. From what little we could get out of him over the phone he wants his wife to come and talk with him. He sounded to me like he'd been drinking or was on something. He was slurring his words. He has no criminal record, not even a traffic ticket. We asked for you two because he said he knows you, Starsky. Asked for you by name." This surprised the detective. He searched his memory for the name of Steve Lacey, but came up blank. He'd have to ask Hutch.

Johnson continued, "He fired a couple of shots at us when we pulled up but I don't think he really meant to hit us, just wanted us to know he meant business. This place is the wife's apartment. Abigail lives a couple of blocks over and looks after the kids for Joanne while she's at work. It seems like it was a fluke that they were here today; usually they go to Abigail's place. One of the kids wasn't feeling good so they decided to leave them here. The kids are five and three, boy and girl respectively. I don't think he's hurt them. When I talked to him on the phone I could hear them in the background and they were just making kid noises, not crying or anything."

Starsky considered this information. He peered over the top of the trunk at the building. The front was very exposed; there would be no sneaking up on him from that side. "Is there a back entrance we can get to?" He asked.

"Yeah, there's a patrol car and a couple of fellows back there, but we've been waiting to see what you wanted to do. Didn't want to spook him by having a bunch of cops running around in the halls." Johnson replied

"Good. Can you patch me through to him?"

It took a few minutes to get Lacey on the phone. When he answered, his voice did sound slurred but there was something familiar in it. Starsky wished he could remember from where he knew this guy. "Steve? It's Dave Starsky. They tell me you were asking for me." Get him talking, maybe he'd remember.

"Dave! Old buddy, I knew you'd come if I asked for ya. Is Joanne here yet?"

"No, not yet. She's got to come across town. It may take her a few minutes. What say you come on down here and we'll talk." Starsky knew that he wouldn't go for it, but he had to try.

"No can do, buddy. Why don't you come up here? I can't let you in but we can talk through the door. I sure would like to see you after all these years. God, it's been a long time. Come up, Dave. I promise to behave." With that, Lacey broke the connection.

Starsky considered his options. He could go up there and try to talk this guy out. If that didn't work, maybe he could get the drop on him. The main priority was to get the children out, unharmed. Anything else would just be frosting on the cake. He went back over to his partner to fill him in. Hutch didn't like any of it, but had to agree that Starsky going up to talk seemed like the only thing they could do. He did insist, however, that Starsky put on a bulletproof vest. The uniforms had an extra one in the trunk of their car. Sneaking around to the back to retrieve it took some maneuvering but Johnson finally got it and handed it to the curly-haired detective. Starsky hated these things. They were heavy and bulky. It made him feel clumsy. But it was better than getting shot.

Hutch helped him get into the vest. They contacted Lacey again and told him that they both would be coming into the building, but only Starsky would come up to talk with him. They instructed the two officers in the back to enter the building, but stay out of sight. By this time, more police were on site, these ones armed with scopes and more prepared for a hostage situation than the original officers had been. These also took positions in the building. Taking a deep breath the two officers proceeded into the building.

Working his way up the staircase, Starsky paused at the second landing. The Lacey apartment was at the top of the stairs, it's doorway just slightly to one side so there was no clear view from the apartment down the staircase. This was to the police's advantage. Unless Lacey came right out into the hall he wouldn't see the police in the stairwell.

Starsky looked back over his shoulder at Hutch. Hutch raised his eyebrows in a question. Starsky shook his head, no and made a staying motion with his hand. Then looking back up past the doorway, he gestured that he was going to go up the hall and check out the lay of the land.

Just then, the apartment door popped open a crack and a gun barrel appeared. "Dave, is that you?" Lacey's voice from behind the gun.

"Yeah, Steve. I've come to talk to you. Can I come up?" Starsky edged up the stairwell a little further until he was sure that Lacey could see him.

"You'll have to leave your gun there, Dave. There's no way you're coming any further with it. I remember how good you are with one of those." Lacey laughed, a rather scary sound. That's when Starsky remembered him. The two of them had served in the army together. They had never really got along. Now he was worried. What the hell, does he want? The thought went through Starsky's mind.

Starsky slowly pulled his gun from its holster strapped around the vest. Lifting it in the air so Lacey could see it, he slowly laid it down on the step above him. Holding his hands at chest level, he reassured the man on the other side of the door. "I've laid down my gun, Steve. Can we talk now?" Slowly he took a step upwards.

A bullet hit the wall by his head, just missing him. He threw himself down on the stairs and grabbed for his gun. Another shot rang out, this one ricocheting down the stairwell. There was the sound of bodies hitting the floor and a muffled curse. Starsky looked over his shoulder, down the stairs.

There on the landing below, was his partner, lying still with blood on his face.

*********

God! Hutch! Starsky silently called to his partner. He started to rise to go to him when Lacey fired another shot. Pinned down he watched as one of the SWAT team scuttled over to the still man. As he touched him on the neck, checking for a pulse, Hutch stirred. Starsky breathed a sigh of relief. The blond batted the officer's hand away and sat up. The other cop helped him to edge back against the wall out of the line of fire.

Lacey seemed to lose interest in taking pot shots at him and closed the door. Starsky crawled backwards down the stairs, one riser at a time. Reaching his partner, he crouched down beside him. Hutch stilled looked a little dazed but there was no sign of real trauma. Taking his partner's chin in his hand, Starsky turned his head so that he could see where the blood was coming from. There was a small cut over his eyebrow, but it had already stopped bleeding.

"You okay?" Starsky whispered.

"Yeah, hurts a bit. When I dove for the floor, I smacked my head on that step. Knocked the breath out'a me. Stupid thing to do." Hutch smiled self-consciously.

"God, Hutch, I thought you'd been shot. Don't scare me like that!" Starsky's fear had turned into relieved anger. Anger at Lacey for turning the stairwell into a shooting gallery and anger at his partner for scaring him. But mostly anger at himself for reading the signs all wrong.

"Well, next time I'll do my best to actually get shot, if it'll make you happy!" Hutch snapped. The two glared at each other for a minute until the SWAT team leader interrupted them.

"It's your show, guys. What do you want to do now?"

"I guess we'd better pull back until I can contact him and find out what the hell he thinks he's doing." Starsky replied.

Hutch looked at his partner through narrowed eyes. "How does he know you, Starsky? What's he mad enough at you about to set this up? Not to mention, endanger his kids."

Starsky sighed. "We went through basic training together. We were never friends but we weren't enemies either. I haven't seen him since boot camp. We were in different units and mine was shipped out before his. I have no idea how this whole thing has anything to do with me." He was suddenly very tired. The adrenaline that had kept him going during the shooting was gone. He was tired of people endangering his life and his partner's. But most of all he was tired of feeling scared. Scared for those two little kids upstairs with a crazy man, scared for his partner, scared for himself. And scared of not setting things right in case…

Shaking himself, he tuned to the team leader. "Pull your men back down to the first floor. Do you have sharpshooters set up outside?" Receiving a nod, he continued. "My partner and I'll go back outside and try to call Lacey. See if we can't figure out some way of getting those kids out of there before he goes off again."

The group quickly left the stairwell, the SWAT team taking up positions around the first floor. Starsky and Hutch hurried out the back door to the police vehicles parked in the alley. Hutch was weaving a little as they came out into the sunlight. His partner gripped his elbow and pushed him up against the side of a cruiser.

"You okay?"

Hutch shook himself free of his friend's hand "Yeah, my heard hurts is all. I'm fine. Leave me alone, Starsky." He didn't look nor sound fine. His colour was off and his face was damp with sweat.

Starsky just shook his head at him. "Yeah, right. Look, why don't you sit down in the car here for a minute while I try and talk to Lacey?" Turning to one of the patrol cops manning the alley, he asked, "Do you think you could round up some water for my partner here? And could you dig out your first aid kit for me?" Taking the kit out of the trunk of his patrol car, the young officer handed it to Starsky then went down the alley in search of the asked for water.

Hutch, still leaning against the car, stared defiantly at Starsky. The events in the stairwell had not softened his mood. If anything, he was in a more foul temper than before. He didn't like getting shot at for one and while he knew that his partner's concern and even his reaction to Hutch's little 'accident' was justified he didn't like it either. This mood he was in was a strange one even to him. It seemed to feed on itself and no matter how much he rationalized, he couldn't help reacting negatively to any overture of peace from his friend. And that made him angry at himself which made him angry with Starsky which made him angry at himself….. It was a vicious circle and he didn't know how to break it.

Poking about in the first aid kit, Starsky found some antibiotic cream and a small bandage. Ignoring his friend's grumblings and baleful looks, he forced Hutch to sit down in the front seat of the cruiser. Accepting the water that the patrol cop brought him he dipped a piece of cotton into it and proceeded to clean the cut. Hutch winced and swore but held still for the rest of Starsky's ministrations. Finally satisfied with his handiwork, Starsky handed Hutch the cup of water and two aspirin from the first aid kit. The blond made a face at the few cotton fibers floating on the surface of the water but after taking a look at Starsky's stern expression he popped the pills in his mouth and downed the water. Handing the cup back to his partner, Hutch had to admit to himself that he did feel a little better.

"You stay there for a minute. I'm going to see if I can get a hold of that idiot up there." So saying, Starsky reached past his partner and grabbed the mike. He asked the dispatcher to patch him through to the phone in the apartment above. The phone rang half a dozen times before Lacey finally picked it up.

"Yeah, what?" He growled.

"Steve, this is Dave Starsky again. Just wondering what's going on. How come you shot at me up there. I thought you wanted to talk." Starsky tried to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you, Dave ol' buddy. You, not the whole friggin' police force. I could hear them moving around below you. If you want to talk, you'll have to come up here without all your friends. And where's Joanne? She had no right to leave me. No right to take my kids away from me." His voice was full of pain. If not for the fact that Starsky didn't trust him, he might have felt sorry for the guy.

"She's on the way. You know she has to come across town. Steve, how are the children? Do they need anything? The babysitter said that one of them wasn't feeling very good."

"Shanna has a cold. I've looked around for some baby aspirin or something, but of course, Joanne doesn’t have any. Do you think you could get her something for her cold, Dave? And maybe some juice. There's none of that either." The father sounded dismayed by the idea of a house without juice.

"Sure, we can get you some juice and some medicine for your little girl. But wouldn't it be better if we took her to a doctor? You can't be too careful with little kids." Starsky knew it was a longshot but had to try.

"No, the best place for her is here with me. Nice try, Dave. Just get what I asked for, okay? Don't try that funny business. We're not going anywhere until I can talk to Joanne. Oh, and Dave? Could you bring some food? There's nothing worth eating up here. Bring some pizza or hamburgers or something. It's almost lunchtime and the kids are getting hungry." With that, Lacey hung up.

Hutch and Starsky exchanged glances. Starsky was pleased to see that his friend was looking better. The colour had returned to his face and he looked calmer.

"So, what do you think?" Hutch asked.

"I think we get him what he wants. For now. I don't know what he has planned for when his wife shows up, but I sure don't like what I'm thinking. He's probably not going to do anything until she gets here, so the best thing to do is keep her away while we try to talk him out. If worst comes to worst, I'll give the order for the sharpshooters to take him when they get a chance. I just wish I knew where and how those kids are. I sure don't want them in the line of fire." Starsky rubbed a hand through his curly hair. He was starting to get a headache from the whole thing. He really hated it when it involved kids.

The two detectives quickly organized the waiting officers. Sent one off to buy some pizzas and another to go to a pharmacy for cold medication. Discussed and discarded several plans. Finally, Starsky convinced his reluctant partner that the only thing they could do at this point was to go along with Lacey's demands. Starsky would take the food and the medicine up to the apartment, alone. The SWAT team and Hutch would remain on the main floor, out of sight. They didn't want to aggravate Lacey any more than he already was. When Joanne arrived, they would keep her back out of sight until they had a chance to talk some more with Lacey. If they could bring this whole thing to a close without risking her life, so much the better.

When the two patrol officers came back with their purchases, Starsky placed another call.

"I've got the medicine for Shanna and some food and juice, like you asked Steve. Can I come up to give them to you?" Starsky tried to sound calm and reasonable.

"Yeah, you can come up. But only you. Leave the other cops out of it. You understand, Dave? Just you." Lacey demanded.

"Okay, Steve. No problem. One condition through. I want to see the kids. I want to see for myself that they're all right." Fingers crossed.

"Fine. You can come in for a minute, just long enough to bring in the food and check out the kids. But no funny business. I don't want to see a gun. You got me?" Lacey hung up again.

Hutch wasn't happy about this arrangement. Stuck on the bottom floor, there would be no way to help his partner if things went wrong. And Starsky going up there unarmed really had him freaked. But under the circumstances, there wasn't much else they could do.

The two detectives went back into the building with the food and other things. Starsky had a quick conference with the SWAT team leader who was also not happy with the arrangements. He argued for a few minutes with the determined man about team placement and the need to protect him when he went up. But Starsky was adamant. There was no way that he wanted to spook this guy and he knew that if Lacey had even the slightest idea that there were other police that close the deal would be off. He certainly didn't want a repeat of the earlier incident. Finally surrendering to Starsky's demands, the leader went off to place his men as well as he could under the circumstances.

Starsky and Hutch had a hurried and whispered talk at the foot of the stairs.

"You be careful. The first sign of anything hinky and you get your butt out of there." Hutch hissed at his partner. "I'll be right down here. I can be up those stairs in two seconds flat if you need me. Just don't need me, okay partner?" He helped Starsky arrange the packages so that he had a free hand. Quickly gripping his friend's shoulder, he released his partner and moved back out of sight.

Starsky gave Hutch a thumb's up and started the long walk up those stairs. Arriving at the last landing before the second floor, he called out. "Hey Steve, I'm coming up with the food. Will you let me in?"

"Come on up, Dave. The kids and I are waiting for you." Starsky didn't know if he liked the note that he heard in Lacey's voice.

Cautiously taking one step at a time, he paused a couple of steps from the top. He could feel Lacey watching through the peephole in the door. He swallowed hard and went up one more step. The door opened a crack.

Starsky watched the door slowly open. Taking the last step up into the hallway, he came face to face with Steve Lacey. The man had a wolfish grin on his lips and a gun in his hand pointed straight at Starsky's face.
 
 

***********

Both men stood frozen. Lacey framed in the doorway, gun pointed straight at Starsky. Starsky, one hand full of pizza boxes and the other holding onto the banister. The detective eyed the man in front of him. This Steve Lacey looked nothing like the Steve Lacey that he remembered from their army days. Then he had been young, thin, fit. Starsky had never really liked the man. He had been kind of a bully back then although he had never tangled more than once with the street-wise ex-New Yorker. The one time he had tried to push Starsky around he had been pushed back and had given him a wide berth after that. The man in front of him today bore little resemblance to that younger man. This Steve Lacey had not aged well, looking far older than his 30 odd years. His had the puffy look of a hard drinker with mottled skin and a potbelly. But that bully attitude was still evident in the way he was smirking at Starsky.

"Well, if it ain't ol' David Starsky. How ya been keeping ol' buddy?" No, Starsky definitely didn't like the way Lacey was smiling at him.

"Steve." Starsky acknowledged. "I brought some pizzas and juice for the kids and some cold medicine for your little girl." He tried to sound calm and cool while every nerve in his body was telling him to run like hell. All of his cop instincts said that whatever Lacey had planned, he wasn't going to like it one little bit.

"Why don't you just bring that right on in here, Dave, ol' buddy," (if he calls me that one more time, Starsky thought, I may just shoot him myself.) "I know you want to see my kids. Come in, come in," Lacey stepped back into the apartment and gestured with his gun for Starsky to enter the room.

Starsky knew he was taking a big risk going into that apartment, unarmed, with an apparently crazy person calling the shots. But he had to hope that Lacey wouldn't shoot him in front of his kids unless provoked. And he was going to do his damnedest not to provoke him.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the dark apartment. Taking a quick look around he saw that the blinds had been closed and what curtains there were had also been drawn. The only light in the place came from a lamp in the living room near where two little children were sitting on the floor, colouring books spread out before them. The place was your average utility apartment. One main room, a small kitchen area off that room and a couple of doors leading to what were probably a bedroom and a bathroom. There was a closet in the short hallway where he was standing and another closet between the two doors. Nothing that he could use to advantage. Looking at Lacey, he gestured at the pizza boxes.

"Where do you want these?"

"Put them on the floor near the kids, there. They can just tuck right in, can't ya kids?" Lacey smiled at his children. (How could a guy that's so scary look so kind? He must really love those kids. Maybe I can use that to get us all out of this. Starsky thought.)

The detective lifted the bag containing the drugstore stuff off of the boxes and placed it on the small coffee table. There was already a half-empty bottle of cheap liquor there. One suspicion confirmed. Crouching down, he placed the two pizza boxes down on the floor in front of the children. Opening the boxes, he gestured at them. "Hi! My name's Dave. I'm a friend of your Dad's. I hope that you like pizza with extra cheese." He smiled at the two little faces peering up at him. He looked at the little girl who was obviously not well at all. Her nose was red, her eyes watery and she looked flushed. "You must be Shanna. How are you feeling honey?"

The sick child's only response was to put her thumb in her mouth and gaze wide-eyed at this stranger with the nice smile. The boy however was more forthcoming. "She's got a cold in the nose and feels yucky." This said with an endearing lisp. The two youngsters must have taken after their mother. They both had reddish blond hair and big brown eyes. Lacey was darker and had cold pale blue eyes. The little boy reached for a slice of the pizza and took a big bite. "Thanks for the pizza. It's good. My name's Dennis. Are you the policeman my Daddy was talking about?" (Oh great, I wonder what he was saying?)

"I guess I am. There's some juice in the bag. Would you like some?" Taking the opportunity to turn and casually look to see what Lacey was up to, Starsky was not surprised to see him standing near the door with the gun still trained on him. Dumping the contents of the bag carefully so as not to startle Lacey, he held the carton of orange juice up. "Do you have some glasses for this?" He asked the gunman.

Lacey nodded at the kitchen. "Get them yourself. There should be some in there." He smiled that nasty smile. "You're not going to get the drop on me when my back's turned, Dave ol' buddy."

Just as Starsky was rising from his crouch, there were the sounds of raised voices from the street outside. Lacey had left one of the windows open and the voices carried well. Gesturing for the detective to stay right where he was, Lacey edged towards the window keeping his gun aimed at Starsky the whole time. Quickly taking a look through the blind slats, he smiled that evil smile again. "Good, Joanne is here. Now things are going to get really interesting." He chuckled, a chilling sound in the dark and quiet room.

******

Hutch hated waiting. Especially when there was little he could do but wait. There had been too many other times when his partner was in danger and he was powerless to help him. This felt like all of those times rolled into one. The blond detective had come up to the last bend in the stairs before the second floor. He could neither see nor hear anything from the apartment but it made him feel a little better that he was that much closer to Starsky if he should need him. Hutch was now also clad in a bulletproof vest courtesy of the SWAT team. There were two team members a few steps behind him, ready to spring into action.

"Hutchinson." A voice hissed from below. Turning to acknowledge the voice, he held a finger up for silence. The team leader was on the landing below gesturing for him to come down. Hutch looked up the stairs then edged his way past the other officers down to the leader.

"What's up?" Hutch whispered as quietly as possible.

"His wife's here and raising a big stink outside. There's no way in hell that Lacey doesn't know she's out there. Things may start to get tight. Is there anyway you can get your partner out of there before…" Before bullets start to fly, before Lacey did something stupid and before Starsky or the kids got hurt?

Shaking his head Hutch looked desperately at the other man. "No, I just hope that Starsky can keep a lid on things until he can get out of there. Damn it! I didn't want him up there unarmed. Shit!" Trying to calm down he went back up to his position on the stairs. Just as he reached his position, he heard the sound of a man yelling upstairs.

He thought he heard Starsky's voice shouting "No!" Right before three shots rang out.

Then all he heard was silence.

***********

Hutch started to run up the stairs but was pulled back by one of the SWAT team. Turning, fist raised, he struggled to be released. The leader had swarmed up the stairs to stand beside his man. "You can't go up there, Sargent. Not until we know what's going on. You'll only make things worse. Get a hold of yourself." He hissed in a low voice. The leader was a veteran of many a hostage situation and had seen similar reactions from other officers when their partners were endangered. He understood, but he had to maintain control.

The detective stared in anger at the leader. Then, like air out of a balloon, his anger deflated and resignation took over. He knew that the other officer was right and that they needed to know more before they took any action. Again, he'd just have to wait.

A soft voice called from the first floor for the leader. Hutch accompanied him down the stairs. It was better than standing there and worrying. At least this way maybe he'd find out something that could help Starsky.

One of the patrol officers was waiting at the foot of the stairs. The leader gestured for them to move away from the staircase so they could speak in normal tones. The uniform was visibly upset. "That lunatic just shot his wife down in the street. They were having a shouting match about the kids and he just shot her!" He swallowed. "Two shots, one missed and the other caught full in the chest. She was dead before she hit the ground."

"Two shots? We heard three." Hutch questioned.

"Yeah, so did we. But there were only two out the window. The third sounded like it was inside the apartment."

Hutch turned bleak eyes to the SWAT leader. "God."

*******

Starsky watched in horror as Lacey crouched in front of the open window and aimed the gun outside. The man had shouted some obscenities at his wife and she had screamed back at him. Words like 'bitch' and 'bastard' were traded. It all happened so fast that the detective had reacted without thought. As Lacey's attention was riveted on the street, he gestured for the now frightened children to come to him. Quickly gathering them up he headed for the door and freedom.

Two shots in rapid succession boomed behind him. He had almost made it to the door when a third shot flew by his ear and splintered the doorframe.

"Hold it right there. Move another step and I put the next bullet right between your ears. And don't think I won't do it cause you're holding my kids. You're not the only sharpshooter that came out of this man's army. And I have nothing to lose now." The chill voice froze Starsky in his tracks. "Good, now let my kids down and walk backward towards me. And keep those hands where I can see them."

Starsky knew that there was no chance to get out of the apartment with the kids now. Giving them both a little squeeze, he put them down. Holding his arms out at his sides he started to move backward towards the gunman. Hoping against hope that somehow he could get himself and the children out of this situation without any of them getting killed. He kept backing until he felt the hard end of the gun barrel in the back of his neck. So much for a bulletproof vest. He thought.

"Just stand there. And don't even breath funny or I'll blow your friggin brains out." Lacey hissed into his ear. Stepping back away from the detective, he spoke more kindly to his children. "Daddy's sorry for scaring you guys. Go sit down and eat your pizza, okay sweeties?" Starsky was still amazed how quickly this man could switch from a cold-blooded maniacal killer to a concerned and loving father the next. It sent chills up and down his spine. The crazy ones were always the worst to deal with. They were hard to convince of ones sincerity and even harder to trick.

Moving the gun barrel along Starsky's neck, Lacey walked around to face his captive. Holding the gun to his throat the other man smiled that wolfish smile again. Starsky did his best not to even swallow in fear that the gun might go off. The eyes that stared into his were cold and mean. He began to wonder if he was going to die in the next minute looking into hell.

********

Hutch was pacing the length of the first floor lobby. The SWAT team leader was on his radio conferring with his men. If they could get a clean shot at Lacey, they were going to take it. This situation had gone from being a simple domestic dispute (what an oxymoron) to a hostage taking of a police officer and at least one homicide. There would be no mercy. Hutch was wishing that he could be the one to pull the trigger especially if… (No, that thought was not to be borne. There was always hope. There was always one more chance. There had to be.)

The leader came over to were Hutch had settled, leaning against a wall, one hand holding the back of his head the other clenching the neck of his shirt. The leader didn't know when he had seen a more dejected picture. He placed a hand on the blond detective's arm, an unusual gesture for this rather reticent man. Hutch looked up at him with haunted eyes.

"The negotiation team is here. They've removed the body of the mother and are going to try to start some dialogue with Lacey. Do you want to come outside with me to where they've set up? They're going to try and verify that your partner is alright."

Hutch nodded and followed the other man out the front of the building. They quickly ran for the group of police vehicles parked across the street. The negotiation team consisted of two people, a tall, good-looking black man, and an attractive blonde woman. Both had special training in hostage situations above the basics that all police officers had. Hutch recognized both of them. They had been instrumental in the successful conclusion of many such situations and Hutch had a great deal of admiration for them. Hope began to return to him. If anyone could get his partner out of this alive, these two could.

The SWAT leader made quick introductions. The man, Lieutenant Smithers shook hands with Hutch first. The woman, Sergeant Nichols smiled kindly at the obviously distraught detective and also shook hands. The four officers huddled behind the SWAT van and compared notes. Both Hutch and the SWAT leader filled the other two in on what had happened up to this point. Lt. Smithers had some new information for them.

It seemed that Lacey had indeed taken to drinking heavily in the last few years. He had lost a succession of jobs through his inability to get along with anyone - co-workers or employers. His wife had taken out a restraining order on him just a month ago after harassing her since she left him. There was also a record of domestic violence against his wife, but none against the children.

Great, Hutch thought. The worst kind of scenario. An anti-social drunk with a gun. Holding two little kids and my partner hostage. Just great.

The negotiators moved into position. Smithers took up a bullhorn. "Lacey, Steve Lacey. This is Lt. Smithers of the Metro Police. We'd like to work things out here." Waited a moment for some sign from the apartment. "Lacey, if you release the children and Sgt. Starsky things will go much easier on you."

Movement behind one of the blind covered windows. All the SWAT sharpshooters aimed their weapons. Everyone held their breath. The blinds were forced to one side and a face was pressed up against the window. The body below the face was wearing a police issue flak jacket, dark blue t-shirt, and blue jeans. A gun pointed at his head.

Hutch gasped. "Don't anyone fire, that's Starsky!" Word quickly went out to the SWAT members to hold their fire.

"No one's going anyplace." Lacey shouted. His body completely hidden behind Starsky's. "If you try anything, and I mean anything, my good ol' buddy Dave here is going to get it. But then again, I might just kill him anyway. Just because."

With that, he yanked Starsky away from the window, the blinds dropped back in place, and the sound of cruel laughter filled the street.

*********

Starsky was scared. Lacey had proven himself a loose cannon and capable of killing without remorse. He knew that he had to remain calm and try to get the upper hand or none of them were going to survive this. His number one priority was getting the children out safely, after that; he could worry about himself. The question was, what was Lacey thinking and did he care enough about his kids to spare them?

After his little exhibition at the window, Lacey had forced Starsky into one of the two chairs in the living room. The children were huddled together on the floor behind the coffee table, obviously terrified of this stranger who had been their father. Lacey paced back and forth in front of this little audience, muttering to himself and drinking straight from the liquor bottle. He never took his eyes or the gun off of Starsky.

Attempting to make himself look as harmless as possible the detective tried out one of his ingratiating smiles on Lacey. The other man's only response was a narrowing of the eyes and another swig from the bottle. Starsky decided it was time to take a leap of faith.

"Steve, we can put a stop to this whole thing before it gets any worse. Let the kids go. You and I'll work something out here. I promise you that I'll do everything I can to get you help with this. If you let the kids go now, it'll show good faith on your part and that'll go a long way with the courts." Starsky knew that if Lacey had indeed killed his wife as he believed that there was no hope in hell that the courts would be lenient but he had to try something. "I know that you love them and don't want to see them hurt. They're just little kids, Steve. They scared and they really shouldn't be here."

Lacey glared at Starsky for a moment then took his first real look at the children since the window scene. Noticed how his children were crying softly, how frightened they looked. How Dennis' arms were grasped protectively around his little sister. Something softened in his face. Lowering the gun a little, he sighed. He put the bottle down on the coffee table and ran his now free hand over his face.

"I just wanted to see my kids, you know Dave. I never meant to hurt anyone. Especially not them. They're my whole world. I was just so mad that Joanne could take them away without caring about how I felt." Lacey sat down in the other chair. Starsky drew a small breath of hope. (Keep him talking. Maybe he'll convince himself.) The gunman gazed at his children. "Everything was so screwed up. I couldn't find a decent job; Joanne had to take that job with the store. She and I both hated her having to be away from the kids, but what are you going to do? Gotta eat. I stayed in the army longer than I should have I guess. By the time I got out things had changed. I was just another ex-grunt with no skills except for slugging through the mud and taking orders. And I was never good at either of those. Shanna was just a baby when I was discharged. That's a long time to devote to something that gives you nothing back." He sighed.

Starsky could almost feel sorry for the guy if it hadn't been for the fact that he had probably killed his wife and seemed intent on taking the rest of them out too. Time to go for broke.

"Steve, let the kids go. I promise you that they'll be well looked after, no matter what. Tell them out there" gesturing at the window, "that you're sending them out. They'll get some hot food and Shanna will have her cold looked at. It's the best thing you can do for them and for yourself right now. "

Lacey looked at Starsky with chilly eyes. "It all came so easily for you, didn't it Dave? You were one of the best marksmen in Camp. You made it over there and back without being any the worse for wear. Hell, I remember seeing you at the canteen, surrounded by all those girls, all of them fighting over you. You couldn't follow orders worth shit, but the officers would just look the other way. Stuff you pulled you should have ended up on permanent KP duty, but not you. You just sailed through. And now here you are a Sergeant of Detectives, earning all kinds of commendations. Saw you riding around in that fancy car of yours. That's how I found out what you were doing. Saw you on the street one day near that Huggy Bear's place so I asked about you. Found out all kinds of stuff about you." The gun shifted a little, once again dead centre on Starsky.

"You got everything and I ain't got nothing. The only things I had worth anything were my kids and Joanne took them away. And now I've really made sure I won't get them back, haven't I?" A bitter laugh. "Okay, Dave. We'll do it your way. The kids will leave and it'll just be you and me. We'll settle this thing one way or the other, just the two of us."

Turning to his children Lacey spoke in a quiet voice. "Heh, guys. Do you want to go see Abby? I bet she'd be real happy to see you." The children just huddled closer together, obviously afraid of their father. He sighed. "God, look what I've done. Made my own kids scared of me." Another sigh. Looking over at Starsky, he gestured with his gun. "I guess it's going to be up to you to get them out that door. They sure aren’t going to let me touch them now, are they?"

"I'll try, but first you'll have to let the police out there know that the kids are coming out. Someone should be on the stairs to help them or they might be too scared to go outside by themselves." Starsky reasoned.

"Fine. Only it'll be you telling them not me. No reason to give them a chance to blow me away, is there?" Starsky became nervous at seeing the strange look in Lacey's eyes. Don't let him lose it before the kids are safe.

Gesturing to Starsky to stand, Lacey himself stood up. Once again, he grabbed the detective by the arm and walked him to the open window. "Just tell them the essentials. Don't give any details. Just that the kids are coming out, someone needs to meet them on the stairs, and at the first sign of anything stupid on their part, you'll get a bullet in the head. Got it?" Starsky nodded.

********

The negotiation team, the Swat leader and Hutch were once again conferring behind the SWAT van. Everyone agreed that the top priority was the children's safety. Smithers and Nichols wanted to try the cool approach. The SWAT leader was ready to bust into the apartment and hope for the best. Hutch just wanted his partner back, alive and in one piece. Each party had good ideas, but none of them seemed appropriate at the moment. Lacey didn't seem inclined to talk things out with them; they had no idea where the kids were in the apartment nor how serious the hostage taker was on his threat to kill Starsky 'just because'. Anything could set the man off and they would add three more to their body count. Definitely not an option.

Hutch hated this waiting. He was used to action. Being in charge of the situation. Here he was worse than useless. His partner was up there, held at gunpoint by a crazy man and he couldn't do a damn thing. Starsky needed him. He felt that he had failed his partner and very afraid that he wasn't going to be able to prevent the worse from happening. That none of them could.

A SWAT team member stuck his head around the corner of the van. "There's something going on up there. You'd better get out here." He told the group. The four hurried around the van in time to see Starsky once again in the window. This time he was standing on his own but with a gun at his head. Hutch swallowed convulsively. Be safe, be careful. A litany in his mind.

Starsky's voice, strong and clear: "The kids are coming out. Someone needs to meet them on the stairs. They're fine, just a little scared and tired." A jab with the gun. "No funny business or Steve has made it clear that I'm dead. You have five minutes to get someone on the stairs." Starsky's eyes locked with Hutch's for one brief moment before he was pulled away from the window and the blinds returned to their place.

Quickly making the decision who should go, mostly by just walking away, Hutch, followed, by Sgt. Nichols entered the building. The two of them cautiously made their way up the flight of stairs stopping at the last landing. They exchanged glances and with a small nod from Hutch, Nichols called out.

"Steve, this is Sgt. Nichols. Sgt. Hutchinson and I are here for your children. We promise not to do anything other than escort them outside."

They waited. Finally the door opened and the figure of Starsky filled the doorway. They could see the gun held to his head by the man hiding around the corner of the doorframe. The detective had a child's little hand in each one of his. Kneeling down, still with the gun trained at his head, he gave each of the children a hug and a gentle smile. Speaking softly into the little boy's ear, he nodded down the stairs towards the waiting officers. His larger hand covered the little boy's for a moment then he pressed the girl's hand there. Giving them an encouraging smile, he pushed them gently out the door.

The two little people stood on the top step, looking like deer caught in the headlights. Looking back at Starsky in obvious fear. He gave them a little nod and said quietly. "Go down the stairs Dennis. They're waiting for you." With that the little boy bravely grasped his sister's hand more firmly and started down the stairs. Starsky looked past the pair at his partner. Gave him a wan smile and a shrug and stepped back into the apartment. The door swung shut just as the children reached the officers below.

Quickly picking up a child each, the two Sergeants hurried down the stairs not stopping until they reached the bottom floor. They stopped and put the children down. The little boy pulled on Hutch's sleeve until the detective crouched down beside him. The earnest little face peered into his.

"Are you Hutch?" He asked.

"Yes, I am."

"I'm supposed to give you this." Taking Hutch's hand in his, he opened his fist and dropped something into it. There on the man's palm glistened a silver ring. The ring that was always on Starsky's left little finger. The ring that never left that finger. The symbolism didn't escape Hutch. It was Starsky's way of saying that he would make it, That he knew that Hutch needed something to hold onto to believe that. That he would be back for that ring. One way or another.

Gathering their charges the two officers started towards the front door. They had just walked out onto the street when sudden shouting from up above and the sounds of gunfire froze them. Then the street was deathly quiet once more except for the crying of a scared little girl.

*********

Starsky wanted to do nothing more than run down those stairs after the kids. To be out of this place and away from his captor. Having done what he could to save the children he now had to work on saving himself. Closing the door on the promise of freedom and the worried face of his partner, he turned to Lacey.

"The kids are with the police. Now what?"

"Just shut up and let me think!" Lacey snapped. "Go stand over there where I can keep an eye on you." Directing the detective to stand against the wall near the windows, he again started his restless pacing.

Starsky did as he told. He was trying to gauge the other man's mood and alertness. Lacey had downed over half of that bottle of liquor but he was still pretty wound up. To the detective it looked like he was about ready to blow. Hopefully when he did, Starsky would be able to take advantage of it without getting killed in the attempt.

The phone rang, making both men jump. Letting it ring a few times, the gunman yanked the cord out of the wall. Suddenly Lacey's limited restraint crumbled. "Stop looking at me! I know what you're thinking, but it ain't going to happen." He shouted. Pointing the gun at Starsky he fired off two quick shots. The detective flinched as both bullets slammed into the wall over his head.

Lacey was obviously coming to the end of his quickly fraying rope. "I could kill you without even thinking about it." He hissed. " So don't push me. Matter of fact, I might enjoy killing you. So if you want to keep breathing, just stand there, don't look at me and don't say a damn word unless I tell you."

The detective stood, leaning against the wall, trying to watch Lacey without actually looking at him. He was also thinking furiously. Mentally counting the number of fired shots. There had been at least two before he and Hutch had come on scene, the three in the stairwell, the three when he shot at Joanne and now the last two. That made ten at least. If Lacey's clip was the same as his own, and if it had been full when he fired the first shots, that meant he had about five left. Too many to try anything heroic. And not good enough odds to take a chance on.

He knew that it was only a matter of time before the SWAT team decided to take matters into their own hands. He could hear the negotiator outside with his bullhorn but Lacey was ignoring him. If they didn't get some kind of response soon, they would take it for granted that either Lacey had killed his hostage or his hostage and himself. Either way, with the children safe they would be more inclined to take the risk and storm the apartment. He would just have to be prepared for that.

Lacey had picked up the bottle again and had just about drained it. Every once in a while he would aim the gun at Starsky and make popping sounds. Then he'd laugh that dirty laugh, clearly enjoying tormenting the detective. Starsky tried his best to ignore him knowing that any reaction from him could set Lacey off to shooting the gun for real. Even through he still wore the bulletproof vest, it wouldn't help if the gunman's aim was true and the bullet got him in the head.

All Starsky could do was bide his time and hope that the SWAT team and Hutch would be able to save him.

*******

Hutch was beside himself with worry. After the last burst of gunfire, there had been no other sound from the apartment. Since handing over the children to the care of the babysitter and the child services person that had been called to the scene, he and the others were again trying to work strategy. Smithers had periodically called to Lacey on his bullhorn with no response. The SWAT leader was all for storming the apartment right now. Hutch made it clear his misgivings on that route. Without knowing the condition or whereabouts of his partner, he didn't want to chance Starsky in the middle of a firefight. But he was beginning to weaken. The team would take every precaution to protect Starsky but if they didn't do something soon it might be too late. And if Lacey had indeed shot his partner then every moment could count.

Then again, it might already be too late. But that was something he didn't want to even consider.

Finally, the decision was made. The SWAT leader organized his team. Sharpshooters were alerted, men where dispersed throughout the building. Part of the team had gone up the fire escape on the other side of the building and had made their way onto the second floor. Soon they were ready to proceed.

Hutch and the team leader had a quiet, if forceful, shouting match over his inclusion in the assault. The leader wanted only his own men to go in; Hutch insisted that he join them.

"Damn it, man! That's my partner in there. You expect me to stand out here, twiddling my thumbs while you go busting in? I'm going and that's final." There was no arguing with the blond man. The leader knew simply by the set of the jaw and the cold look in those blue eyes that he'd go in on his own, given half a chance.

"Okay. But you're going to suit up. I'm not risking your stupid neck like we did your partner's. There's no way I'm going to face your Captain and try to explain how I lost two of his detectives in one day." Satisfied that he got the last word in, the leader left Hutch with one of his men to outfit him in the full SWAT gear. Soon they were ready to execute a takedown of the gunman and the hopeful rescue of his hostage.

**********

Starsky was getting ready. He was sure that he had heard noises in the hallway but wasn't positive. Lacey hadn't seemed to notice anything. He had started to mutter to himself again and had at one point gone into the kitchen to look for more liquor. He had made Starsky come with him and had forced him to stand with his back to him facing the stove. Lacey had almost crowed when he found a small bottle of whiskey stashed in the cupboard above the sink. Taking a big swig, he had poked Starsky in the neck with the gun and laughed when he jumped.

"Not feeling quite so smart now are ya, Dave ol' buddy. Things aren’t going so good for you right now are they? What good is your fancy car and your commendations doing for you now, heh smart boy? " Lacey was starting to rant. Not a good sign. "They probably think that you're dead and aren’t even going to bother trying to rescue you. Maybe I should just accommodate them on that one. One less person for them to watch out for, heh, Dave?" His voice changed, became more menacing, even colder. "Turn around. Now I want you to go back where you were and don't try anything. At this range I can't miss and if you want to keep that curly head of yours you'd better listen."

Starsky slowly turned and careful not to antagonize Lacey any further, silently went back to were he was standing before. He was getting awfully tired of standing. His back and shoulders hurt from the weight of the vest, his neck was sore where the gun had jabbed him, he was thirsty, and he really needed to go to the bathroom. None of which he could do anything about. He had sighed quietly to himself, feeling very alone. Here he was, cornered with a drunken crazy man, totally defenseless. There would be no talking himself out of this one. He felt sorry for himself, sorry for the children who had in effect lost both parents and especially sorry for his partner. He knew how Hutch went on guilt trips and this whole situation was bound to be fodder for a good one. Especially if he didn't make it.

About a half-hour went by with Lacey getting more irrational and drunk, Starsky getting more tired and resigned to the inevitable. Then he heard the noise in the hall. It sounded like something metal sliding along a wall. Taking a quick glance at Lacey, he was pleased to note that the man hadn't noticed anything. Straining his ears, he thought he heard a soft footfall and then a muffled word. The Calvary had arrived. It was time for him to take his own precautions. Slowly, ever so slowly, he started to slide towards the shelter of the kitchen. If he could get behind the cabinet there, maybe he would be safe from any stray bullets in the coming moments.

Just as he took another step, Lacey turned and saw him. "What the hell you think you're doing?" Then Lacey raised his gun and shot him.

**********

The SWAT team was in position just waiting for the leader's command. Hutch was right behind the leader at the top of the stairs, ready. They had offered him one of their weapons but he preferred to hang onto his own Magnum. And in his belt, under the vest was Starsky's Smith & Wesson. He planned to hand it to him personally once everything was over. And make sure that he didn't ever leave it behind again. And in his pocket was the ring.

The leader was counting down when they heard the shouting from behind the apartment door and then the gunshot.

"Now!" roared the leader. Two officers, one on either side of the door, swung the battering ram. The door cracked and fell open. Several other men swarmed in, firing their weapons, the leader and Hutch right behind them. It was all over in a moment.

Lacey lay where the first bullet had hit him. He was definitely dead.

Hutch desperately looked around for his partner. It was hard to see. There were too many people in the little room, milling about. He pushed his way through the team finally fetching up at the far wall by the windows. Looking down he was shocked to see the crumpled body of his partner face down on the floor. Dropping to his knees beside the still form, he gently turned him over.

He couldn't see any sign of injury, no blood. Hutch felt for the pulse in Starsky's neck and sighed in relief to find it, strong and steady.

"Starsky, hey Starsk.. Come on pal, let me know you're still in there." He patted his friend's face. "Come on Starsky, wake up." A slight note of desperation snuck into his voice.

The team leader came over to the pair and hunkered down beside them. "How is he?"

"I don't know, I can't tell where he's hurt."

"I'll get the ambulance crew up here. Can you tell if he's…"

Just then, Starsky stirred. He moved about a bit, then his hand wandered towards the space above his heart. Hutch looked down to see a bullet hole in the blue material. "Oh God, he's been shot in the chest." Hutch quickly worked the vest open and pushed back the left side. There was no corresponding hole in the t-shirt. Starsky grew more alert and pushed Hutch's hands aside.

"God, that hurts." He moaned, rubbing his chest. Opening his eyes, he looked up into the worried eyes of his partner. "Hey, Hutch. Is it over?" He tried to sit up. Yelping in pain, he stopped the upward movement. His partner put a strong arm around his shoulder supporting him. "I feel like I've been kicked by a mule." Starsky groaned.

"Just about. You were shot, you idiot. If it hadn't have been for that vest, you'd be dead about now." Hutch gave him a little hug. "Here, let me help you sit up." Putting action to the words, he soon had his partner sitting up, leaning half against the wall and half against him.

The two of them just sat and watched the team contain the area and watched as the forensic team did their thing. The SWAT leader sent up the ambulance crew to check over Starsky. Determining that, although the bullet had not entered his body nor even broke the skin, it had injured him. There was a large and spreading bruise across the left side of his chest and the crew was concerned that there may be some internal damage. Over Starsky's loud protests, they soon had him on a gurney and out the door to the waiting ambulance.

"I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can Starsky. Just settle down and let them take care of you, okay? You don't want to take any chances with this kinda thing." Hutch tried to calm his partner. "They'll take a look at you then send you home. I'll be right there to pick you up."

"You better. And don't ding my car on the way either." Starsky half-joked.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get him out of here, will you?" Hutch implored the paramedics. They laughed and trundled Starsky off.

Turning back to the apartment, Hutch sighed. He suddenly felt weak in the knees. Reaction had set in like it always did to him. The only consolation in this whole terrible day was that they had both survived it. This time had been just too close.

But they had been given one more chance.

**********
 
 

He sat staring morosely into his glass. He had come to Huggy's with every intention of getting as drunk as possible to wipe this whole day out of his mind. But now that he was here, he just didn't feel it was worth the effort. He wanted nothing more than to go back and change everything that had happened. To have just one more chance to set things right.

Huggy came to sit with him for a while, but he had nothing to say to his friend. Eventually Huggy had to go attend to some minor emergency. After a small pat on the brooding man's arm, he had left him. He felt it was more than he deserved. He was a lousy friend and didn't deserve anyone's attention.

*******

Arriving at the hospital to check on Starsky, Hutch was relieved to find his partner sitting in the waiting area, dressed and ready to go.

"Hey, partner. What did the doctor say?" The blond detective sat down beside his friend.

"He said that I was damned lucky to be alive. If I hadn't been wearing that vest the bullet would have got me straight in the heart. And any stronger caliber it might have bruised my heart. As it is, I'm going to be in a lot of pain for a while. The whole left side of my chest is black and blue. He wants me to take a couple of days off, just in case." Starsky shook his head. "I'll never complain about wearing one of those things again." He started to stand up, groaned, and clutched his side. "Damn, that hurts!"

Hutch offered a helping hand and got his friend up and moving. "Do you want to go get something to eat? I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"Me too. I haven't had anything since this morning. And that seems like a couple of days ago." A flash of the old Starsky grin.

"Yeah, I feel like I aged ten years today." Arriving at the Torino, Hutch offered Starsky the keys. "You know Starsky if you ever pull a stunt like that again I may have to hurt you myself." He smiled. Unfortunately for the both of them, Starsky was a little too tired, a little too much in pain and a little too overdrawn at the good humour bank to take what Hutch said as a joke.

Snatching the keys from Hutch's hand, he pushed past him and slid behind the wheel. "On second thought, I don't think I want to go eat. I'm tired and I just want to go home. Get in and I'll drop you off at your place." His stony expression told Hutch that he still hadn't forgiven him for this morning and his latest comment had only made Starsky realize that.

Hutch sighed and went around to the passenger side. Starsky barely let him get inside before he tore out of the parking lot. A strained silence filled the car; each man wrapped up in his own dark thoughts. Not a word was said the whole way to Hutch's.

Getting out of the car, Hutch remembered that he still had Starsky's gun, mostly because it was poking him in the back. He handed it to his partner who barely acknowledged it. Closing the car door, he stood and watched his friend roar off into the night. He started towards his door then changed his mind. He needed a drink and he didn't want to go into his lonely home by himself. Getting into his own, beaten up car, he headed for the only place that he could think of. Huggy's

*******

Sitting by himself in the back booth, he made little designs in the water beading his glass. Deciding that maybe he'd go plug some money in the jukebox he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out some change. Laying it on the table to sort, he was surprised to find the silver ring. In the aftermath of the takedown, Starsky's hospital trip and this last disagreement he had forgotten all about it. It gave him a strange feeling seeing the ring there. He didn't know where Starsky had gotten it or if there was any meaning to it. Although there must be. As long as he had known Starsky, the ring had been on his finger. It was something that he never thought about. It was as much a part of his friend as his big smile or his curly hair.

He sighed. Starsky was the best friend he ever had not to mention the only person he trusted with his life. And while the latter was important in a partner, it was rare in a friend. He had hurt his friend today with his nasty mood and he didn't know how to set it right. At least he still had the chance. If things had gone just a little differently today, if Lacey had aimed a little higher or if Starsky hadn't been wearing that vest or if… The 'or ifs' could go on forever but none of those things had happened. Making a sudden decision he scooped up a coin and started to get up to head for the phone. Startled to realize that the object of his thoughts was standing beside the table.

Starsky smiled. A little smile, not the full wattage Starsky smile but a smile nonetheless. "Can I join you?"

"Yeah, sure. Sit down. Do you want a drink or something?" Hutch was so relieved that Starsky was there that he was almost babbling.

"No, can't have a drink. They gave me some painkillers and said not to drink with them. But I wouldn't mind a burger or something." Looking around for a waitress. "Ah, Hutch. I'm sorry I acted like that before. I guess everything just hit me all of a sudden and I took it out on you. Forgive me?" Starsky looked imploringly at his friend.

"Starsk, I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness. I've been a real ass the last few days and shouldn't have taken it out on you. When I think what might have happened today, I feel sick that I might never have had the chance to say that I was sorry." Hutch was a picture of misery.

Carefully, painfully, Starsky reached across the table and took his friend's hand. "Look, it didn't happen. I'm here. I'm alive and plan on staying that way. And I knew that you really didn't mean any of those things you said. I guess the smog got to me too. I think we should just forgive each other and forget it ever happened. What do ya say?" There came the full Starsky smile.

Hutch couldn't help but smile back. Gripping the hand in his, he realized that he was a lucky man. And while he didn't know what he had done to deserve such a good friend, he was very thankful for him.

Just then, Huggy appeared with a burger and fries for each of them. He knew his friends too. And Starsky would never turn down food. Placing the plates on the table, he noticed the ring on the table. "Heh guys, what's this? Isn't that your ring Starsky?"

Hutch slid it over to Starsky. "Yeah, it's his. I was just taking care of it for a while." He didn't want to discuss with Huggy what the ring had meant to them this day but Starsky knew. And so did he.

********

After a while, after the burgers were gone and the two men were full and happy they decided that it was time to call it a night. Starsky's bruised side was starting to seize up on him and the painkiller had worn off. Hutch was tired and while his partner had the next couple of days off, he didn't. And there would be a pile of paperwork tomorrow.

Walking out of Huggy's together; they were surprised to find a cooling, cleansing rain falling. They looked at each other in delight. "Guess that's the end of the smog for now." Starsky observed. "Maybe the city will return to what passes for normal."

Hutch agreed. "Yeah, the city and me too. See you tomorrow?"

"I guess I'll have to come in sometime and write up my report. Maybe Dobey will take pity on me and not get after me about typos and such. If it stays cooler, maybe I'll hang out at the beach after. Maybe Dobey'll let you off early and you can join me." Starsky's mischievous smile flashed.

Hutch just laughed. What ever his partner wanted was fine with him. He was just glad that they had been given the chance. Just that one more chance.

The end
 

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