NEAR DEATHS DOOR

BY P&C PRODUCTIONS

CHAPTER 1

It was Monday morning and Starsky had just gotten out of the shower…..trying to hurry up and get dressed so he wouldn’t make Cassie late for school. He was putting on his shirt when he thought maybe he would call Hutch to see if he would pick him up some donuts or maybe a cinnamon roll from the little shop across the street from the station…then maybe he wouldn’t be too late himself…

As he picked up the receiver of the phone in his room and reached to dial the number…he was stopped by the sound of voices on the other extension…"I thought he said his name was Mark?" came a voice on the line…not Cassie….

"No…it’s Mike…he goes to our school…we’ve been goin’ out now for almost a month….Hey …are you still grounded?" Cassie’s voice came back….

"Yeah….until this weekend…..and even then I can’t use the car." Stacey told her…"Mom was pretty mad at me for letting him take you home…. if she knew we just met him that night …I’d probably never see the light of day."

"He’s cute don’t ya think." Cassie said.."The only problem is ..I’ve got to keep prying his hands offa’ me……." It was there that Starsky had heard enough…he put the receiver down gently and yelled in the direction of the living room….

"Cassie…hang up the phone will ya …I gotta call Hutch."

"Gotta go…see ya at school." Cassie said in a hurry….she hung up the phone and yelled back towards the bedroom….."It’s all yours."

Starsky grabbed the phone once again and dialed Hutch…but got no answer…struggling with the thought of facing the day without his usual breakfast and dealing with the phone conversation he had accidentally overheard…..his morning was already starting out bad. He walked into the living room and picked up his holster from it’s usual resting place…and slid it over his shoulders….then he grabbed his jacket from behind the door and called to Cassie…"Let’s go."

Cassie walked out of her bedroom wearing a short skirt and a low cut light pink button up shirt…..long tan legs and flowing blonde hair that bounced as she strolled up to him…."I’m ready." She told him.

"No you’re not….. not like that…." He protested…."You got two minutes…."

To show me a little less skin young lady……MOVE!"

"Alright…alright…..I’m going.." She said as she turned around….."Gee maybe I should throw away all these clothes…you won’t let me wear any of them to school."

"From now on….I wanna see what you buy before the price tag comes off."

He paced the floor as he waited for her…looking at his watch and getting anxious…."Come on already.."

"Satisfied.." Cassie said smugly as she came back out wearing jeans and a round necked T-shirt…."I’d cover my face too…but ski masks are out of season."

"Very funny….get in the car." He told her as he waited to lock the door behind her…."I’m already late."

When Starsky finally arrived at work….Hutch was already on his second cup of coffee and had given up on looking at his watch…."I don’t wanna hear it….so don’t even start." He huffed as Starsky walked through the door.

"Sorry Hutch…..You wouldn’t believe it anyway." He told him…."You ready."

"Since eight thirty…ya know just once I’d like to see you get to work on time." Hutch said as he got up and threw his jacket over his shoulder….scolding his partner as he walked out the door…

"I said I was sorry…"

During their morning routine equipment check and the quick stop by the local convenience store before hitting the street…thoughts of Cassie and the phone conversation he had overheard earlier that morning ..were playing with his mind….. What did this guy see in Cassie…Starsky could only think of one thing…she was too blind to see it and if he brought it up she’d just brush him off.

"Hey Hutch…….what do ya think I should do about Cassie….I mean her datin’ this Mike kid ……football jock…..All American…red blooded….I’m worried about her…I mean what happens when he stops playing around with her and decides he’s not gonna let her tell him no."

"Sounds familiar…." Hutch joked with him…."Don’t tell me that you never dated a cute girl like Cassie at his age without thinking the same way……ya know what your problem is Starsk…….You don’t like him because he reminds you too much of yourself…..But I gotta tell ya…that’s probably the same reason why Cassie likes him."

"No Way ……" Starsky thought about it for a minute…he was allot like him at that age…and he probably would have liked a girl like Cassie…..He knew he would…he couldn’t really blame the guy…."OK….maybe he is a little bit like I used to be."

"Try exactly….right down to the flashy car and bad boy reputation." Hutch added…."Or so you told me a few years back….unless all those stories were just stories."

"Your allot of help you know that…I feel much better now." Starsky said with a hint of sarcasm

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