IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS

Spoiler: This is the Sequel to The Gates of Hell and follows Starsky on his journey to the Police Academy where he meets Hutch for the first time.

CHAPTER 1

The blaring of his alarm clock jolted David awake with a start. From force of habit he started to reach out to hit the snooze button but stopped when he remembered what today was. It was his first day at the Bay City Police Academy and it wouldn’t do to be late. For the next eight months, he would be living in a dorm on the Academy grounds while he trained to be a police officer just like his father had been before him. He had gotten his acceptance letter two weeks ago and had immediately given the cab company his notice. He had spent all day yesterday packing the few things he would be taking with him and then had gone out with Huggy last night to celebrate his acceptance.

Tossing aside his blanket, he shoved himself to his feet and crossed the hall to the bathroom to grab a quick shower. He could smell breakfast cooking and knew that Rosie was making pancakes, one of his favorites. After his shower, he pulled on his ragged blue jeans, a faded blue tee shirt and his blue Addias running shoes with the white stripes. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror as he brushed his teeth and shaved. He had gotten his hair cut two days ago and although it was shorter than he’d worn it since he came back from Nam, it wasn’t as short as his military haircut had been. He had made sure that it was still within regulation length for the Academy, although with his thick dark curls, it still looked unruly.

Whistling happily, he went into the kitchen where he greeted his aunt with an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek and a hug. She smiled indulgently as he sat down at the table and sat a plate stacked high with pancakes and link sausages down in front of him. She couldn’t resist reaching out to tousle his curls affectionately.

“Excited about today?” she asked, even though the answer was evident by the sparkle in those expressive sapphire eyes.

“Yeah, I guess.” David told her nonchalantly, even as a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. He attacked his breakfast enthusiastically. As he ate, Rosie poured him a cup of freshly brewed coffee, mixing in generous amounts of sugar and cream just the way he liked it. He grinned as she sat it on the table beside his plate and took a cautious sip. “Did Uncle Al already leave for work?” he asked around a bite of food.

“Yes but he said to tell you good luck. You are coming home this weekend, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” David assured her “I only have to stay in the dorm during the week. Weekends are free time.”

“Do you have enough money in case you need anything?”

“Don’t worry. I have plenty of money to get me by until I get my first check.” He had been surprised to learn that the police cadets were paid even while they were in training just like in the military. And, just like the military, the pay wasn’t that great but it was enough to get by on especially since he wouldn’t have any real expenses unless he went out to eat or to hang out after classes with friends.

He finished his meal and rinsed off his plate before putting it in the sink. Giving Rose another fond kiss, he hurried out the door. His second hand car, a battered red Chevy, was parked in the driveway. He had already loaded his suitcase and a couple of boxes in the trunk so he was ready to go. He climbed underneath the wheel and turned on the ignition. The engine sputtered a bit before finally starting. As soon as he started making some decent money, the first thing he intended to do was to buy himself a reliable vehicle instead of a used clunker that cost more to keep running than it he paid for it to begin with.

It was a bright sunny day in April, a perfect day to start this new phase in his life. He loved the weather in California, especially after having been born and raised in New York until he was thirteen. He might miss some things about New York but the weather, especially in the wintertime, wasn’t one of them. With his naturally olive complexion, he tanned easily without much effort and it gave him a healthy glow.

Half an hour later, he pulled through the gate that opened into the grounds of the Police Academy. Following the clearly posted signs, he followed the driveway around to the back of the three story brick building that housed the dorm rooms for the new cadets. Parking in the lot designated for students, he turned off the ignition and pocketed his keys as he climbed out of the car. Following the directions that had been included in his acceptance letter, he walked across the spacious Academy grounds to the administration building and joined several other young men close to his own age who were going into the building.

Four uniformed officers in their late forties sat at a table just inside the entrance. Each one of them had a small sign in front of them designating different letters of the alphabet. Starsky joined the line in front of the sign for letters P through T. As he waited his turn, he glanced around the room. To his left was a long table with several uniformed officers handing out books, equipment, and uniforms to the cadets who had already checked in. To his right was a long hallway that led to the administrative offices.

When it was his turn, the officer at the table gave David his room assignment and keys. Welcoming him to the Academy and wishing him luck in a bored voice, he directed him to the other table to collect his books, his various equipment and his uniforms. By the time he finished, he was carrying a large box filled with various items he would be responsible for over the next eight months. Carefully making his way back to the dorms, he balanced the box on his hip as he reached for the door to enter the building.

The door opened from the inside and a tall good looking blond dressed in a pair of tan slacks and a matching polo shirt held it open so Starsky could step inside. Smiling his thanks, David brushed past the blond, who hurried down the sidewalk towards the administration building. David paused to watch him for a moment. His first impression was that the other man was someone with class and breeding, probably money too, the type who normally wouldn’t even give David Starsky the time of day.

David climbed the steps to the third floor and followed the numbers on the doors until he came to room 309. Using the key he had been given when he checked in, he unlocked the door and went inside. The room wasn’t much bigger than his bedroom at home and it seemed even smaller because of the two twin beds, two nightstands, two dressers and two desks jammed into the small area. Since it looked like his room mate hadn’t arrived yet, David sat the box in his arms on the bed to his right. Picking up the dress uniform lying on top of the pile of other things in the box, he carefully hung it in one of the closets next to the tiny bathroom. He put the Academy issued sweat suit and two cadet uniforms in the top door of the dresser closest to his bed.

The books for his various classes he sat on the shelf above the desk at the foot of his bed. The rest of the items in the box included his police utility belt, a pair of regulation black shoes, his identification badge that confirmed his status as a cadet at the academy, and a detailed map of the campus designating the location of the different class rooms, the cafeteria, the gym, the track and the exercise field. There was also a class schedule for his first 3 months at the academy. The mornings would be spent in the class rooms while the afternoons would be spent outside on the track, on the various obstacle courses, or in the gym. His first set of courses would cover everything from basic criminal procedures and traffic laws to defensive driving, firearms training and combat techniques. Since the Academy was similar to the military in their procedures and regulations, Starsky almost felt like he was going through basic training for the army all over again.

After putting everything away he had been issued when he checked in, he left his room, locking the door behind him, and went back down to the parking lot to get his suitcase and the boxes he had brought with him from home. Carrying them back up to his dorm room, it didn’t take him long to unpack the few belongings he had brought with him. He didn’t need to bring much since he would be going home on the weekends. When he had finished putting his stuff away, he left his room again. This time he headed across the campus to the auditorium for orientation. As usual, he was running late and the Commandant of the Academy was just starting his welcoming speech when David quietly slipped into the room and grabbed the first empty seat he could find.

There were a total of one hundred and twenty cadets in the class. They were divided into six sections of 20 cadets each per section. Per academy regulations, Starsky and his room mate would be partnered during their time there. They would have to learn to function as a team much the same way they would have to do when they graduated and actually started working the streets with their training officers. The various speeches from different instructors and commanding officers at the Academy took up the rest of the morning. By the time orientation was over shortly before one in the afternoon, Starsky was fighting to keep his eyes open.

With the rest of the afternoon free to familiarize themselves with the campus and the various buildings before classes officially started at eight A.M. the next morning, Starsky joined the other young men leaving the building. Sauntering casually along the sidewalk, David found his way to the cafeteria to get something to eat. The room was crowded, apparently most of the other cadets had had the same thing in mind. David made his way through the line, filling his tray with two ham and cheese sandwiches, two containers of chocolate milk, some potato chips and a bowl of chocolate pudding.

Glancing around the room, he found a seat at a small table where another young man his own age was sitting eating a bowl of chili. The other man looked up with a friendly smile when David politely asked if he could join him. “Sure have a seat.” He said pleasantly. “Name’s Colby. John Colby.”

“Dave Starsky.” David said with an answering grin as he sat down across the other young man. The other man was David’s height with a stockier build. His light brown hair was cut short and his green eyes were keen and intelligent. He was casually dressed in blue jeans and a green tee shirt. “Nice to meet ya.”

“Is that a New York accent I hear?” Colby asked with a grin as David started eating one of his sandwiches.

“Yeah. I was born there but I’ve lived here in Bay City since I was thirteen.” David told him “Never quite lost the accent though.”

“So what section are you in?”

“Section C.”

“Hey, so am I. What room are you ?”

“Room 309.”

“I’m in 326. Have you met your room mate yet?”

“No.”

“I got stuck with some black guy named George something.” Colby said with a smirk. David arched an eyebrow but kept silent. Being Jewish and having dealt with prejudice of his own through the years, Starsky was more tolerant of other races and religions than some of his peers. Of course, being in Nam and fighting side by side with men of every color and religion helped too.

His attention was drawn across the room to the serving line where he saw the same tall blond he’d seen earlier leaving the dorm. Being slightly taller than a lot of the other men made him stand out almost as much as his good looks and expensive clothes did. Following David’s gaze, Colby snorted and said “Look at Mr. GQ. Where does he think he is? An Ivy League college?” They both watched as the tall blond awkwardly balanced a tray as he moved through the line. After getting his food, he chose to sit at a tiny table near the back of the room by himself instead of joining any of the other cadets at one of the other tables. “Guess he thinks he’s too good for the rest of us.” Colby said, a cold tone creeping into his voice that Starsky didn’t particularly care for.

Their conversation turned to the topics of cars and girls as Colby and Starsky finished their meal. Carrying their trays to the metal meal carts, they dumped their trash and slid the empty trays into one of the vacant spots on the cart. “Hey, you wanna grab a beer sometime after class?” Colby asked as they left the cafeteria together. “I know this great place downtown with the best looking strippers in town.”

“Yeah, sure. Sounds Great.” Starsky said “I need to get back to my room. I still got some stuff to put away. See ya around.”

“Yeah. See ya around.” Colby said as he started walking in the opposite direction of the dorm rooms.

CHAPTER 2

Starsky spent the next hour getting familiar with the various buildings where his classes would be held and where they were located. He felt a curious mixture of anticipation and apprehension. He had barely made it through high school and had to work twice as hard as most of the other kids to keep a C average in most of his classes. If the subject interested him, he did well, but if it didn’t, it was almost impossible for him to concentrate enough to learn anything. He knew that most of his classes in the academy would be about the different laws and procedures, along with investigative techniques, how to conduct an interrogation, and ethics. In order to keep from being asked to leave, he had to maintain a solid C average in all his classes. Tests were his real downfall and no matter how hard he studied, his mind always seemed to go blank when it was time to take a test. In high school, he had always done things for extra credit to make up for his low test scores but he wouldn’t be able to do that here.

Finally, he made his way back to his dorm room. As he started to unlock the door, he realized it was already open. His room mate must have arrived. Opening the door, he stepped inside. A tall blond standing next to one of the beds, turned around, startled by Starsky’s sudden appearance in the room. It was the same tall blond Starsky had already seen twice. Mr. GQ. For a minute, the two men stared at each other, sizing each other up. Grinning, Starsky held out his hand “Hi. You must be my room mate. I’m Dave Starsky. Glad to meet ya.”

After a moment’s hesitation the blond smiled thinly and held out his hand, shaking firmly. “Ken Hutchinson.” He said “Nice to meet you too.” With that, he turned his back and went back to unpacking the suitcase lying open on the other twin bed in the room, dismissing Starsky.

“So, where are you from?” Starsky asked, sinking down on his bed and leaning back against the headboard with his hands locked behind his head.

“ Minnesota originally.” The blond said without turning around “I moved to California three years ago to go to U.C.L.A.” Almost as an afterthought he added “Pre-med.”

‘U.C.L.A. and pre-med’ Starsky thought to himself. ‘That spells money.’ Turning his attention back to his new room mate, he said “So what are you doing here if you were taking pre-med?”

“Pre-med was my father’s idea, not mine.” The blond said flatly. He let it go at that without elaborating but Starsky sensed that his coming to the Police Academy was a form of rebellion against a dominating father who had higher expectations for his son.

“So you decided to blow off Daddy and become a cop?” Starsky said, putting his thoughts into words.

“Something like that.” Hutchinson said with a snort. He turned around to look at his room mate, his gaze slowly taking in the ragged blue jeans and faded tee shirt. Dave Starsky looked more like he should be a petty criminal instead of a police cadet in training. But, there was something in those sapphire eyes that intrigued the tall blond Midwesterner. He saw an intelligence and intensity that contradicted his rather shabby appearance. But beyond that, he saw friendliness and acceptance, combined with a genuine interest in getting to know him. With his privileged upbringing and all the advantages that his father’s money could afford, Ken Hutchinson had obviously grown up in a totally different environment than the smaller man lying on the bed in front of him. But he had always had a soft spot for the less fortunate, a trait that his father had detested in his only son. “So what made you decide to become a cop?” he asked, voicing a question of his own.

Starsky grinned at the question and said flippantly “It beats driving a cab for the rest of my life.” He saw the big blond visibly relax, some of his reserved nature slipping away. Maybe he wouldn’t be such a bad room mate after all once he got the stick out of his ass. Starsky’s gaze drifted to a framed photograph sitting on the blond’s desk. It was a picture of him with a gorgeous brunette. “That your girlfriend?” he asked curiously.

“No. That’s my wife, Vanessa.” He said, the tone of his voice making it clear that it was a subject he didn’t really want to discuss. Starsky sensed there was a story there and probably not a very happy one. As a married cadet, Hutchinson could have lived off campus but for reasons of his own he had obviously decided to live in the dorms anyway. Although Starsky was curious, he respected the blond’s privacy and didn’t pry.

Starsky’s gaze drifted to the framed picture that sat on his own desk. It was a picture of him with his father when he was six years old. His father was dressed in his uniform and the resemblance to his father, even in a black and white photograph that was over fifteen years old, was uncanny. There was no denying the blood they shared. It was one of the few pictures that he had of his deceased father.

Following Starsky’s gaze, the tall blond said “Is that you and your dad?”

“Yeah”

“So he’s a cop too?”

“He was.”

“Was?”

“He was killed when I was a kid.”

“Oh,” an embarrassed flush crept into the blond’s fair skin “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“That’s okay.” Starsky told him with a faint smile “It was a long time ago.”

“You look a lot like him.” The blond said taking a closer look at the pictutre.

“Yeah….everybody tells me that….especially my mom.”

“Was he a cop here in Bay City?”

“Naw. Back east in New York.”

“Is that why your mom and you moved out here?”

“My mom is still in New York. She sent me here to live with my Aunt and Uncle when I was thirteen….about a year after my dad got shot.” Hutchinson looked at him with the same curious expression on his face that Starsky knew he’d worn when the blond had mentioned his wife. “I was getting in a lot of trouble….hanging out with the wrong kids.” The dark haired man told him with a shrug of his shoulders “She sent me out here to get me away from all the ‘bad influences’ in my life.”

“Regular little hood, huh?” Hutchinson said. If anyone else had made a comment like that, Starsky would have been offended and kicked their ass but he sensed that the blond didn’t mean anything offensive by his remark.

“You could say that….In my neighborhood you had to make a choice and either play by the rules or get your ass kicked all the time. My Ma was afraid if I stayed in New York I’d end up dead or in jail by the time I was eighteen.”

“So, I guess you turned out okay or you wouldn’t be here getting ready to become a cop.”

“I had a lot of help from some good people.” Starsky told him

“My father and my wife aren’t too happy about me dropping out of college to come here.” There was a touch of sadness in the other man’s voice that immediately made Starsky feel sorry for him. He was curious to hear more but he didn’t want to push. Whatever the blond decided to share with him Starsky wanted him to do it voluntarily not because he felt pressured to. The blond was quiet for several minutes, obviously thinking over how much he felt comfortable sharing. Finally, he said with a sigh “My father is a doctor back in Duluth. He always intended for me to go to medical school and follow in his footsteps….but that was always his dream….not mine.” A thin smile tugged at the corners of his mouth “But you don’t say no to my father…so I tried to do what he wanted. I stuck it out for three years and hated every minute of it.” He hung his head and when he spoke again his voice was barely audible “We had a terrible fight when he found out…..he threatened to disown me.”

“But you did it anyway.” Starsky said quietly. Even from what little the blond had told him so far, he could sense how difficult it had been for him to stand up to his domineering father.

“Yeah….and my parents haven’t spoken to me since.”

Starsky couldn’t help but look surprised at his statement. No matter how bad he screwed up or how mad he made his mother, he couldn’t imagine her shutting him out and refusing to talk to him for making a decision she didn’t agree with. Or Uncle Al or Aunt Rosie. Or anyone else in his extended family for that matter. “Yeah, but they’ll get over it, right?”

“You don’t know my parents. To them image is everything. They’re ashamed of me for not being the son they expected me to be.” The blond looked surprised at his own statement even though he knew in his heart it was the truth. What surprised him was that he had so freely shared something so personal with a man he had just met and didn’t really know yet. He had never felt such an instant bond with anyone else before, not even his closest friends back home. And he felt no pity from the smaller man, just a calm acceptance of the facts. A genuine smile crossed his face for the first time as he looked at his new room mate. He had a feeling that they were going to be friends. Good friends.

“What about your wife?” Starsky asked, encouraging him to tell him the rest of the story.

“Vanessa?” he said with a disgusted snort and a smirk. “All Vanessa cares about is Vanessa. She expected to be a doctor’s wife with all the privileges that goes with that. Being a cop’s wife was definitely not in her plans when we got married.” His eyes darkened with a remembered pain “She kicked me out when I went through with it. That’s why I’m staying here instead of at home with her.”

“Man, that sucks.”

“It was either that or let her make my life hell for the next eight months.”

“You think she’ll get over it sooner or later?”

“Knowing Vanessa…I doubt it. She’s as much into image and the finer things in life as my parents are.”

“But not you, right?” Starsky said with a lopsided grin.

“I never gave a fuck about any of that stuff.” He replied with a grin of his own. “Thanks for listening….I guess I need to dump on somebody.”

“Hey, feel free….” Starsky told him graciously “That’s what friends are for, right?”

“Yeah….I guess so.” The two of them looked at each other and smiled, feeling the connection between them immediately.

“So, Hutch…” Starsky said with a wicked grin, deliberating shortening the blond’s name. “Looks like we’re gonna be friends after all.”

“Why did you call me that?”

“Because Hutchinson is too much of a mouthful and Ken doesn’t seem to fit. Hutch does.”

“Hutch.” He repeated slowly with a smile creeping over his face “I like it. A new name for a new beginning.”

“Yeah, and you can just call me Starsky. Deal?”

“Deal.”

CHAPTER 3

The insistent sound of cheerful whistling pulled Starsky out of a sound sleep. Cracking open one eye, he glanced at the alarm on his nightstand. It was only six AM. He didn’t have to get up for at least another hour. He could see his new room mate pulling on a jogging suit and running shoes. Starsky must have made some unintelligible noise because the tall blond glanced over at his bed and said cheerfully,

“Hey, did I wake you? Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m gonna run a couple of laps around the track before breakfast. You wanna come?”

“No….” Starsky growled, burying his head underneath his pillow to emphasis his refusal. Just his luck. He would get stuck with a room mate who liked to get up at the crack of dawn and in an irritatingly good mood. Starsky was not a morning person. He was barely civil in the mornings until after he’d had his shower and his first cup of coffee. Left to his own devices, he wouldn’t drag himself out of bed before ten AM unless he had to.

“Okay. Suit yourself.” Hutch told him on his way out the door “See ya at breakfast.”

Starsky mumbled an obscenity under his breath as he rolled over on his opposite side and went back to sleep. An hour later, it was the sound of the alarm that awakened him. Groaning, he fumbled for the snooze button and hit it so he could steal a few more minutes of sleep. The next time he forced his eyes open and looked at the clock, it was almost seven-thirty and he was running late as usual. Cursing at his own carelessness, he shoved himself out of bed and took a quick shower and rushed through the rest of his morning routine. If he hurried he could still grab some breakfast in the cafeteria before his first class. Grabbing his books, he ran out the door, barely remembering to take time to lock it behind him.

He only had ten minutes to get to class by the time he entered the cafeteria, so he had to make due with a cup of coffee and a sweet roll that he ate in record time as he hurried towards the building where most of the classes were held. The instructor was already starting to take attendance when Starsky slipped into the room. Spotting an empty seat at the rear of the room, he slipped into it as quietly as he could. When the instructor called his name, he automatically said “Here.”

The instructor looked over the top of his glasses, eyeing Starsky with a smirk. “Perhaps tomorrow morning, Mr. Starsky…you can join the rest of us on time. I’m sure we’d all be grateful.” He said before moving on to the next name on his list. Starsky slumped in his seat, feeling the heat creeping up his neck and into his face at being singled out already for being late. Across the room, Hutchinson turned around in his seat and caught his eye, giving him a sympathetic smile.

The first class of the morning dealt with the history of the L.A.P.D. which the Bay City P.D. was actually a subsidiary of since Bay City was a suburb of Los Angeles. The class was dull and boring, made even more so by the flat monotone the instructor used to deliver his lecture in. Starsky had to struggle to keep his eyes open and pay attention for the next ninety minutes. Finally, the class was over and there was a fifteen minute break before the next one, just time enough to go to the bathroom or to grab something to drink.

Food and drinks were not allowed in the classrooms, so most of the cadets settled for a quick cup of coffee from the vending machines in the break room. After their first class of the morning, most of them needed the jolt of caffeine to keep them awake.

When they went to their next class, Hutch fell in beside Starsky and they both chose seats in the back of the room. John Colby was in the class too but he was sitting at a desk in the front row. The second class of the morning was Introduction to Law and was more interesting then the first class. The instructor was younger and more enthusiastic about his subject. He encouraged the cadets to ask questions and express their opinions. Starsky enjoyed the class but felt a twinge of nervousness when the instructor told them to read the first two chapters in their textbook and announced that there would be a quiz on the material the next morning. When the second class ended, there was a ninety minute break for lunch before their afternoon sessions would begin. Enough time for the cadets to eat and return to their rooms to change into their academy issued sweat suits for the physical activities that would make up their afternoon classes.

As they left the classroom, Hutch said “I have to make a phone call. I’ll catch up with you.”

“I’ll save you a seat.” Starsky told him as he continued on his way towards the cafeteria. Since he hadn’t had much for breakfast, his stomach was growling in protest. As he moved though the line, he filled his tray with two cheeseburgers with everything,

a double order of French fries, and two cartons of chocolate milk. He found an empty table with four chairs near the far side of the room and sat down.

He had just taken a bite out of one of his sandwiches when John Colby sat down in one of the vacant chairs. “Man, that first class sucks, doesn’t it?” he said with a grin as he settled into his seat.

“Still gotta take it.” Starsky said with a offhanded shrug of his shoulders. ‘The other class wasn’t so bad.”

“I saw Mr. GQ sitting next to you.”

“His name is Ken Hutchinson and he’s my room mate.” Starsky told him pointedly before Colby could continue with his ridicule of the tall blond.

“Better you than me.” Colby said with a sneer “Looks like we both got stuck with a couple of losers, huh?”

“He seems okay once you get to know him.” Starsky said, glancing up in time to see Hutch starting to make his way through the line. He wanted to distract Colby before Hutch joined them. “There’s Hutch now. I told him I’d save him a seat.” Although his voice remained clear and calm, a quick glance at the scowl on Colby’s face told him that the other man had gotten the message loud and clear. Back off or find another place to sit.

Colby snickered, earning himself a glare of disapproval from Starsky, when Hutch stumbled over his own feet as he made his way across the room towards their table. With a grin, Colby held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, silently promising not to embarrass the big blond when he joined them. Hutch slid into the vacant chair beside Starsky and smiled at the other man sitting at the table with him.

“Hey, John Colby.” He held out his hand politely.

“Ken Hutchinson.” The blond said, shaking the other man’s hand firmly.

“Hutch.” Starsky clarified with a grin, using the nickname he had given the big blond the night before in their dorm room.

“Hutch.” The blond repeated, glancing at the dark haired man beside him with a grin.

“Okay. Hutch it is.” Colby said, gazing at the other two men speculatively. John Colby was a closet bigot. He didn’t like Negroes, women who thought they could do a man’s job, Jews, Catholics, Spics, Chinks, or fags. But he was also smart enough to keep his opinions to himself. He found himself wondering why David Starsky thought Ken Hutchinson was worth wasting his time on.

Starsky glanced at Hutch’s tray and saw that he had picked a chef’s salad, strawberry yogurt, and a glass of apple juice for his lunch. Terrific. He was a health nut too. So far they didn’t seem to have anything in common but Starsky still felt a strange connection to his new room mate. His instincts for people were usually pretty good and he had learned to trust those instincts over the years. He had a good feeling about Ken Hutchinson, just like he had his reservations about John Colby.

The three new acquaintances ate their lunch, keeping their conversation casual and relaxed. Actually, Colby and Starsky did most of the talking. Hutch preferred to listen in silence, only speaking when one of them spoke to him directly. After eating, the three of them walked back to the dorm rooms together to change for their afternoon classes.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, from one PM until five PM, their time would be spent doing basic calisthenics, weight training, and practicing self defense techniques. Mondays and Wednesdays would be spent in firearms training and defensive driving techniques. Friday afternoons would be devoted to skills training in various areas of police work including but not limited to riot control, arrest procedures, and handling aggressive suspects.

After ninety minutes of stretches, jumping jacks, running the track, and pushups, the cadets were paired off with their partners for self defensive training. Colby was partnered with his room mate, George Armstrong, a tall well built black man. Starsky was paired off with Hutch. Hutch might have been two inches taller than Starsky with longer legs and arms, but they were evenly matched in weight. And Starsky had two advantages over the rest of the cadets. His military training and an early childhood spent on the mean streets of New York City. He could fight dirty and he could fight lethal, whatever the situation called for.

When the instructor called them to the mat for their turn, both men immediately went into a defensive position, circling each other warily and waiting for one of them to make the first move. With three years of college wrestling, Hutch felt confident he could take his smaller room mate easily. He lunged forward, intending to grab Starsky in a wrestling hold and bring him down to the mat. He was startled when the dark haired man deftly darted out of reach and launched his own attack, falling to the mat and sweeping out his leg bringing the larger man down. Before Hutch had time to recover, Starsky had him pinned to the mat with a knee firmly planted in the small of his back and his hands securely held behind his back.

With a buck of his hips, Hutch tried to dislodge Starsky from his back but was only partially successful. Starsky was quickly proving to be an adversary not to be underestimated. It was a mistake that Hutch vowed not to make again. Finally, he managed to twist his hips enough to throw Starsky off balance. Then it was Hutch’s turn to pin the smaller man to the mat, straddling his hips and pinning him down with his weight as he held his hands securely above his head. Starsky looked up at him with a huge grin on his rugged features. The other cadets were yelling and urging them on, enjoying the display of brute strength and agility displayed by the two men. By the time the instructor blew his whistle to signal the end of their turn on the mats, both men were breathing heavily and sweating from exertion. They had each scored an equal number of pins and displayed a high level of skill that impressed their instructor.

They watched the remaining cadets take their turns, yelling and encouraging them even as they judged the individual performances. Colby proved to be almost as good as Hutch but he also displayed a level of roughness that was uncalled for under the circumstances. The instructor severely reprimanded him when he brought down his partner with a choke hold and then called an end to the afternoon session. After a quick shower in the gym, the cadets were free for the rest of the evening to study and relax until the next day’s classes.

“You were pretty good back there.” Hutch said as they walked back towards their room together. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

“You learn how to defend yourself real young in my old neighborhood.….” Starsky told him with a grin “Course Uncle Sam teaches you a lot too.”

“You were in the military?” Hutch asked in a mildly surprised voice

“Yeah, all of us couldn’t be as lucky as you and go to college after high school.” Starsky told him “Uncle Sam had other plans for us.”

“Were you in Viet Nam?”

“Yeah….for eighteen months.” Starsky said, his tone making clear the subject was off limits. Wisely, Hutch decided to drop it. He had spent his time in college protesting the war in Viet Nam, something he wasn’t particularly proud of now. He realized that his new friend had seen and done things over there that Hutch couldn’t even begin to imagine. While Hutch had been busy studying, partying and protesting the war, protected from the draft both by his student deferment and his father’s money. Hutch found himself more and more intrigued by the dark haired man walking beside him with that certain cocky strut to his step.

CHAPTER 4

Over the next few days, the new cadets slowly settled into their daily routine. Hutch soon learned not to encourage Starsky to accompany him on his early morning runs but to let him sleep instead. The curly haired man was definitely not the best company early in the morning, at least not until he’d had a couple of cups of coffee first. He started studying together with Starsky in the evenings, helping the smaller man with his class assignments. Hutch willingly helped him with the legal language that Starsky had trouble comprehending and showed him little tricks to help him to retain what he read. In return, Starsky showed Hutch some of the self defense techniques he had learned both on the streets of New York and in the military. Hutch discovered that Starsky had a sharp, intelligent mind and an insatiable curiosity along with a remarkable memory for details. All he needed was a little help learning new ways to process information he didn’t understand so that it made sense to him. In spite of their obvious differences, the two men made a good team and a strong friendship was starting to develop.

Hutch had never had many friends, especially close friends. With his sheltered background and his parent’s refusal to associate with anyone they considered coming from a lower social class than themselves, he hadn’t had many opportunities to develop the skills needed to develop close friendships with his peers. It wasn’t until he was in college that he was finally able to begin to form relationships on his own, based on his own preferences, without his parent’s approval. Maybe that was why he felt such an instant bond with the dark haired displaced New Yorker because he knew his parents would never approve of him being friends with someone like Starsky.

But Hutch knew it was more than that. Starsky made him feel accepted for who he was as a person, not because of his name or his family’s money. Starsky didn’t give a damn about the things that were so important in the social circles that Hutch had grown up in, the lifestyle that Hutch had voluntarily rejected. With Starsky, Hutch could just be himself for the first time in his life. He didn’t have to impress the other man or try to be something he hated.

Hutch enjoyed his early morning runs around the track at the academy. They gave him time to think. Running had always been therapeutic for the tall blond. He had turned his back on everything his family held dear to do something he wanted to do with his life, not something that was expected of him. And he was willing to accept the consequences of his actions, even if it alienated him from his family and destroyed his marriage. For the first time in his life, Hutch felt free of the responsibilities and expectations that had weighed him down for twenty-one years. After his run, he returned to his dorm room to shower and chance. By that time, Starsky was usually up and just finishing up with his own shower. They would have breakfast together in the cafeteria before heading for their first class of the day.

After classes were over for the day, they continued hanging out together, studying until nine PM and then lying in bed after lights out talking and getting to know each other. As the first week of classes grew to a close and their first free weekend approached, Starsky asked Hutch about his plans for their two days off.

“I figured I’d just hang around here.” Hutch told him “The last time I talked to Vanessa she said she was going out of town for the weekend so there’s not much use in going back to an empty apartment .”

“Hey, why don’t you come home with me? My Aunt and Uncle won’t care.” Starsky suggested

“I don’t wanna impose. I wouldn’t feel right about it.”

“Bullshit.” Starsky told him with a grin “You won’t be imposing and it’ll beat the hell out of hanging out here all weekend. Come on, Hutch….it’ll be fun.”

“I don’t know….” Hutch said hesitantly. The idea sounded appealing but he still felt funny about accepting Starsky’s offer.

“I ain’t taking no for an answer.” Starsky said firmly “So get some stuff together so we can blow this joint.” Starsky’s enthusiasm was contagious and Hutch felt himself grinning broadly as he grabbed an overnight bag out of his closet and began to stuff it with a couple of shirts, some jeans and clean underwear. Grabbing his shaving gear from the bathroom, he tossed it in his bag and zipped it shut. By the time he had finished with his own packing, Starsky was finished too. Laughing between themselves, the two friends left their room and headed for the parking lot.

Since he was Starsky’s guest for the weekend, they took the dark haired man’s car. Hutch relaxed, leaning back in his seat, as Starsky expertly maneuvered through the late afternoon traffic. He handled the car with ease, darting in and out of traffic effortlessly. Forty-five minutes later, Starsky pulled into the driveway beside the house where he’d spent most of his teenage years. As the two men climbed out of the car, the front door flew open and Starsky’s Aunt Rose came running down the sidewalk towards her nephew. Hutch watched with an amused smile as the older woman grabbed the smaller man in a warm heartfelt hug and then tousled his unruly curls affectionately.

“It’s about time you got here.” She told him “Supper’s already on the table.”

“Looks like we’re just in time.” Starsky said with a grin as he slipped his arm around her slim waist. Glancing across the roof of the car at Hutch, he said “Aunt Rose, this is Ken Hutchinson. He’s my roommate at the academy. I invited him home with me for the weekend.”

“Glad to meet you, Ken.” Rose said with a warm smile as Hutch walked around the front of the car and joined them on the sidewalk. “I hope you like fried chicken and mashed potatoes because that’s what we’re having for supper.”

“Sounds great.” Hutch assured her with a happy grin as he followed Starsky and his Aunt into the tidy little house. He didn’t often get the chance to enjoy a real home cooked meal. His parents had a full time cook and you’d never find fried chicken being served at the Hutchinson dinner table. And Vanessa would rather eat out than even think about cooking something herself. Out of necessity, Hutch had learned to cook for himself over the years.

Delicious aromas drifted out of the kitchen as the three of them made their way into the heart of the home. Hutch watched as Starsky’s Uncle greeted him with a hug just like his Aunt had before they all sat down at the kitchen table to eat. Rosie had fixed fried chicken, mashed potatoes with white gravy, green beans with bits of bacon, hot rolls, and a cherry pie for dessert. Hutch thought it was the best meal he’d eaten in a long long time.

Starsky ate his food with the same gusto that he seemed to do everything, settling for seconds since they had company for supper. Hutch immediately felt welcome and right at home in the Starsky house. Throughout the meal, Starsky entertained his Aunt and Uncle with tales of his first week at the Academy. Hutch stayed quiet, just enjoying watching the interaction between the three members of the little family. He could feel the love and honest affection that bound them together. He found himself wishing he had that same kind of closeness and bond with his own family. He’d spent a lonely childhood, raised and cared for by servants and nursemaids. He’d rarely seen his parents or spent much time with them. Even when he did, he was expected to be the perfect little gentleman who was seen and not heard with impeccable manners. So, he was perfectly content to sit back and enjoy watching Starsky basking in the love of his family.

After supper, they all went into the living room where Uncle Al settled down to read the evening newspaper and Rose embarrassed Starsky by telling Hutch stories of his early days in Bay City. Finally, Starsky told his Aunt that the two friends were going out for a little while but he promised faithfully to be back before midnight. As they left the house, Starsky rolled his eyes at Hutch and grinned. “I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a beer.”

“I like your Aunt and Uncle. Thanks for inviting me for the weekend.” Hutch told him as they climbed into the car.

“Hey, I kinda got used to having you around this past week.” Starsky told him offhandedly “I like spending time with you, Hutch.”

“I like spending time with you too, Starsk.” He admitted fondly, unconsciously shortening Starsky’s name affectionately.

Starsky drove to a combination bar and grill in downtown Bay City. It was called THE PITS and was owned by Huggy Bear’s Uncle, who was training the tall thin black man to take over for him when he retired in a few years. The bar was crowded when they arrived but the two friends spotted two empty stools at the bar and sat down before someone else took the seats. Huggy Bear was tending bar and when he saw Starsky, he automatically began to fill a frosty mug with draft beer. Catching his eye, Starsky held up two fingers. Huggy nodded and started to fill the second mug. Carrying them down to the end of the bar, he sat one in front of Starsky and one in front of Hutch. Grinning at his dark haired friend, he said,

“You out slumming tonight, Curly?”

“Hey, just showing Hutch here the sights.” Starsky told him with a grin. “Huggy Bear, this is my room mate, Ken Hutchinson….Hutch for short.”

“Nice to meet you, Hutch.” Huggy told him smoothly “If Curly says you’re okay, then that’s good enough for me.”

“Nice to meet you too, Huggy.” Hutch said with a grin as he eyed the black man’s colorful attire. The tall thin black man was dressed in black pants with a bright yellow shirt and a multicolored vest. He found himself thinking that Starsky certainly had some interesting friends.

“So how’s cop school going?” Huggy asked, turning his attention back to his curly haired friend.

“No complaints.” Starsky told him “Learning all about how to catch the bad guys.”

“That’ll be a switch.” Huggy said with a chuckle. “How’s it feel on the other side of the line?”

“Pretty damn good.” Starsky told him with a wide grin, his sapphire eyes sparkling with shared secrets that didn’t include Hutch.

“Well, some of us have to go earn a living.” Huggy told him with a snort “We ain’t got time to play cops and robbers all week.”

As the tall black youth walked away, Hutch glanced at his curly haired friend and said “Interesting character.”

“Huggy? He’s one of the good guys.” Starsky told him “We’ve been friends since I first came to Bay City. He helped me though a lot of the hard times. He knows everything there is to know about what’s going on in the streets….he’ll be a good contact when we get out there.”

“Setting up contacts already, huh?”

“Hey, it’s never too soon to start…you never know who might come in handy later on.”

Their conversation turned to other things as they finished their beers and ordered another. Wandering over to the pool table, Starsky challenged Hutch to a game. They both turned out to be equally skillful at the game but in the end it was Starsky that won. They played two more games while enjoying another beer with Hutch winning one and Starsky winning one. Keeping his promise to his Aunt, Starsky kept a close eye on the time making sure they left in time to make it back home before midnight. Rosie and Al were already in bed when they arrived, so the two friends quietly made their way through the house to Starsky’s old bedroom.

Eyeing the double bed nervously, Hutch said “Uh….look, I can just sleep on the couch.”

“Believe me, you don’t wanna sleep on that couch.” Starsky told him with a chuckle “Your back will never forgive you. What’s the big deal? There’s plenty of room here…it ain’t like I’m gonna try and jump your bones or anything like that.”

“Okay.” Hutch finally conceded, still uncomfortable with the arrangement but accepting it. If the idea of sharing the bed didn’t bother Starsky, then Hutch was determined not to let it bother him either. He had already discovered that Starsky had very few inhibitions compared to the guilt plagued blond. The two of them crawled into the bed and were soon sleeping peacefully.

Hutch enjoyed himself the rest of the weekend. By Sunday night, Rosie was insisting that he call her Aunt Rosie and was fussing over him as much as she did her nephew. Hutch found himself looking forward to coming back again.

CHAPTER 5

John Colby stood in the shadows of the administration building and watched as Starsky and Hutch walked across campus towards the dorm rooms. He was jealous of how quickly the two men had become friends. As far as Colby was concerned Starsky was a cocky streetwise punk and the tall blond was an arrogant, conceited bastard. Some outrageous flirting with an admissions clerk had gotten him a peek into their private and confidential records. He was surprised to discover that Starsky was Jewish. He sure didn’t look like a Jew. And, just as he suspected, Hutchinson’s family had money and a lot of it. Colby had filed the information he had learned away for future use. Colby enjoyed digging up dirt on people. You never knew when it might come in handy.

Colby often hung out with the other two men between classes and in the evenings. An expert at keeping his true colors carefully concealed, none of the other cadets at the academy (or the instructors for that matter) suspected the lengths that Colby was willing to go to in order to get his way. And Colby was determined to be the top cadet in his class. Hutchinson was his primary rival academically and Starsky was his equal in the physical activities. But with his new ‘friend’ in the admissions office, he knew it wouldn’t be hard to access confidential records and change a few test scores here and there. Meanwhile, he would continue hanging out with Starsky and Hutch, adhering to the old adage Keep your friends close but keep your enemies even closer.

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Hutch needed to go to his apartment that evening to pick up some legal documents he needed for his lawyer. He had invited Starsky to go with him. The smaller man had readily agreed. They headed out after classes were over for the day. Hutch drove to an upscale condominium in downtown Bay City. As the two friends climbed out of the car and started into the building, Starsky tried to imagine his friend living in such a fancy building. It seemed totally out of character for the tall blond but Starsky assumed that it fit right in with the materialistic Mrs. Hutchinson’s expensive tastes.

Walking past the uniformed guard with a curt nod, Hutch led the way to the elevators and the two men stepped inside. Hutch pressed the button for the tenth floor. As the doors slid shut, he closed his eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose with a deep sigh. Starsky easily recognized the early signs of an impending migraine which the big blond suffered from with some frequency, usually when he was upset or under a lot of stress. In the month since Starsky had met the blond, he had already seen Hutch suffer through a debilitating migraine that sent him to his doctor’s office for a shot to relieve the pain.

When they stepped out of the elevator on the tenth floor, Hutch took the lead and walked down the long, lushly carpeted hallway to Apartment 1016. Using his key, he opened the door and went inside with Starsky falling in step behind him. Like the rest of the building, the apartment was richly decorated and expensively furnished. Starsky may not be able to afford it himself but he recognized quality when he saw it.

Vanessa Hutchinson glanced up from where she was sitting on the sofa as the two men entered the apartment. A scowl crossed her face when she saw Starsky, her eyes racking over his shabby appearance in distaste. Looking pointedly at her husband, she said “Really, Kenneth….you could have called to let me know that you were planning to stop by this evening.”

“Why? Did you have other plans, Vanessa?” Hutch asked, his voice taking on an icy tone that Starsky had never heard him use before. “Or maybe you were expecting company.” Starsky shifted uncomfortably, hoping he wasn’t going to get caught in the middle of an argument between Hutch and his wife.

“That’s hardly any of your concern, is it?” Vanessa said, her own voice cold and disapproving. She gave Starsky a harsh look “And I don’t appreciate you bringing your low class friends into my home anytime you feel like it.”

“It’s my home too, Vanessa.” Hutch reminded her with a hard edge creeping into his voice “I still pay the bills in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Whatever….” She told him in a dismissive tone “What do you want?”

“I just came by to pick up some papers for my lawyer. I won’t be long.”

“See that you aren’t.” she rose to her feet gracefully and disappeared into another room, closing the door firmly behind her. Hutch flushed and glanced at Starsky in embarrassment.

“I’m s-s-sorry…” he apologized, his stress stutter coloring his speech. “She had no right to be so rude to y-y-you.”

“No sweat.” Starsky told him “I got a thick skin. Try growing up Jewish on the streets of New York and having a cop for a dad.”

“That bad, huh?” Hutch asked with a faint smile.

“Let’s just say that I learned how to take a punch and how to throw a punch at an early age.”

“There’s still no excuse for Vanessa’s behavior.” Hutch said as he crossed the room to a battered desk that seemed out of place in the apartment. Unlocking a bottom drawer, he began rummaging through some papers and files.

Finding the papers he was looking for, he straightened up just as Vanessa came back into the room, obviously dressed to go out in an elegant white pants suit with a low cut blouse that set off her dark coloring and emphasized her figure. Glancing at Hutch and totally ignoring Starsky, she said “I’m going out so you can entertain ‘your friend.’. Make sure you lock up when you leave and try not to make a mess like you usually do.”

With those parting words, she brushed past Starsky and left the apartment.

“Now you know why I chose to stay at the Academy instead of at home with my ‘loving wife’…..” Hutch said with a sneer on his handsome features.

“Things are really that bad, huh?” Starsky asked sympathetically.

“Things haven’t been very good between us for a long time now.” Hutch said glumly, ruefully admitting to the biggest mistake in his life. “No matter what I do, it’s never good enough to suit her.” He sighed heavily “Let’s go get a beer. I don’t know about you but I really need a drink.” Starsky agreed with a nod and the two friends left the building, driving the few blocks to The Pits for a couple of beers before heading back to the academy before curfew. On the way, Hutch continued to vent his marital woes to a sympathetic Starsky.

As they sat back in a booth, enjoying their first beer, Starsky looked at his forlorn friend and said cautiously “So, Hutch….if things are that bad….why did you marry her in the first place? Or was that your dad’s idea too?”

“She told me she was pregnant.” Hutch admitted with a grim smile. “And she threatened to make a big issue out of it if I didn’t marry her. Then my parents got in on it and my father gave me this lecture about living up to my responsibilities….next thing I know, my mother is planning this big wedding and inviting all their friends.”

“Was she really pregnant or did she just tell you that to get you to marry her?”

Hutch looked startled at Starsky’s statement but then he grinned and said “Sounds like you know Vanessa. After the wedding she told me that it was all a mistake. She wasn’t pregnant after all.”

“And by then it was too late.”

“You got it. And Vanessa and my parents made it clear that a divorce was out of the question. Couldn’t have a scandal like that tarnishing the Hutchinson name.”

“Do you love her?”

“I used to….” Hutch told him sadly “I guess there’s a part of me that still does. We just want different things out of life and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

“It takes two to make a marriage work.” Starsky pointed out. “And even then you both have to want the same thing.”

“We’ve never wanted the same things at the same time….that’s part of the problem.”

“So what are you gonna do about it?”

“I don’t know….stick it out a little longer….see what happens.” Hutch said in a defeated voice “Right now…all I wanna do is make it through the academy and get my badge….even if that means putting the rest of my life on hold until then.”

“Meanwhile, Vanessa has it made….living in that fancy apartment and you paying the bills.”

“Don’t remind me.” Hutch said with a thin smile. “We’d better get back. We gotta study for that test tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I gotta get a good grade on this one since I didn’t do so hot on the last one.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you.” Finishing their drinks, the two men left the bar and headed back to the Police Academy to get ready for the next day.

CHAPTER 6

Starsky and Hutch joined the rest of the cadets heading for the locker room to grab a quick shower after their last class of the day. The last hour and a half had been spent doing calisthenics and running laps around the track. Before that, they had all spent two hours on the obstacle course; crawling on the ground, under constructed barriers and climbing over other barriers, all the while being timed to see how long it took each cadet to complete the course. They were all exhausted and ready for the day to end.

Starsky and Hutch walked to their adjoining lockers and took out towels, soap and clean clothes. Talking between themselves and ignoring the other cadets around them who were doing the same, they began to strip off their sweat stained sweat suits so they could hit the showers. As Hutch pulled his sweat pants down his long legs, a shrill mocking whistle split the air, followed by an unidentified voice yelling out “Yeah, Hutchinson, give us a free show….don’t save it all for your Jew partner.”

Disturbed by the tone in the voice as it sneered the words ‘Jew partner’ making it sound like an obscenity, Starsky’s head shot up, his sapphire eyes blazing with anger. Stunned, Hutch looked up with a confused look on his handsome features, his eyes sweeping the room as he tried to identify the source of the voice. The other cadets in the room kept their eyes averted from the two friends, finding other things of interest to occupy their attention. An uneasy silence fell over the room. Instinctively without even realizing that he did it, Starsky took a step closer to Hutch’s side defensively, the two of them presenting a unified front to their classmates.

“Who’s the asshole?” Starsky snarled sharply “You got something to say, why don’t you come out and say it? Don’t be a pussy about it!” No one dared answer the dark haired man’s demand or look into his smoldering blue eyes. For several minutes, nobody even moved. Suddenly, the door to the locker room slammed open and their instructor marched into the room. Glaring at the room full of cadets and sensing the tension in the air, he glared at them all and growled “What the hell is going on in here?” When nobody answered him, his eyes darkened dangerously and he added sharply “You ladies get your asses in those showers and then get out of here!” Although he had no idea what had happened or been said before he came into the room, he automatically seized control of the situation before it could get out of hand. “NOW!” He ordered, raising his voice to a shout.

The cadets immediately sprang into action, pulling off their clothes and heading for the showers to follow their commanding officer’s command. Starsky and Hutch waited until most of the cadets had finished and returned to their lockers to dress in clean clothes before they went into the shower room themselves. Even though no words passed between them, they each sensed the other man’s anger. By the time they had finished showering and went back out to their lockers, the room had emptied out except for a couple of stragglers.

“Hey, guys….don’t let some jerk off get to ya.” A deep rumbling voice said just as Starsky started pulling on a pair of cut offs and a faded tee shirt. The brunet glanced up into the broad dark face of George Sanderson, the only negro in their class.

“What the hell was that all about anyway, George?” Hutch asked as he pulled on a pair of tan cords and a cream colored polo shirt.

“You mean you two haven’t heard the rumors floating around about you two?” George asked him with a surprised expression on his face.

“What rumors?” Starsky demanded, his eyes starting to smolder again as he looked to the black man for answers.

“That you two are more than just ‘friends’….if you catch my drift.”

“You’re kidding.” Hutch snorted with a chuckle “What moron started that?”

“I don’t know. Probably the same one that started the rumor that Starsky doesn’t want anyone here to know that he’s a Jew because he’s ashamed of it.”

“That’s bullshit!” Starsky snapped, biting back his anger with some effort. “Nobody has ever asked and even if they did, my religion is my business.”

“Hey, I agree.” George said, raising his hands defensively “I’m on your side. But if I were you two, I’d watch my back. Seems to me that somebody has it in for both of you….and they like to play dirty.”

“Did you see who made that crack?” Hutch asked, eyeing the muscular black man with interest.

“Naw. Whoever it was, they were on the other side of the room somewhere….but it sure sounded like a white boy to me.” He grinned at his own little joke, knowing that he was the only man of another race besides Caucasian in their class.

“Sounds like somebody’s having a little fun at your expense.” Another voice said, adding to their conversation. The three men turned their attention to the other end of the room where John Colby was just coming around the end of a long row of lockers lined up in the middle of the room. He had a towel wrapped casually around his waist and was towel drying his hair, obviously just having finished with his shower. He grinned at Starsky and Hutch “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”

“Feel like I’m back in the Army.” Starsky grumbled “Over in ‘Nam it seemed like somebody was always starting a rumor about somebody else.”

“Hey, they’re probably just jealous cause you two got so tight so quick.” Colby said nonchalantly, as he pulled open his own locker at the end of the row and started to dress. “It’ll blow over.”

“Look, I’ll talk to you guys later.” George said, darting a quick glance at his own roommate but Colby didn’t seem to be paying attention to any of them. He glanced back at Starsky and Hutch and lowered his voice so only they could hear him. In a serious voice, he said “Like I said, watch your backs….not everybody here in on the same side.”

With that the black man hurried out of the locker room. Starsky and Hutch started to leave themselves, stopping at the doorway when John called out for them to wait for him.

Smiling broadly, Colby caught up with them and said “How about joining me for a pizza? My treat.”

Starsky and Hutch exchanged a silent glance, an unspoken communication passing between them. When Hutch shrugged his shoulders at the brunet, Starsky looked at Colby and smiled thinly “Sure why not? I can always go for pizza.”

“Hope you guys like it with the works.” Colby told them with a grin as the three men left the locker room together. “Cause I already ordered it from a joint down the street. It should be here by the time we get back to the dorm. Sanderson is going be studying in the library so we’ll have my room all to ourselves for a couple of hours.”

Following his lead, Starsky and Hutch followed Colby to his room. Minutes after they piled into his room, the pizza was delivered.

Starsky sat cross legged on George’s bed while Colby sat on the edge of his own bed. Hutch took a seat in one of the desk chairs, straddling the seat backwards so he could join in the conversation with his two friends as they began to eat. Even though alcoholic beverages weren’t allowed on campus, Colby had a six pack hidden in an ice chest in his closet that he freely shared. “Can’t have pizza without beer. It ain’t American.” He joked as he handed Hutch a beer. He pretended not to notice the tall blond’s disapproving look at Colby’s blatant disregard of the Academy rules concerning the cadets conduct. He exchanged a quick glance with the brunet, who simply arched one eyebrow at him, silently conveying his own surprise at Colby’s violation of the rules.

“So,” Colby said as he thoughtfully chewed on a piece of pizza “You got any idea who started that rumor about you two?”

“No, do you?” Starsky asked pointedly

“No clue…..but hey…I know you two ain’t fags.” Colby said with an innocent smile. Starsky and Hutch exchanged another furtive glance, each of them disturbed by Colby’s derogatory reference to homosexuals. It hadn’t taken them long to realize that Colby colored his speech with numerous derogatory references to a lot of things. And it bothered them both for different reasons. Hutch was disturbed because of his liberal views and attitude towards minorities. Starsky was disturbed because of his own experiences with discriminations because of his religion. But neither one of them was disturbed enough to make a formal complaint about their fellow cadet.

After finishing the pizza, Starsky and Hutch made their excuses and returned to their own room. As the door closed behind them, Starsky slumped down on his bed and glanced at the big blond who started to undress so he could get ready for bed. “Hey, Hutch…” he said thoughtfully “What do you think Colby’s problem is anyway?”

“He’s a closet bigot.” Hutch answered dryly as he pulled on a pair of blue and white striped pajama bottoms, leaving his other clothes lying on the floor where he had discarded them. That was just one more of the noticeable differences between the two roommates. Hutch was a little bit of a slob and Starsky was a neat freak. “And he doesn’t think that anyone notices.”

“Yeah, well I noticed.” Starsky grumbled. “Why do you think anybody would think that we were gay?”

“Jealous maybe….I don’t know.” Hutch said as he crawled under his cover. “Or maybe it’s just somebody who doesn’t have anything better to do than spread rumors.”

“Does it bother you that somebody might believe it?”

“Not really. I know I’m not gay. Why? Does it bother you?”

“No….not as much as somebody spreading around that I don’t want anybody to know that I’m Jewish because I’m ashamed of it.”

“Don’t worry about it. Colby’s probably right….it’ll blow over. People will forget about it as soon as another juicy rumor starts making the rounds.”

“I hope you’re right but in the meantime…it won’t hurt to take George’s advice and watch our backs just in case.”

“Deal. You watch my back, partner and I’ll watch yours. Now shut up and go to sleep.” With that, Hutch rolled over on his opposite side with his back facing the burnet in the other bed. Sighing, Starsky stripped off his own clothes and pulled on the worn gray sweatpants he preferred to sleep in.

CHAPTER 7

Starsky slammed the door to his dorm room and stomped across the room, throwing himself down face first on his bed. The cold anger still boiled through his veins and he had no way of venting his frustration. One of his instructors had been harassing him since day one and it just kept getting worse instead of better. The instructor had already given him three demerits and if he got one more he would be officially reprimanded and put on academic supervision. Starsky had no idea why the instructor had it in for him but it was painfully obvious that he was doing everything in his power to make sure the brunet never made it to graduation.

He heard the door to his room softly open and close but didn’t bother to look up. He knew it was Hutch. The tall blond had overheard the argument between Starsky and the instructor and had tried to talk to Starsky when he stalked out of the classroom but the brunet was too angry to share his frustration with his friend. He felt the mattress shift slightly as Hutch sat down beside him. A moment later, a gentle comforting hand grasped his shoulder.

“Starsk? You okay?” Hutch asked in a concerned voice, the caring tone conveying his sincerity and desire to help any way that he could.

“Yeah….I’ll be okay.” Starsky grumbled his rigid muscles relaxing beneath his friend’s soothing touch. He rolled over onto his back and looked up into Hutch’s ice blue eyes. He could see the genuine concern reflected there and found himself wondering what it was about the tall blond that made Starsky trust him so easily. He already felt closer to Hutch than he did his own brother. It was a new but comforting feeling for the dark haired man. The only other person he had really let his guard down with in the past had been Huggy Bear. But even with the tall thin black man he had still held back a part of himself that he had freely given to the big blond from Minnesota. It was almost as if Hutch knew all the secrets that Starsky generally kept hidden from everyone else and still accepted him in spite of his faults and his shortcomings.

“Hey, Jacobs doesn’t have anything to back up the things he said back there. He was just trying to scare you.”

“Why’s he doing this, Hutch? What did I ever do to him?” Starsky asked in a plaintive voice that sounded almost like a child.

“I don’t know, buddy….but I heard rumors that you’re not the first cadet he’s singled out like this.”

“What am I gonna do? All I’ve ever wanted to do is be a cop. I have to pass his class or I won’t be able to graduate.”

“Your grades are good enough to keep you off academic supervision…you know that.”

“Not according to Jacobs. He claims that I barely passed the last test.”

“Starsk, I quizzed you on that material…and you told me afterwards that you thought you did pretty good on the test. And as long as you got a passing grade, he can’t fail you for the course.” Hutch took a deep breath and looked at his worried friend “Maybe you should file a formal complaint against him.”

“I don’t wanna do that. That’ll just make things worse.” Starsky said in a dejected voice. “He’ll just find another way to make my life miserable.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Hutch told him confidently

“It ain’t your problem, Hutch.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for. We gotta stick together……me and thee…hell with anybody else.”

“You’d really do that for me?” Starsky asked in a surprised voice. A huge grin crossed his face. “Thanks, buddy.”

“It’s okay. Now how about we go find something to eat? I know you, you’re probably starving.” Hutch grinned back as he reached out and affectionately ruffled Starsky’s thick dark curls. He laughed softly as an unruly curl twisted its way around his finger. Hutch was amazed at how quickly this dark haired ball of unstoppable energy had wormed his way into his life. There was just something about the brunet that seemed to fill a void in Hutch’s life, a void that had been there for much too long. Starsky was the type of person that made friends much easier than Hutch ever had. It warmed the big blond’s heart that Starsky had singled him out to be one of his friends.

The two friends left the dorm, Starsky’s dark mood disappearing as they laughed and teased each other on their way to the cafeteria. Hutch decided to talk to the instructor who was harassing Starsky privately. He wasn’t sure if he could do anything to resolve the issue and get him to lay off Starsky but he was going to try. If there was one thing that Hutch’s privileged upbringing had taught him it was how to intimidate people when he needed to. He’d seen his father do it enough times with his employees (not to mention his only son) It surprised Hutch when he realized that he felt strangely protective of the brunet walking by his side. It was a new feeling for the big blond and he found himself enjoying it. A tiny smile tugged at his lips when he thought about the notion of Starsky needing protection from anyone or anything. The curly haired man had already proved that he was more than capable of taking care of himself in any kind of situation.

It was a couple of days before Hutch found the opportunity to talk to the instructor in private. Making an appointment to see him during his office hours on the pretense of discussing his own class work, Hutch decided not to mention this meeting to Starsky. He wasn’t sure how Starsky would react if he found out what Hutch had in mind and he didn’t want to do anything to upset him or make him angry. At the agreed upon time, Hutch found himself knocking on Jacobs door.

“Come in.” the instructor’s gruff voice ordered. Hutch opened the door and stepped into the office, closing the door securely behind him. Jacobs was in his late fifties with salt and pepper hair cut military style, his uniform spotless and freshly pressed. He was a arrogant, self centered man who liked to tell his class about his own exploits on the streets of Los Angeles, always making it sound like he was more decorated and honored than he really was. Hutch knew because he had done some quiet checking on his own into the other man’s record and background. Hutch’s social background and connections did have some advantages in his favor that he wasn’t above exploiting now and then.

“So, Hutchinson….” Jacobs said gruffly, getting right to the point “What can I do for you today?”

“I want to talk to you about my room mate, David Starsky.”

At the mention of Starsky’s name, Jacobs scowled darkly and looked at the tall blond standing before him with a deep frown. “Is your room mate too much of a pussy to come here and talk to me himself?”

“No…he just knows better than to antagonize you and make matters worse.” Hutch said pointedly

“So what business is that to you?” a thin smile crossed the other man’s lips “Or are the rumors I heard about you and your ‘room mate’ true after all?”

“Personally…I don’t give a fuck what ‘rumors’ you’ve heard about me and Starsky.” Hutch said, a hard edge creeping into his voice. “Even if I deny them, you’re gonna believe what you want to believe anyway. So why should I waste my breath or my time?”

“Those kind of ‘rumors’ could get both of you kicked out of here. Good riddance if you ask me.”

“Not without proof unless the Academy wants a major lawsuit on their hands….but then I’m sure you’re perfectly aware of that.”

For a moment there was flicker of indecision in the other man’s eyes at the cool, level tone of Hutch’s voice and then he smiled coldly. “There are other ways to get rid of you both if the Academy really wants to.”

“You mean if you really wanted to, don’t you?” Hutch corrected him with an equally cold smile, a smile that never reached his ice blue eyes. “But then everything you do, you do for your own benefit, don’t you?”

“What the hell is that suppose to mean?” Jacobs demanded, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he looked at the big blond apprehensively.

“What would it take to get you to leave Starsky alone and quit harassing him?” Hutch asked suddenly changing the subject.

“Now why in the hell should I do that?” Jacobs asked with a sneer

“If you don’t, I’m sure the Academy would like to know about some of your “outside’ activities.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jacobs snarled, standing up and taking a threatening step towards Hutch. Hutch glared back with a steady unblinking stare, unfazed by the other man’s show of aggression. Seeing something in the tall blond’s eyes that warned him to take care, Jacobs stopped advancing on the taller man.

“There’s a little matter of a certain young lady that used to be a student here that I’m sure the administration would be interested in hearing about.” Hutch told him calmly “Do I really need to continue?”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?” Jacobs yelled, his face turning red with rage, his hands curling into fists at his side.

“Let’s just say I have connections with some very important people who were more than happy to do me a favor by checking up on you for me.”

“That’s blackmail!”

“You’re right it is and as long as you leave Starsky alone…..nobody needs to find out about your dirty little secret….or about the prostitutes you like to knock around.”

Jacobs slumped back down in his chair. He glared at Hutch sullenly but he was not a stupid man. He knew when he was backed into a corner. “And if I agree to leave the Jew alone….you’ll keep your mouth shut?” Jacobs growled, unwittingly revealing what it was that made him resent Starsky so much.

“If you leave Starsky alone” Hutch said, putting extra emphasis on Starsky’s name to get his point across. “I won’t say anything to anyone. I’m sure they’ll find out on their own sooner or later. Scum like you can only get away with it for so long before somebody gets tired of it.”

“Get the fuck out of here, Hutchinson.” Jacobs ordered “And tell your ‘friend’ to stay the hell out of my way.” He made the word friend sound like an obscenity. Although he didn’t specifically agree to Hutch’s conditions, the tall blond knew that he would do what Hutch asked. He would leave Starsky alone, at least for now. Hutch made a promise to himself to make sure that the Academy administration received an anonymous call about Jacobs in the near future. The man needed to be stopped before he caused anymore harm to someone else. Without a word, Hutch turned and let himself out of the office, shutting the door firmly behind him.

He knew that he may have overstepped the boundaries of friendship on Starsky’s behalf but to Hutch, it was worth it. Jacobs needed to know that there was someone who wasn’t going to be intimidated by his power and his position. The entire encounter had left a bad taste in Hutch’s mouth that he wasn’t sure would ever go away. He knew that there were men who used the uniform to enforce their will on other people, corrupt police officers that abused their power and their position. Jacobs was only one of them. And the police department was an entity of its own. A closed society that would go to great lengths to protect one of their own. Unfortunately, that attitude gave officers like Jacobs free rein and gave the department a bad name when their activities became public knowledge. But at least Hutch had been able to protect Starsky from any further harassment and that was really all he cared about.

CHAPTER 8

“You’re quitting?” Starsky said in a surprised voice looking at John Colby with a puzzled frown on his face. It was only six weeks until they graduated from the Academy and Colby was telling them that he was dropping out. Since he was one of the top students in class, it was hard to understand his reasoning. He seemed to be giving up an awful lot. And for what?