A New Kind of Starsky and Hutch

By

Cynthia

            Starsky nervously paced the airport terminal in front of Hutch who sat in a chair reading a paper.  Every minute or so, he would stop and look at his watch.  Hutch sighed heavily at the sight of his nervous partner.  He folded the paper up and looked at Starsky.

            “You are going to wear a hole in the floor”, Hutch told him with a cross look.

            “The plane is late.”

            “They usually are”, Hutch said with a sigh.

            Starsky walked over and sat in the chair next to his partner.

            “I can’t believe she’s actually coming out here”, Starsky said.  “I mean, I figured she’d stay in New York instead of transferring here.”

            “I guess she must have decided she’d had enough of it there and decided to go for it here in L.A.”

            “Hutch, I can’t believe she’s actually coming”, Starsky said with a small grin.  “I thought we’d go to Huggy’s first and then…”

            “Slow down, Starsky.  Don’t start jumping the gun here.  She may be too tired to do anything tonight.”

            “I’ve got the bedroom fixed up at home for her.”

            Before Hutch could say anything, the announcement came over the loudspeaker that the flight had finally made it in.  He had to practically job to catch up with his partner.  Starsky nervously looked through the people as they left the plane.  He couldn’t see her and he wished she would hurry up.  Before long, he saw a dark haired young woman walking through the crowd carrying a small bag. 

            Starsky smiled as he walked over to her.

            “Michelle”, he breathed.  “It’s great to see you.”

            Michelle gave him a small nod and looked over to Hutch.  Starsky suddenly came over and gave her a hug.  Michelle returned it and stepped back.  Hutch walked over to her.

            “You look great”, Hutch said with a large smile.  “Not that same kid with braces.”

            “Thanks, Ken.”

            “My car is out front”, Starsky told her.

            “Thanks, Dad.”

            Starsky took the bag from her and they walked over to pick up her luggage.  The three of them stood waiting for her luggage to make an appearance.

            “How was your flight”, Starsky asked.

            “Good”, Michelle told him.

            “I’ve made the spare room up”, he told her.

            “I wish you hadn’t gone to the trouble”, she told him.

            “Oh, it’s no trouble.”

            Michelle saw her one piece of her luggage and pointed it out.  Hutch reached over and grabbed it.

            “It’s not that”, she told her dad.  “I’ve got a lot of unpacking to do.”

            “Unpacking”, Starsky asked.

            “I guess I should’ve told you.  I had a rental agency find me an apartment and my things have already been shipped.”

            Starsky turned around and looked at his daughter.

            “You already have a place”, he asked.

            “Yes.  I called them, they checked out apartments according to what I wanted and emailed me the pictures.  I found one over on Council Avenue.”

            “I thought we could spend some time together.”

            Michelle had an impatient look on her face.

            “Listen, Dad.  I’ve got a lot of work to do before I report in and we won’t be able to spend too much time together right now.  Maybe later.”

            Starsky didn’t say anything as she reached over and grabbed her suitcase off the converter belt.  He looked over at Hutch who had a compassionate look on his face.  The three of them headed out of the airport.

            Not much was spoken during the drive.  Michelle sat in the backseat of the car and looked over to her father.

            “Mom wants you to call her when you get a chance”, Michelle told her.

            “I can hardly wait”, Starsky said with a roll of his eyes.  “She probably wants to read me the riot act about you moving out here.”

            “It would ease her mind if you talked to her”, Michelle said.

            Starsky said nothing and gripped the wheel tighter in his hands.  Hutch looked over his shoulder at Michelle.

            “I know we’ve discussed this Michelle, but there were some changes that you need to be aware of.”

            “What’s that?”

            “Well, there’s been a major shift of personnel at the department.”

            “What is it”, she asked.

            “You’ve been put at Metro.”

            “You’re kidding”, she said with a look at her father.

            “No.  We thought it best that you work in homicide and you’ll report to me in a few days.”

            Michelle didn’t look too pleased.  She looked over at her father.

            “Did you have something to do with this”, she asked him.

            “No”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “We thought it best that you report to Hutch rather than me.”

            He looked in the rearview mirror and he knew she wasn’t happy about the sudden change in her assignment.  Starsky pulled into the drive of her apartment and opened the door for her.  Michelle stepped out of the car and looked at the ground floor apartment she had picked.  She pulled her keys out and walked to the door. 

            After opening it up, she walked inside.  It was a spacious apartment and she smiled after seeing it looked better than the photographs.  Boxes and furniture were scattered through the apartment.

            “Need help unpacking”, Starsky asked.

            “No, that’s okay.”

            “I’ll pick you up in the morning”, Starsky told her.

            Michelle turned around and looked at him.

            “That’s not necessary.  I’m usually up pretty early and I work out.  I’ll be there.”

            Starsky nodded and walked out the door with Hutch not too far behind.  He got behind the wheel of the car and sat for just a minute.

            “Starsk, she’s a grown woman.”

            “When Michelle’s mother and I divorced, I could’ve made her stay here with our daughter.  The courts wouldn’t have let her take her out of state.”

            “It was a messy divorce, Starsk.  You didn’t want to make it any worse by forcing Emily to stay in California.”

            “It was a mistake.  I don’t think Michelle has ever forgiven me for divorcing her mother.  Her and I are practically strangers now.”

            “Divorce is always hard on the kids”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “Michelle’s been in New York with her mother since she was seven years old.”

            “I should’ve visited her more.”

            “Starsky, Michelle’s mother should’ve sent her out here for a summer or two.”

            “I know”, Starsky said as he started the car.

            As he drove, he remembered the times he had asked for Michelle to spend some time with him here, but Emily had been adamant about it.  When he had attempted to force the issure, Emily had threatened to go to court and let them have at it how his job had wrecked havoc in his personal life.  Starsky just didn’t have the stomach for another court battle and he relented.  Since Emily had taken their daughter to New York, Starsky had made as many trips as possible to see his daughter.  The demands of his job kept him from going as often as he liked.

            It wasn’t long and the once happy little girl had turned into a sullen teenager who never seemed that thrilled when he did come.  Time between visits stretched and phone calls lessened over time.  Starsky had been happy when she made the decision to be a police officer.  He had planned on attending her graduation, but a case had blown up in his face and Hutch had been hospitalized for two weeks as a result of it.

            Starsky still hadn’t had much contact with her.  She was always out working on a case or some other excuse.  He was to the point of throwing his hands up over the entire situation when he a phone call out of the blue came from his daughter.  Upon learning of her transfer, Starsky finally had hopes that him and his daughter would finally put their relationship to rights. 

            Now it seemed as if everything was as it was before with the exception of the fact his daughter was now working in his precinct.  Starsky felt frustrated as he drove.

*****

            Hutch knocked on the door as he opened it and peered inside.

            “Josh”, he yelled.

            “In here!”

            Hutch walked in the apartment and found Josh pulling boxes out of his closet.

            “What on earth are you doing”, Hutch asked him.

            “I’m looking for my old army stuff”, he told him.  “Do you have any of it?”

            “I might.  You’ll have to look in the garage.”

            Josh stood up and looked at Hutch.

            “You didn’t come by just for a social call, Dad.”

            “No, I didn’t.  You know Michelle is here.”

            “I heard she was moving here.”

            “Well, I was thinking that maybe the two of you…”

            “No way, Dad”, Josh said with a shake of his head.  “I’m not about to let you set me up.”

            “It’s Starsky’s daughter”, Hutch told him.  “She’s new in town and I thought you could show her around or something.  Introduce her to a few people.”

            “I can’t anyways.  I’m going undercover and I have no idea how long I’ll be under.  You may not see much of me as it is.”

            “The Montgomery case”, Hutch asked.

            “Yes.  I’m one of his bodyguards.”

            “Hope it breaks soon”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “He’s been walking for too long.”

            “I need my old uniforms and my duffel bag to help with my cover.”

            Josh walked into the kitchen and pulled two beers from the fridge.  He handed one to his Dad.

            “So, how is Michelle”, Josh asked.

            “She’s good.  She sure has grown up”, Hutch said with a shake of his head.

            “I haven’t seen her since she was a kid.  She just had these dark blue eyes and you never knew what was going on in that head of hers.  I do remember her damn near destroying my comic book collection.”

            Hutch laughed and took a drink of his beer.

            “You’re still pissed about that?”

            “Hell, yeah”, Josh said with a small smile.  “I could be rich today if she hadn’t taken her crayons to them.”

            “It’s good to see you don’t hold grudges”, Hutch joked.

            “I imagine Starsky’s thrilled to have her here.”

            “He was.  I guess it’s just not working out like he hoped.”

            “I was just a kid at the time myself.  I barely remember it.”

            “Don’t worry about it”, Hutch said.  “If you do get the chance…”

            “I’ll make a point of calling her when this case is over.  You’d better give her a heads up about me, Dad.  I could scare the hell out of her.  We haven’t laid eyes on each other in years.”

            “I will.”

            Hutch finished up his beer and set the empty bottle on the counter. 

            “Thanks”, Hutch told him.

*****

            A few days later, Starsky walked into Hutch’s office and looked over at an older man who stood with a briefcase in hand.

            “What’s going on”, Starsky asked.

            “Starsk, this is Special Agent Jackson Thomas.  He’s with the Justice Department.”

            Both men sized each other up and Starsky shook his hand.

            “Agent Thomas is heading up the Montgomery case”, Hutch said with a sigh.

            “That’s our case”, Starsky said.  “We’ve been building a case against Devlin Montgomery for over six months now.”

            “It’s now a federal matter”, the agent told him.  “We have reason to believe that he’s involved in a weapons ring out of New York to here.  I know how hard your department has worked on this case, but you should realize that this is now a federal matter.”

            “Wait a sec”, Starsky said.  “We’ve got a man going under as we speak.  We are this close to shutting down his drug and gambling operations.  In another two weeks, we could have everything we need to nail this guy.”

            “Starsk”, Hutch said.  “Montgomery is also under suspicion for the murder of two federal agents.”

            “This is great”, Starsky muttered.  “So what do we do about our man inside?”

            “Keep him in”, Thomas told him.  “We also have made arrangements for another officer to go undercover as well.”

            “When were you going to let us in on this”, Hutch asked.

            Before the agent could answer the question, there was a knock at the door.  Hutch yelled a loud come in and Michelle stepped through the door. 

            “Michelle, could you give us a minute”, Hutch told her.

            “I think I need to be here”, she stated.

            Starsky turned around and looked at her.

            “Michelle Donavon will be the officer going undercover”, Thomas said.

            “Now wait just a damn minute”, Hutch said as he stood up.

            “Sgt. Donavon answers to my office”, he told Hutch.  “We’ve made the arrangements so she would have access to your division during this case.  It’s out of your hands.  Donavon, come see me as soon as you finish up here.”

            No one said anything as Thomas left the room.  Michelle stood and looked over at Starsky and Hutch. 

            “Hutch, can you give us a minute”, Starsky said barely controlling his anger. 

            After Hutch left the office, Starsky walked over to the desk.

            “So when were you going to let me in on the big secret?”

            “I didn’t see the need to worry you”, she said with a sigh.

            “Really?  You called me and said you were transferring out here.  Not that you were the part of some justice department task force!”

            “I don’t see what the big deal is”, she told him.  “They asked me if I wanted to do it and I said yes.”

            “You lied to me!”

            “I’m not getting into this with you”, she told him.  “I’ve got two days to prep before I go in.”

            Starsky rubbed his face with his hand and looked at Michelle. 

            “How are you going in”, he asked.

            “I’m an aspiring actress.  I wasn’t cutting it in New York, so I thought I’d give L.A. a try.  I approach Devlin Montgomery at his club on the south side.”

            “You’re going in as his girlfriend”, Hutch asked with disbelief on his face.

            “Yes.”

            He could see the confidence in her eyes and Starsky put his hands on his hips.

            “Do you have any idea of the situations you could be put in”, he said trying to maintain a handle on his anger.

            “I’m a cop and I’ve been doing it for a while now”, she said with a raised voice.  “If you would look at this like a police officer instead of an over protective father, you’d see the necessity behind it.”

            “How the hell else am I supposed to look at it, Michelle?  You lied to me about the reason why you came here and you are going to be the girlfriend of a man who has killed two federal agents already!”

            “This is getting us nowhere”, she told him.  “It’s done and there isn’t anything you can do to change it.  I’m here to do a job and as soon as it’s finished, I’m headed back home.”

            Starsky watched her storm from the office and he cursed loudly after the door slammed behind her.

*****

            Hutch caught up with Starsky over at The Pits.  He found him sulking at the table with a beer in hand.  He sat across from him and motioned for a beer.

            “Things must have not went well, I take it”, Hutch said.  “You skipped out before I had a chance to talk to you.”

            “She’s going in as Devlin’s girlfriend.  At least she’s going to try to get close to him.”

            Hutch sighed and looked up as the waitress gave him his beer.  He thanked her and looked over at Starsky.

            “Starsk, have you read her record at all?”

            “I’ve looked at it.”

            “Maybe you need to check it out.  She’s got letters of recommendations, commendations and glowing reports.  She’s a very intelligent woman and all indications are is that she is a good cop.”

            “She’s my daughter, Hutch.  How am I supposed to just sit here while she…”

            “Starsk, stop it”, Hutch said.  “You are going to have to trust her to know how to handle herself.”

            “She lied about the real reason she was coming here.”

            “I know”, Hutch told him.  “I’m sorry about that.”

            “I talked to Agent Thomas.  We can’t even tell her who the other officer is.”

            “As much as I would like to, Starsk, it would be too dangerous.  If even so much as a look passed between them, it could cost them their lives.”

            “Well, I guess I feel better knowing that Josh is around”, Starsky said as he drank his beer.

            “He’s already under, Starsk.  Josh has no clue about any of this.”

            Starsky groaned a little as he motioned the waitress for another beer.

*****

            Josh pulled at his tie as his eyes scanned the club.  He really hated suits, but he knew it went with the territory in this case.  He looked over at Devlin who was smiling at some business associates.  He took a sip of his drink and leaned back against the wall.

            He had been looking forward to getting this case over, but it just seemed to be almost at a standstill.  Devlin hadn’t even so much as blinked.  Josh felt lucky as it was that he had actually gotten hired.  It had taken some doing, but he found a good cover as an ex-green beret soldier.  He had even arranged for his military records to back up his cover. 

            His minded wandered for a bit when he thought about the conversation with his Dad.  This thing with Starsky’s daughter had bothered his Dad.  He remembered hearing them talk when Michelle had went to the police academy.  Starsky had busted a gut over the fact that she was using her mother’s maiden name.

            He really couldn’t blame her.  The names Starsky and Hutch were legendary on both coasts.  It wasn’t easy living up to expectations like the dynamic duo.  Hell, he would have done it if he had thought of it, Josh thought with a wry smile.  At least she didn’t have the same pressures he had been under since his decision to become a cop.  Everyone expected him to be like his Dad and he knew there was no way he would ever live up to the legendary status his dad had reached.

            Josh took a sip of his drink and his eye caught sight of a beautiful woman walking into the bar.  Hell, she was stunning, he thought to himself.  Her dark chestnut hair fell to her shoulders and her skin looked like satin.  Josh’s breath caught in his throat as she walked to the bar and ordered a drink.  Her red dress clung to her body and he closely studied every part of it. 

            When she turned around he could see the seductive look in her dark blue eyes.  Even from the distance he was standing at, he knew the color of her eyes.  He looked over as the bartender handed her the drink and pointed towards the end of the bar.  His eyes scanned to the end of the bar and Josh shook his head.

            A looker like that wouldn’t have to spend a dime in the place.  He watched as she slid her slim body into a chair.  He saw the way she scanned the room.  He didn’t move when her eyes rested on him for a brief moment.  He watched as she continued scanning the room.

            He knew she was checking everyone in the place out and Josh watched when her eyes stopped at Devlin Montgomery.  Josh knew very few women could resist his charm, but this woman looked to have set her sights on him the way she kept watching him. 

            Josh watched as Devlin looked over at the woman sitting alone.  He knew before he even got up from his chair, Devlin would walk over to her.

*****

            Michelle gave Devlin Montgomery an easy smile as he walked over to her.  He was a handsome man she thought, but she felt nothing as he stopped to speak with the bartender.  His dark black hair was slicked back and his olive skin spoke volumes about his heritage.  He continued over and when he arrived he gave her a dashing smile.

            “When I saw you sitting over there, I was very disturbed to see a beautiful woman such as yourself sitting alone”, he told her.  “Would you mind if I joined you?”

            “Not at all”, she said with a sexy smile.  “I’m Roxanne Miles.”

            Devlin took her hand in his and softly kissed her hand.

            “Devlin Montgomery”, he said.

            Devlin sat down as the bartender brought over the champagne and two glasses.  He studied the woman as the cork was popped and the champagne was poured.  After he left, Devlin leaned forward.

            “I took it upon myself for us to enjoy some champagne.”

            “Wonderful.  I love champagne.”

            “What else do you love”, he asked with a knowing smile.

            “A great many things”, she said as she lifted her glass.

            Devlin took a drink of his champagne and took a moment to inspect the woman.  She was fantastic, he thought to himself.  He imagined her on his arm everywhere he went.  He imagined her in his bed which brought a smile to his lips.

            “Why is it I have never seen you before”, he asked.

            “I just moved here”, she told him.  “From New York.”

            “I would expect New York misses you a great deal.”

            “I doubt it.  I’m an actress and I didn’t work much so I thought I might do better here.”

            “You will do much better here”, he told her.  “Though I’m afraid acting isn’t it.”

            You have no idea, Michelle thought to herself.  Her skin was crawling with every touch Devlin made with his hands.  He had continued to hold her hand and caress her skin.  Michelle had to restrain herself from running out of the club and vomiting in the nearest trash can.

            “You must join me and my friends”, Devlin told her.

            The tone indicated no argument and Michelle flashed him a winning smile.  She stood up with Devlin and walked over to his table.  As she sat down with his acquaintances, she looked over at the man who had been watching her since her arrival.  His blonde hair almost seemed to stand out, but the coal gray eyes had a hardness about him and she hated the judgment she was seeing in them.

            During the rest of the evening, Michelle kept careful track of the amount of alcohol she was drinking.  She needed to keep her head and she knew from the way Devlin treated her, that it wouldn’t be long and she would move freely inside of his house.  She had to admit that the assessments made about Devlin Montgomery were right on the money.  He loved having the right people around him and she fit what he expected to a tee.

*****

            Devlin walked Michelle to his limo and took her in his arms.

            “I’ll have my driver take you home”, he told her.  “I will call you tomorrow.”

            Michelle leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear.

            “I can’t wait.”

            Devlin’s eyes were sex-filled for that brief moment and he could feel her soft breath on his skin.  He pulled her close and gently kissed her on the lips.  He was pleased at her response.  When he finished, he opened up the door for her.

            “My man will escort you”, he told her.

            Michelle looked over at the bodyguard with the coal gray eyes and nodded at Devlin.  Michelle stepped in the limo and Devlin turned to Josh.

            “See that she gets home safely”, he commanded.

            Josh nodded and got in the limo with Michelle.  After the door closed, the limo drove off.

*****

            Michelle sat for a moment and looked at the man sitting across from her.  His coal gray eyes never left her and she sighed as she took her earrings off.  She dropped them in her purse and looked over at him.

            “And what do they call you”, she asked.

            “Dustin Chandler.”

            “So you work for Devlin.”

            Josh said nothing as he looked out the window. 

            “How long have you worked for him”, she asked.

            “A while”, he answered.

            “Not much of a talker, are you?”

            Josh looked back over at Michelle and he saw the small smile on her face.  He relaxed a bit.

            “What’s your name”, he asked.

            “Roxanne Miles.”

            “Devlin must like you”, he told her.  “First time I know of that he’s sent his car away without him.”

            “I always like to make a good first impression.”

            “You certainly did that”, he said with a roll of his eyes.

            “What is that supposed to mean”, she shot back.

            “You had him made the minute you walked in the place.  You saw him and you saw dollar signs.”

            “Who in the hell do you think you are?”

            “I’m Devlin’s bodyguard”, Josh told her with an angry look.  “It’s my job to protect him from tarts like you.”

            “You bastard”, she breathed.  “You don’t know a damn thing about me.”

            “I call ‘em like I see ‘em, honey.”

            Michelle was almost beside herself.  Never in her life had she been spoken to like he was speaking to her.  She opened her mouth for a reply, but then closed it when she saw the taunt in his eyes.  Michelle crossed her arms and looked out the window for the rest of the trip to her apartment.

*****

            When Michelle walked inside her apartment, she was still feeling a bit mad at Dustin for the way he had spoken to her in the car.  She turned the light on and nearly jumped when she saw her father sitting in the living room.

            “Did you know breaking and entering is illegal”, she said.

            “I told the manager I was your father.”

            “I bet you also flashed your badge, too.  You can’t just show up here whenever you want”, Michelle told him as she kicked off her shoes.  “I am undercover.”

            “I’m not going to blow your cover.  I wanted to talk to you.”

            Michelle walked over to the couch and sat down.

            “So, talk.”

            “I shouldn’t have acted the way I did.  This thing just threw me.”

            “I know I should have told you, but I didn’t want you talking me out of it.”

            “You think I would talk you out of it?”

            “I know you would.  You still have that mentality about little girls and dolls.”

            “Oh, come on”, Starsky told her.  “I’m not that bad.”

            “Of course you are.  I’m still a little girl in your eyes and sometimes I think you’d rather see me being a good girl and working a normal job like everyone else.  Probably a nice safe job like an accountant.”

            “It’s not that, Michelle.  I just don’t want to see anything happen to you.  Devlin Montgomery is a dangerous man.”

            “I’m not talking to you about the case.  Besides, I’m a big girl and I can handle it.  I bet Hutch doesn’t give Josh this much hell when he goes undercover.”

            Starsky didn’t say anything and Michelle laughed.

            “You see”, she said.  “Even Mom sees it.”

            “Yeah, your mother sure can”, Starsky said with a shake of his head.

            “What is that supposed to mean?”

            “Never mind”, Starsky said.  “Listen, I’ll back off, but I’ll be keeping my eye on you.”

            “Whatever for”, she asked.

            “This is a dangerous assignment and I’m not going to sit by and pretend that you’re not in there.”

            Michelle stood up and looked down at her father.

            “I don’t want any interference from you”, she told him.  “You are to keep your nose out of it.”

            Starsky stood and looked at his daughter squarely.

            “I’m still a superior officer, Michelle and you better remember that.”

            “I’m not one of your guys, Dad”, she said with an angry look.  “I sure as hell don’t need you to finally decide that you want to take an interest in my life just because you don’t like what I’m doing.”

            “I tried, Michelle.  I did the best I could with you, but instead I got a moody kid who would just as soon spit on me than to have anything to do with me!”

            “Really”, she yelled back.  “So now I actually matter!  I actually rank over your precious partner!  At least until the next disaster strikes the two of you!”

            “You’ve always been an important part of my life.  You preferred to go your own way rather than to let me be a part of your life!”

            “No, Dad.  The only thing I knew was that I wasn’t at the top of your list of priorities.  Now, if you don’t mind.  I’m tired and I’m going to bed.”

            Starsky watched as she walked back to her bedroom.  When he heard the door close behind her, he slowly walked out of apartment.

*****

            The next day, Josh was standing guard next to Devlin’s car while the man was inside the building discussing business.  Josh could see that Devlin still didn’t trust him.  Something had to break so he could get closer.  After half an hour, Josh sat across from Devlin in the limo.

            Devlin picked up the phone and gave the driver some instructions.  They were now headed to Roxanne’s.  Dustin remembered how he felt sitting across from her in this very car.  His body hardened at the sight of her running her hands through her hair.

            “Dustin”, Devlin said.  “I will need you to schedule security for the next shipment.  My previous employee was getting greedy and you will take his place.”

            Josh new that the man that had previously handled it was dead now and he looked at Devlin.  Surely, it can’t be this easy, Josh thought to himself.

            “No problem, Mr. Montgomery.  I’ll handle it personally.”

            “Good.  I will however need you to prove yourself.”

            “Name it”, Josh said.

            “I want you to kill a cop”, Devlin told him.

            Josh could see the dark glitter in his cold eyes and he knew that if he didn’t do it, he would be the one pulled out of a river. 

            “Sure.”

            “I’ll leave the details to you and I expect results in one week.”

            “I won’t let you down, sir.”

            Devlin nodded in satisfaction and the limo stopped.  When Josh stepped out of the limo, he was surprised to find himself standing in front of one of the most exclusive jewelry stores in Beverly Hills.  He held the door open for Devlin as he emerged from the limo. 

*****

            Half an hour later, the limo stopped at Roxanne’s house and Josh felt his gut clench when he saw Roxanne opening up the door.  She stood in the doorway wearing spaghetti shirt which left little to the imagination and shorts.  He watched as Devlin pulled her close and kissed her.  The door closed behind them and Josh leaned against the car. 

*****

            Agent Thomas walked into the office where Starsky and Hutch were waiting for him.  He sat down across from then and gave them a serious look.

            “What’s wrong”, Hutch asked.

            “We think there is a mole in our department”, the agent stated.

            “Great”, Starsky muttered.  “We’ve got two officers undercover.  Pull them out.”

            “It’s out of the question.  We’ve kept their identities between a very select few.  We’ve suspected that there was a leak somewhere.”

            “What makes you think that their covers haven’t been compromised”, Hutch asked.

            “If they had been discovered, we would have learned of it by now.  We do think whoever it is has enough access to warn Montgomery of any type of attempt to catch him in the act of transporting his weapons.”

            “You didn’t have to come to us with this”, Starsky asked. 

            “I’m asking if the two of you would investigate my department.”

            “That’s a little irregular, don’t you think”, Hutch asked.

            “Yes, it is.  We figured it would be too noticeable if someone within the justice department started nosing around.  Would you be able to do this discreetly?”

            Starsky looked over at Hutch. 

            “Sure”, Hutch said.  “How much access will we have?”

            “You name it and I’ll make sure you have it.  Anything you discover will be for my eyes only.”

            They discussed the details for a few minutes more and after he left, Starsky stood up with the files in hand.

            “Well, this case just got more complicated”, Hutch said with a sigh.

            “Our kids are undercover and there is a mole in the justice department”, Starsky stated.  “How much more complicated can it get?”

*****

            Josh looked over at Roxanne and he sighed.  He had been ordered by Devlin to take her shopping and as he sat in the back of the limo he felt a sudden urge to make love to her on the spot.  Josh chastised himself for even thinking such a thought.  This woman was typical of the kind of women he despised.  She was money hungry and she was willing to use her looks and sell her body to get what she wanted.  In his eyes, she was a player and he had little use for women like that.  Josh hated feeling so attracted to her.

            Michelle sighed as she fixed her make-up.  She would have preferred to be wearing her sweats and t-shirt, but Devlin had wanted her dressed as he expected.  He had handed her several credit cards and sent her on her way. 

            Michelle put the compact away and she looked over at Dustin who was closely studying her.  She fingered the diamond necklace that Devlin had given her as she looked at him. 

            “I can see you aren’t looking forward to this”, Michelle observed.

            “Mr. Montgomery wants me to keep my eye on you.”

            “More like make sure I’m safe”, she said with a sly smile.

            Josh said nothing, but the smile was almost his undoing.  He wished he could just kiss that arrogant look right off her face. 

            “Just make sure you aren’t too far from me”, he told her. 

            “Isn’t that sweet”, she stated sweetly.

            Josh gave her a hard look.

            “Mr. Montgomery wants me to watch over his property”, he told her with a look.

            Michelle gritted her teeth at the comment.  She looked over at Dustin and wished she could knock the smug look off his face.  She had to admit he was a good-looking man.  He had an easy laid back look and Michelle wondered how his body looked under the suit he wore.  The dark suit gave him a slimming look, but Michelle was willing to bet that off, he was much more muscular than what he appeared.  She turned her head and looked out the window.  Michelle wished she could just forget the thoughts she was having.  This was a case and here she was having the hots for a bodyguard.  A guy who didn’t even like her.

*****

            Josh felt a bit of relief when he had dropped Roxanne off.  His day had ended and he was on his way home when he pulled his cell phone out.  He dialed the number and waited for an answer.

            “Dad, it’s me”, Josh said.

            “Is everything okay”, Hutch asked.

            “Yeah, it’s fine.  I have to talk to you.”

            “I’m on my way to a meeting”, Hutch said.  “I can meet up with you at Huggy’s.”

            “No good.  It’s got to be something a little less public.”

            “Okay, I get you.  Tonight at our spot at the beach.  Eleven okay?”

            “I’ll see you there”, Josh told him. 

            He hung up the phone and hoped his Dad would go along with his plan.

*****

            Josh arrived at the isolated beach where he had arranged to meet with his Dad.  He was a bit surprised to find Starsky with him.  He walked over to them.

            “What’s going on, Josh”, Hutch asked.

            “I need to kill a cop”, he stated. 

            “A cop”, Starsky exclaimed loudly.

            “Montgomery wants to give me a promotion”, Josh told them.

            “And to ensure it, you’ve got to take out a cop”, Hutch said with a sigh.

            “I already have something in mind”, Jake said with an easy smile.

            “When he gets look like those, I get worried”, Starsky told Hutch.

            “I’d be more than happy to take the fall”, Hutch said.

            “Actually, I think Starsky would work much better”, Josh told him.

            “Why me?”

            “Well, you don’t look anything like me, for one.  And Devlin has spoken of you.”

            “I take it, he hasn’t exactly been singing my praises”, Starsky said with a gleam in his eye.

            “I would imagine he would be extremely impressed if I were to take out the man who has been dogging his every waking moment and a Captain, no less”, Josh said as he crossed his arms.

            “He learns this stuff from you”, Hutch told Starsky.

            “You both had a hand in it”, Josh told them.

            “Josh”, Starsky said.  “You’ve got to keep an eye on the meetings Montgomery has.  If we could just get a damn bug in there, this would be much easier.”

            “He is careful”, Hutch said with a shake of his head.

            “What’s going on”, Josh asked.

            “It looks like there’s a snitch in the justice department”, Starsky told him.

            “The justice department?  What in the hell are they doing in this”, Josh asked.

            “Two of their agents were killed by Montgomery”, Hutch stated.  “They also had an officer put inside.”

            “Who?”

            “We can’t tell you”, Starsky stated.  “It would compromise everything.”

            “But if there’s a snitch, it means our covers are blown.”

            “This mole doesn’t know who the agents are or even if there are any inside.  If they did, you’d already be dead”, Hutch said.  “Access to the case has been restricted with the exception of a very few select people.  Starsky and I are going to find who it is.”

            “Jesus”, Josh whispered.  “We may even know him.  If he meets personally with Montgomery it could still blow up in our faces.”

            “It’s all we’ve got”, Starsky said. 

            “Okay”, Josh said.  “I’ll keep my ears open.  Maybe something will get mentioned in passing.  Montgomery likes to play everything close to the chest.  Hopefully this gig will impress him enough to get me in his inner circle.”

            The three men squatted down to plan the details of Josh’s murder of Starsky.

*****

            Every night for a week Devlin Montgomery took Michelle out.  He would take her to his club or to an elegant restaurant.  He gave her a diamond bracelet to match the necklace.  Devlin even special ordered matching earrings to go with the expensive jewelry.

            Michelle was beginning to have second thoughts about her job.  She wasn’t learning very much and she was beginning to feel like Devlin Montgomery’s property that Dustin had called her. 

            She sat across from Devlin in a private section of the restaurant and he took her hand in his.  He kissed her fingertips and looked at her intently.

            “Roxanne, I would like to make you a part of my life”, he told her.

            Michelle was taken aback by the statement and she wondered how much of a part would she have. 

            “What do you mean, Devlin?”

            “I am considering moving you into my home and if I were to do so, I would need certain assurances.”

            “I’m not sure I understand.”

            “I need to have a certain amount of trust with you.  I’m sure you are aware of a few of my business associations.”

            “Your business is none of my business”, Michelle said with a seductive look.

            “True, my dear.  I do most of my business at home and I need to know I can trust you.”

            Michelle leaned forward and took Devlin’s hand in hers.  She gave him a seductive kiss on the palm of his hand.

            “You can always trust me, Devlin”, she whispered.

            “If you were to ever betray me, I would be ruthless in my response.”

            Michelle could see the promise in his eyes and she felt a chill along her spine.

*****

            Hutch walked over to Starsky’s desk and dropped a pile of files in front of him.  Starsky looked up at him and then down at the large stack.  It was still late and both men had decided to not waste any time into finding who the leak was coming out of the Justice Department.

            “Gee, thanks”, Starsky said.

            “We can’t very well use the computers.  I don’t want whoever it is to find out we’ve accessed the system over at J.D.”

            “So we get to look through each file just like the old days”, Starsky said as he picked one up.

            “That’s right, partner.”

            “Michelle told me something the last time I spoke with her.”

            “What’s that?”

            “I guess she felt that she wasn’t very high on my list of priorities growing up.”

            “Starsk, it wasn’t your fault.”

            “I could have done more, Hutch.  I could have made more of an effort.”

            “You told me yourself that the entire situation only seemed to upset her even more.  It didn’t help matters her mother up and moving her across the country.”

            “Maybe, I should have…”

            “Starsky, looking back isn’t going to fix the situation either way.  You can’t change what happened.  The best anyone can do is to make the best of what they’ve got right now.”

            “Your right”, Starsky said with a shake of his head.  “I’ll talk to her.”

            “Are you sure that’s such a wise idea?”

            “I’ll head over to her place early in the morning.  I won’t stay long.”

            Starsky was confident that he could put his relationship with his daughter on the right track.  He was willing to take whatever blame she put at his feet.  He only hoped he could get her to realize how much she truly meant to him.

*****

            Michelle was silent in the limo as she headed home.  Her conversation with Devlin weighed heavily in her mind.  She was now getting an opportunity to get close to him and she wanted to see him behind bars.  She wondered how far she would actually have to go with him.  She looked over at Dustin and she could see he had something on his mind as well.  He was a complicated man.  She couldn’t figure out what a man like that was doing working for Devlin Montgomery.

            The limousine stopped and Josh stepped from the car.  He was helping Michelle out when he turned and saw the door to her apartment partially open.  He pulled his gun out and motioned for one of the men to stay with Michelle.

            Josh ran over to the door and slowly eased it open as he went inside.  Michelle clenched her purse as she watched him enter her apartment.  She wasn’t used to having to sit on the sidelines and she wished she could have went in there with him.  He needed back-up.

            Michelle half expected to hear gunshots from her apartment and after a few moments of anxious waiting, Dustin appeared through the door.  He was putting his gun in his holster as he approached her.

            “It’s been ransacked.  I imagine there are some things missing.”

            Michelle ran to her apartment and when she walked inside, she sighed.  The place was a mess.  She could see it was a robbery.  The TV, DVD player and her computer were all missing.  She knew if she searched her jewelry box, some of it would be missing as well.  Michelle was thankful she had left her most precious jewelry with her mother.  It wasn’t valuable, but it had been passed to her from her grandmother.

            She walked back to her bedroom and closed the door.  Michelle kneeled down and pulled open the bottom drawer of her dresser.  She managed to get it out most of the way and then she shoved her hand inside as far as she could.  After a few minutes of feeling around, she could feel the bag and she pulled it out.  Michelle opened it and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief at finding her badge and gun. 

            She stuffed it back and closed the drawer.  When she stood she opened the door and Dustin stood there.

            “Are you okay”, he asked.

            “Fine”, she said.  “I suppose I need to call the police.”

            Michelle wanted to talk to her father and it was the only way she could see about doing so without raising suspicion.

            “No.  We’re not calling them.  I don’t think I have to explain to you why.  Mr. Montgomery will replace everything that was stolen.  It’s up to you.”

            “You spoke to him?”

            “Yes.  He’s on his way out of town for a business meeting.  I sent the limousine away and tomorrow we’ll get your things packed to move to the estate.”

            “Tomorrow?”

            “Mr. Montgomery fears for your safety and he wants you moved in as soon as possible.”

            “Why did you send the limo away?”

            “I’m staying here to help you get your things together.”

            “You’re staying the night”, Michelle stated.

            “I think I just said that.”

            “You can’t stay here.  I’ll call you a cab and you can go home.”

            “No, Roxanne.  I’m staying here.  You don’t have a choice in the matter.”

            Michelle shook her head and walked past him into the living room.  She walked around and picked up a few things and set them in the chairs.  She looked over at Dustin who had followed her into the room watching her.  She didn’t say anything as she picked up the phone.

            “At least they didn’t get the phone”, she stated as she checked the caller ID.  “Great.”

            “What is it”, he asked.

            “My father called.”

            “Maybe you should call him?”

            “No, way.  If he even thinks that something’s wrong over here, he’ll show up.”

            “You don’t want him to show up?  I would have thought you’d feel better having him here to guard you against me”, Josh said with a leer.

            “I’ll take my chances”, she said as she cleared the calls from her caller ID.

            Josh walked over to the couch and sat down on it.

            “So you and your father don’t get along very well.”

            “You’ve got that right.  He basically goes on with his life while I was growing up.  Now that I’m out here, he thinks he has a right to call the shots where I’m concerned.”

            “Maybe he does it because he cares.”

            “He does it because he feels guilty”, Michelle told him.

            “You have a wicked tongue”, Josh told her.  “I bet you’ve gave him the riot act.”

            “I’m through talking about him”, Michelle told him.  She stood up and walked into the hallway.  Josh watched as she pulled a pillow and a blanket out.  She walked over and tossed them on to his lap.

            “I’m hurt, Roxanne”, Josh said with a sad look.

            “Good.  You stay on the couch and if you come near my room, you’ll be singing soprano.”

            Josh laughed as he watched her walk back to her bedroom.  He stood up and stripped his shirt off.  He set it down on a nearby chair and sat down to take off his shoes.  As he was doing so, he looked at her closed bedroom door.  Josh imagined her walking through the bedroom undressing.  He wondered how she slept.  Josh shook his head as he stood to take his pants off.

*****

            Michelle laid in bed tossing and turning.  She had thought she couldn’t go to sleep because of the break-in, but her mind kept wandering to Dustin who was sleeping on her couch.  She imagined his face as he slept and she suddenly found herself thinking of how his lips would feel on hers.  Michelle sat up in bed and looked over at the clock.  It was after 1am.  She grabbed at her cotton robe and put it on.  Michelle walked from her room and as she approached the living room, she could see Dustin quietly sleeping.

            He had a different look about him as he slept.  It was an innocent peaceful look.  Something she had never expected from him.  He normally had a hard look and he always seemed to be passing judgment on her.  She couldn’t understand it.  He was working for a ruthless killer and for all she knew, Dustin was no different. 

            Michelle wanted to smile as she looked at him.  He looked wonderful as he slept, she thought.  She looked at his bare chest and she wished she could touch it.  It looked hard as steel, but it also had a softness about it.  Michelle shook her head and walked into the kitchen.

            A nice cup of hot tea would help settle her nerves and she could finally sleep.  Michelle moved quietly through the kitchen as she prepared her tea.  When she turned around she was surprised to see Dustin standing in the doorway. 

            “I didn’t mean to wake you”, she said.

            “I wasn’t sleeping well”, he told her.

            “Would you like some tea”, she asked nervously.  Michelle wasn’t sure if she liked the look he was giving her.  Mostly because she was having the same thoughts as he was.

            “No.”

            Michelle didn’t move as he moved closer to her.  She felt his hands on her waist and she looked up at him.

            “We shouldn’t”, she told him.

            “I know.”

            He pulled her closer to his own body and ran his hands up her back up to her hair.  The sensations she was feeling were strong and she moved her body closer to his as if it was the most natural thing in the world.  Michelle looked up into his eyes. 

            “Roxanne”, he whispered as he leaned in close to her.

            Michelle would have given anything to hear her own name on his lips as he kissed her.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her.  She felt an intense hunger spreading through her body as she returned the passion she was feeling inside.  She never even realized he had carried her to her bedroom until he was laying her on the bed.

*****

            Michelle woke up with her head on Dustin’s chest.  Her leg was slung over his thigh and his arm was around her waist.  She sat up and looked down at him with a smile.  She thought about the night with him and as she thought about the way he made her feel she felt a tickle inside and a warmth all over her body. 

            She watched as he slowly opened his eyes and he looked up at her.

            “How long have you been awake”, he asked.

            “Not long”, she said as she kissed his chest.

            Josh put his arm around her shoulders and then he pulled her on top of him.  He kissed her and ran his hands over her naked back.  Suddenly, Michelle sat up.

            “What is it”, he asked.

            Michelle got up and ran to the window.  She saw a car parked out front.  She grabbed her robe and put it on.

            “Where are you going?
            “Someone’s here.  I’ll get rid of them.  Don’t go anywhere”, she said with a look.

            Michelle was walking to the door when she heard the knock.  She looked through the peephole and her heart froze.      

            “Just a minute”, she yelled.

            Michelle ran back to the bedroom and closed the door.

            “Shit”, she said.

            “What”, Josh asked.

            “My father’s here.”

            “I’ll just stay in here till he leaves.”

            Michelle ran into the living room and quickly grabbed up his shoes and clothes.  She heard the knock at her door once again.

            “I’ll be right there”, she called out.

            She ran back into her room and Josh stood in the middle of the room.  She pushed him over to a window and opened it.

            “Roxanne, what the hell is going on?”

            “If my father even thinks anything is going on, he’ll have a cow.  Hell, he might even shoot you.”

            “At least let me get dressed”, he ground out.

            “Go over past those bushes.  No one should see you.”

            Josh cursed loudly as she practically shoved him out the window.  He fell on his back and quickly stood up.

            “I’ll be back in an hour”, he told her.

            Michelle slammed the window shut and ran to the front door.  She opened it and Starsky quickly walked past her.

            “What the hell happened”, Starsky yelled as he surveyed the place.

            “I had a break-in”, Michelle told him.  “It wasn’t anything connected to the case.  They stole my TV, DVD player and some jewelry.”

            “Why didn’t you call?”

            “I couldn’t.”

            “Yeah, I know”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “Your cover.”

            “Wait right here”, Michelle told him.

            Starsky watched as Michelle disappeared down the hall.  He walked around the apartment and looked at the mess.  He was feeling a bit uneasy about her living here alone, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.  He couldn’t even have a patrol car come by without her cover getting blown.

            Michelle reappeared and she handed Starsky her badge.

            “What’s this for?”

            “I can’t take it with me”, she told him.

            “Take it where.”

            Michelle took a deep breath before speaking.

            “I’m moving in with Devlin Montgomery.”

            “God damn!”

            Michelle crossed her arms as she looked at the anger on Starsky’s face.

            “You know I have to do this”, she told him.

            “I don’t have to like it”, Starsky told her with a raised voice.

            “I’m keeping my gun with me.”

            “That sure doesn’t make me feel any better”, Starsky told her.  “I think you should know who the other officer is.”

            “Absolutely not, Dad.  I can’t risk it and you know it.”

            “I sure as hell don’t like the idea of you going in there alone.”

            “It’s not your place to like it or not.”

            “You know, I’m beginning to think you wanted this job from the very beginning.”

            Starsky looked at Michelle and he realized he had called it right.

            “Why, Michelle?  Why did you want this assignment?”

            “I knew one of the agents Montgomery had killed”, she told him.  “We went to the academy together.  He left to work with the Justice Department.”

            “You two must’ve been pretty close for you to want to put your neck on the line like this.”

            “You want to know the gory details, Dad?  I’ll tell you.  We did see each other after we graduated and we were very close.  He got the job offer from the Justice Department and I encouraged him to take it.  We knew it was the end of our relationship.  He got married and had two daughters.  Now, because of Montgomery they will never know how wonderful of man their father was.  I want to take Montgomery down.”

            Starsky walked over and sat on the couch.

            “You know everything now.  You know the real reason why I’m here and you know why I’m willing to go as far as necessary to bring him down.”

            “How far”, Starsky asked.

            “As far is necessary”, she told him.

            “Are you willing to compromise your morals to do it?”

            “I don’t know”, she answered honestly. 

            Dustin’s image floated in front of her and she wondered if she had already compromised everything she believed in because of it.

            “Michelle”, Starsky said quietly.  “Don’t lose a part of yourself over this case.  It’s not worth it.  If you don’t trust me on anything else, trust me on this.  You will regret it for the rest of your life.”

            Michelle didn’t say anything.  What could she say?  Dad, I slept with Devlin Montgomery’s bodyguard?  She looked over at him as he stood and walked over.

            “Listen”, he told her.  “I know how independent you are and I do respect it, Michelle.  I honestly do.  I wish I could change the things that happened with me and your mother.  I can only imagine how difficult it was on you.  Promise me something?”

            “Sure.”

            “Forget that you’re a cop and that I’m a cop.  Forget the case.  If you need anything, call me.  I don’t care what anyone says and I don’t care if I lose my job because of it.  You’re my daughter and I would do anything for you.”

            Starsky turned around and began walking towards the door.

            “Dad.”

            He stopped and turned around.

            “Thanks”, Michelle told him.

            Starsky smiled at her and he left.

*****

            Hutch tossed the file in his outbox and looked over at Starsky who was stretching his shoulders.

            “We’ve been at this all day”, Starsky said.  “So far we’re drawing a blank.”

            “I’ve managed to narrow the list down to six people that has enough access to the case.  But there’s nothing.  Only one has financial problems due to her father’s death, but she’s been working with a bank to get them paid off.  Everyone else is clean.  No unusual deposits in their bank accounts.”

            “We’ve got to come at this from another angle, Hutch.  We need to start looking for foreign accounts.”

            “That’s a needle in a haystack”, Hutch said with a sigh.  “They could be under any number of names or even a dummy corporation.”

            “The only other option we have is to check them out individually”, Starsky said. 

            “You know that’s impossible”, Hutch said.  “If we as so much sniff around, we could compromise the case.”

            “It’s not like we have to say we’re cops”, Starsky said with a look at Hutch.

            “What did you have in mind?”

            Starsky gave Hutch a large grin. 

            “Listen, Starsky, we can’t do much today, we still have that gig tonight.”

            “I know that.  We’ll start on it tomorrow.”

            “You can’t show that ugly mug around too much.  The wrong person sees your face and we’re sunk.”

            “Hutch, trust me.”

            Hutch groaned and shook his head. 

            “The last time I trusted you, I was dressed up as a call girl.  I still remember the hives over those damn nylons.”

            “Your baby soft face worked better than my grizzly one.  Don’t worry, Hutch.  I know what I’m doing.”

            Hutch shook his head at his partner and leaned back in the chair.

*****

            Josh felt a bit nervous as he sat in the limo with Devlin and Roxanne.  He looked over at Devlin’s hand on her thigh and he clenched his teeth together.  He couldn’t believe she was still moving in with the piece of shit after spending the night together.  Josh felt angry and he wanted to confront her, but the opportunity hadn’t arrived.  Devlin had arrived before he had a chance to talk to her.

            Now they were on their way to the empty warehouse.  He didn’t understand why Roxanne was with them, but Josh assumed she would stay in the car while they took care of this piece of business.  Josh kept thinking the plan over in his mind, but his attention would be brought back over to Devlin as he pulled Roxanne close to him.

            The limousine stopped and Josh stepped out.  He held the door open for Montgomery and he was surprised to see him helping Roxanne out of the car.  He looked over at Montgomery.

            “Relax, my friend”, Devlin said.  “Roxanne will be fine.  She has assured me.”

            Josh gripped the door tightly with his hand when she flashed him a seductive smile. 

            Michelle knew this was some sort of test.  It would assure her place and she was only to witness the event.  She hoped it didn’t involve anything that would give her away.  She felt Devlin’s hand around her waist and she could see the tick in Dustin’s face as he guided them inside the warehouse.

            She could hear the ocean not far from them as she walked.  The warehouse was situated at the docks which made it easier for loading and unloading.  Michelle hoped she would actually get a look at the operation first hand. 

            They walked inside the large building and Michelle looked over at a figure sitting in a chair.  His head was hunched over and she couldn’t see his face.  As she walked closer, she realized he was tied to the chair.  She stopped with Devlin and looked over at him. 

            He looked over at Dustin and nodded his head.  When Michelle looked over at him, she saw a cold smile on his face as he walked over to the man in the chair.  Michelle’s heart was pounding in her chest when she realized she could be the witness to a murder.  She watched as Dustin reached over and grabbed the man by the hair.  When he yanked his head up, Michelle almost cried out.

            Her father sat in the chair.  His face was bloody and she could see he was fighting against the bonds.  Michelle was breathing hard and she looked around at the men standing around her.  No one was moving.  She looked over at Dustin who had an evil look in his eyes. 

            She looked at her father, and she saw his eyes widen a bit as he looked at her.  Then she saw something else in his eyes she wasn’t sure she recognized.  Michelle licked her dry lips as Devlin walked over to Starsky.

            “Dustin, you never cease to amaze me”, Devlin said with a smile.  “Captain Starsky.  It looks as if you will no longer be a thorn in my side with your investigations and special commissions.”

            “Dream on, you piece of shit”, Starsky bit out. 

            “I had hoped to one day see you in a position such as this.  I never dreamed my man here was so creative.”

            “He’s special for you, Mr. Montgomery”, Dustin said with a smile.

            “Tell me, Captain”, Devlin asked.  “How does it feel, knowing that you are about to die, that you will never live to see your own dreams realized?  I will continue on with my business as I have and your dead body will be thrown to the sharks.”

            No one said anything as Devlin walked away from him.  Michelle looked over at Dustin and her eyes widened as she watched him pull a gun from his holster.  Devlin stopped and looked over at Dustin.  He snapped his fingers over at one of his men.  The man walked forward and handed Dustin a different gun.

            Dustin sighed a bit.  This would hurt, he thought.

            Michelle looked at her father and she was frozen to the spot she stood in.  She could see by the look in his face, he didn’t want her to do a thing. She looked around the room and wondered if the undercover officer was in the room.  When no one made any attempt to stop Dustin, she knew he wasn’t. 

            She watched as he raised the gun at her father.  The shots echoed through the warehouse and she couldn’t breath as she watched them hit her father square in the chest.  It was as if she was in a dream state as his body fell back from the impact.  Michelle didn’t even feel Devlin’s hand on her waist as she looked at the unmoving form of her father.

            “Get rid of the body”, Devlin ordered. 

            Josh looked over at him and he couldn’t move for a moment when he saw the ghost white face of Roxanne.  He could see she was barely holding it together.  He didn’t say anything as Devlin escorted her back to the car.

            “I’ll take care of this”, Josh told the other men.

            He watched them leave and he pulled a knife from his pocket.  Josh cut the ropes and leaned over Starsky.

            “Just stay put until we’re gone”, Josh whispered.  “Hutch will be here soon.”

            Josh quickly left and after a minute or two of laying there, Starsky slowly pulled himself up.  He looked over at Hutch who was quickly running over to him. 

            “How did it go”, Hutch asked.

            He looked at Starsky’s silent face.  Starsky looked down and began pulling at the equipment strapped to him under his shirt.  The fake blood was all over his chest and hands.

            “She was here, Hutch.”

            “What?”

            “Yeah”, Starsky said.  “That son of a bitch brought her here to witness my execution.  God damn!”

            “Starsky, there was nothing you could do.”

            “My daughter thinks I’m dead”, Starsky yelled as he stood.  “She stood over there and watched three bullets get put in my chest!”

            “What are you going to do?”

            “I’ve got to let her know I’m okay.”

            “Starsk, you know that’s impossible.”

            “Bullshit!  I’m not letting her go through this thinking I’m dead!”

            “Anything you do could cost her and Josh’s life.  You can’t risk it.”

            “She’s moving in with the son of a bitch, Hutch!”

            “Even more reason to not say anything”, Hutch told him.  “If you try to get in touch with her, you could blow her cover.”

            Starsky knew he was right, but he was pissed just the same.  He kicked at the chair violently and cursed loudly.

            “I’m sorry, buddy.  We’ll have to wait until this is over.”

*****

            Michelle clasped her hands tightly together to hold herself together.  She kept looking at everyone in the limo with her and they were acting like they had just disposed of some trash.  She could see the silent stare of Dustin’s and she wished she had a gun in her hands at that moment.  She would kill him herself.  Michelle promised that she would kill him herself for what he had done.

            She closed her eyes and the image played over and over in her mind.  The limo pulled up at the mansion and she was on shaky legs as she stepped from the car.  Devlin brought her inside and led her upstairs to her room.

            “Get some rest”, he told her.  “I have some business to take care of.”

            She didn’t say anything as he left her alone in the large bedroom.  Michelle walked over to the bed and sat on it.  She felt numb.  Nothing seemed to matter at that moment.  She slowly stood and walked into the bathroom.  Michelle turned the shower on and stripped her clothes off. 

            She stepped into the hot shower and as the hot water hit her face, she saw her father’s body laying on the dirty floor.  She could see the blood flowing from him.  Michelle clasped her arms around her waist and she leaned against the wall.  Suddenly a wail escaped her and she slowly slid down to the floor.  The hot water continued to hit her body as she cried.  She was now an accessory to her own father’s murder.

*****

            Josh sat across from Devlin as they made plans for the next shipment of arms.  He kept remembering Roxanne’s pale face and he realized if he didn’t hold her together on this, it could cost them everything.  He knew she hadn’t counted on being a part of something so horrendous.  Josh wished he could just tell her everything, but he couldn’t risk it.  Maybe when it was over.

            He shook his head at the thought.  He knew it would never happen.  There was no future for himself and Roxanne.  She’s the girlfriend of an arms dealer and chances are she would go wind up in the witness protection program if she was lucky.  He knew the more involved she became with Devlin, the likelihood of her coming out of this unscathed was less and less with each passing day.

*****

            Josh walked up the stairs and headed for Roxanne’s room.  He looked around to see if anyone was around and slipped inside.  She was sitting on the bed wrapped in a thick robe.  Her hair was wet and hanging in strings around her shoulders.  When she looked at him, Josh could see the pain and anger across her face. 

            He walked over to her and kneeled in front of her.

            “Roxanne”, he began.

            Suddenly she started swinging at him and Josh almost fell back from the animosity coming from her.  He stood up and managed to grab her by the wrists.  He pulled her into the bathroom and pushed her against the cabinet.

            “Stop it”, he yelled.  

            She stopped and Josh looked at her while still holding onto her wrists.

            “How could you”, she cried.  “You murdered him, you bastard!”

            “You had every chance to walk the other way”, he told her.  “You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to move in here.”

            “I didn’t know I’d be watching you murder an innocent man!”

            “Devlin wanted to put you in a position so there would be no way you could back out and you can’t.  You’ve got to keep yourself together, Roxanne.  If you don’t you’ll get us both killed.”

            “I hate you, you son of a bitch!”

            “I’m not the bitch, here”, he warned.  “Nothing we had to you mattered.  You wanted the big house and the money.  Live with it!”

            Josh pushed her away and left her alone in there.  Michelle heard the slamming of her bedroom door and she sagged against the counter.  She could feel the tears on her face and she turned the shower on.  She didn’t know if she could take enough showers to wipe the disgust she was feeling for herself.

*****

            Hutch looked in Starsky’s mirror and checked his appearance.  His hair was slicked back and the thick black glasses gave him the desired appearance.  He was going to each of the houses as a censor.  Hutch had been reluctant about shaving his moustache off.  No one had seen him without it in years, but in doing so it assured the chances of himself being recognized were slim.  He would be going to the homes of the six suspects as a censor and hopefully, through some questioning and looking at the inside of the homes, he might learn something.

            Hutch walked into the living room and looked over at Starsky sitting on the couch.  His partner was understandably upset over the inability to contact Michelle to let him know he was alive and well.

            “Starsk, hopefully this will be over soon”, Hutch told him.

            “Have you been able to talk with Josh?”

            “No.  If it were possible for him to get in touch with me, he would.”

            “Hutch, I know we’re breaking some rules here, but if he does…”

            “I’ll tell him, Starsk.  I promise.”

            “Michelle’s got to be out of her mind right now”, Starsky said with a shake of his head.  “I told her if she needs anything no matter what it was to call me.  The case be damned.”

            “Starsk, this will end soon.  I’m sure of it.”

            “I know”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “It doesn’t make me feel any better.”
            “I’ve gotta go”, Hutch told him.  “Stay put.  I don’t want your face seen.”

            Starsky nodded and he remained silent while Hutch walked out the door.

*****

            Michelle could barely swallow her breakfast as she looked down at the newspaper in front of her.  Her father’s face was larger than life on the front page.  She had barely read past that there were no suspects in the shooting death of her father.  Michelle closed it up and tossed it on the far end of the table from her. 

            She was thankful Devlin Montgomery was out on business.  She had not seen him since the night he had brought her to her room and she prayed he would stay away.  When she had came downstairs, she saw Dustin in Devlin’s office on the phone.  Before the shooting, Dustin had been just a bodyguard.  Michelle could see he had moved up in the organization by killing her father.

            Michelle knew she needed to move quick.  She wanted this case over as quickly as possible and she was prepared to shoot the bastard for killing her father.  Michelle picked up her juice and took a drink of it. 

            She looked up to see Dustin walking over and sitting next to her at the table.

            “Devlin will be in this afternoon”, he told her.

            “Fine”, she bit out.  “I saw you on the phone.”

            “Business”, he muttered as he reached for the pitcher of orange juice.

            “It looks as if your willing to take things a step further than I ever would have to get what you want as well”, she said smoothly.

            Josh said nothing as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

            “I guess we’re more alike than you are willing to admit”, she said.

            Josh slammed the pitcher on the table and gave her a cold look.

            “Maybe so”, he said.  “I had thought that after what we shared together would have been enough for you.  I was wrong.”

            “Yes, you were”, she told him harshly.  “Apparently it meant as little to you as it does to me.”

            Michelle tossed her napkin down and left him alone at the table.  As she headed upstairs to her room, she knew she had lied to him.  It had meant a great deal to her.  She still remembered how she had willingly given herself to him and it was clear in her mind at how loving he had been with her.  She had never experienced the feelings she had felt with him. 

            Michelle sat back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.  How could someone be so loving with her in one minute and the next a cold and ruthless killer.  She didn’t understand it.  So much about him made little sense to her, but she loved him.

*****

            Josh downed his orange juice in one gulp after she had left.  He could still see the anger and pain in her eyes from what she had seen him do.  His first impulse was to run up the stairs and confess everything to her.  He wanted to tell her he was a cop and the man he had killed had been a setup to get in good with Montgomery, but he couldn’t.  One slipup and they both would be dead.  If Montgomery had any idea that Josh had made love with her, it would be the end of both of their lives.

            He almost smiled at the memory of holding her in his arms.  He could feel the tenderness in her touch and he remembered the passion in her eyes as he made love to her.  They had created their own little world in that one night and Josh would have done anything to get it back. 

*****

            Hutch sat in the car writing on the clipboard in his hand.  He had been to all six homes.  Two had been there, but there had been nothing to raise suspicions.  The other four he would have to just keep checking on.  He radioed for patrol cars to take a drive by the homes and at the first sign of any activity, they were to call him immediately.

            He wanted to get over and check on Starsky.  He didn’t blame Starsky for the way he was feeling.  He knew he would be the same way if the positions were reversed.  He could only hope Josh would soon realize what had actually happened.  His son was a good cop and he was all business.  Josh wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize this case.       

*****

            Starsky stared at the phone for a good half hour.  He prayed for it to ring, but it never happened.  He had to find a way to let her know he was okay, but he knew anything he did could cost Michelle her life.  He was already having regrets at how he had handled her as a child.  Starsky felt angry at his own failures as a parent and he would do anything to change it. 

*****

            Josh was headed to Devlin’s office as soon as he had heard he had arrived.  He heard voices and he stepped back away from the door but stayed close enough to listen.

“All I know is that the LAPD is working with J.D. to get at you.  How much they’re doing is another question altogether”, a voice said.

“I need to know how much information they have on me”, Josh heard Devlin say.  “My weapon’s shipment will be here in three days and I can’t afford any delays.”

“I just need to know how it’s getting here and I can make sure they are no where near when it arrives.”

“The less you know the less likely they will know.  Keep me informed of any movements they make concerning me.”

“Mr. Montgomery”, the voice said.  “It’s also possible they may have people inside your organization.”

“I’ve had my people thoroughly checked out”, Devlin told the person. 

“The justice department and the LAPD want to get their hands on you pretty bad because of those agents back in New York.  They’ll make sure their people’s backgrounds match up with their stories.”

“You are well paid for the information you provide”, Devlin said.  “I will do what I need to do to protect myself and you had better find out if there is anyone in my organization.  If there is and you neglect to report it, I will kill you and anyone else who happens to be standing next to you.”

Josh heard movement and he stepped away in order not to be seen.  He had no idea who it was that Devlin was talking to and when Devlin left the office, Josh stepped out and walked into his office.  He quickly scanned the desk, but saw nothing that would give him an idea who it was that was working for him.

Devlin walked into the room and saw Josh sitting in a chair.

“How goes the plans for the shipment”, Devlin asked.

“Good.  The guns will be here Friday night at midnight.”

“This shipment is worth over five million dollars”, Devlin told him.  “If anything happens to it…”

“Nothing will happen to it, Mr. Montgomery.  I guarantee it will arrive as scheduled.  I’ll stake my life on it.”

“That is exactly what you will be doing, my friend.”

Josh saw the promise in his eyes and he looked over to see Roxanne walking in the office.  Devlin walked around his desk over to her and he took her in his arms.

“How are you, darling”, Devlin asked.

“Fine”, she told him.  “The other night just threw me.  I didn’t expect it.”

“I have sorely neglected you.  Tonight we will have a special dinner in our room.  It will be our first night together.”

Josh stood up and looked over at Devlin and Roxanne.

“Mr. Montgomery, you have that meeting tonight over at the club with some buyers.”

“Cancel it”, Devlin told him.  “Roxanne deserves to be well treated tonight and I intend to do as such.”

Josh watched them leave the room together and he looked down at his clenched hands.  He hadn’t realized it until just now.  Josh took a deep breath and walked out.

*****

It was late that evening and Josh sat out by the pool with a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand.  He looked up at the room and saw that the lights were already out.  He took a long drink from the bottle.  He didn’t want to feel anything.  He didn’t want to think.  But Josh knew there wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to wipe away the image of Roxanne in Devlin’s bed.  He hated the idea of another man’s hands on her.  Josh finished the bottle off and stumbled to his own bed.

*****

Michelle was quiet as she slipped out of bed.  Devlin was sleeping heavily and she walked into the bathroom.  The one thing she was thankful for was the fact she could handle her liquor, but Devlin was obviously quite poor at it.  They had both consumed enough alcohol to sink a small boat.  Michelle had been afraid that he was handling it better than she had predicted.  He had put his hands on her and they had both stumbled into the bed.  Before Devlin could even get the gown off, he had passed out on top of her.  She hoped that when he woke, she could make a good show of being elated at their first night together.  But she knew she may not be as lucky if he made an attempt tonight.

She looked over when she saw him moving, and Michelle walked over to the bed.  She leaned down and gave him a kiss.  Devlin opened up his dark eyes and looked up at her.

“Good morning”, she said brightly.

“I am glad to see you are feeling well”, he said as he slowly sat up.

“Last night was wonderful”, she whispered.  “I was in heaven.”

Devlin looked up at her with curious eyes.

“Darling, I consumed too much champagne.  I wish I could say it as well.”

Michelle sat down on the bed next to him.

“You seemed to enjoy yourself quite well”, she told him with a wink.

Devlin reached over and pulled her onto his lap.

“You can remind me”, he said as he put his hand on her bare knee.

Michelle could feel her heart pounding loudly as he leaned over and kissed her passionately.  A knock at the door interrupted them.

“Yes”, Devlin called out.  “Come in.”

The door opened and Josh walked inside.  Michelle looked up at him and she saw him avert his eyes.

“The buyers are in the library”, he told him.

“I’m on my way down”, Devlin told him.  “I’m sorry, darling.  We’ll finish this up later.”

Michelle stood up and watched as the door closed.  Devlin stood and walked into the bathroom.  He quickly cleaned up and headed out the door.  Michelle made a snap decision and quickly dressed.  She walked out the door and saw Devlin walking into the library. 

Michelle headed down the stairs and she managed to walk by the library without being seen.  She found Devlin’s office and opened the door.  She shut it quietly behind her and walked over to the desk.  She hoped she would find something that could get her out of this damn place.  She wanted away from Devlin and his slimy hands and she wanted away from Dustin.  She hated him and she loved him.  She just wanted out.

She started looking through drawers and searching the files.  She looked up when the door suddenly opened.  Dustin stood there staring at her and Michelle thought she would have a heart attack at the cold look he was giving her.

“What are you doing here”, he asked.

“I was looking for a pen”, she told him.

Michelle wasn’t sure if he believed her or not.  She looked down at the desk and grabbed a pen lying on top of it.  Dustin walked over to her and grabbed her by the arms.

“If you’re caught in here I don’t think the fact that you’re Montgomery’s girlfriend will even protect you.”

“You’d be surprised”, she bit out.

“Roxanne, you don’t belong here”, he told her. 

“You already told me that I’m trapped here.  I witnessed you murdering an innocent person on Devlin’s order.  Doesn’t that trap us both?”

Josh wished he could just shake some sense into her and instead he pulled her close and kissed her aggressively.  Michelle couldn’t escape the kiss and she wound up putting her arms around him and responding.  Suddenly Dustin pushed her away.  He sighed heavily and looked over at her.

“Leave now before I forget who I am and who you are”, Josh breathed.

“We did forget, Dustin”, she told him.  “Remember?”

“If Montgomery ever finds out about us, he’ll kill us both”, Josh told her.  “You’d best forget that night.”

Josh walked over to the door and opened it.  Michelle was silent as she walked past him.  When the door was closed behind them and the room was empty, a hidden camera sat silently on a bookshelf after recording the entire event.

*****

Hutch walked into Starsky’s house and found him in the kitchen.

“Come on”, Hutch said.  “We’ve got to go.”

“What is it?  Michelle?”

“Jackson Thomas’ body was just found”, Hutch told him.

Starsky grabbed his jacket and followed Hutch out the door.

*****

Less than fifteen minutes later, Starsky and Hutch stood at the car where Thomas’ body sat in the front seat.  He had a bullet hole in his head and a half empty briefcase sat on the seat next to him.

“It was a .38”, Hutch stated.  “It did the job it was intended to do.”

Starsky put the surgical gloves on and opened the car door on the passenger side.  He looked at the briefcase and picked through a few files.  He looked down on the floorboard and saw a file shoved almost to the back.  He picked it up and opened it.  He took a deep breath as he stood up.

“Hutch, this is Michelle’s record.”

Hutch looked down at the photo with the picture of Michelle on the inside.

“Jackson was hiding it when he was shot”, Hutch told him.  “Montgomery may not know about her, but there’s a good chance that he knows about Josh.”

“Come on”, Starsky said.  “We’ll find them.”

*****

It was close to evening when Devlin was showed the recording of Roxanne and Dustin.  His fury was building intensely and he kicked a nearby chair across the room.  He looked over at his men.

“Get Dustin and go to the warehouse where he killed the cop”, he told them.  “I want him there at eleven.”

“Yes, sir”, one of them said.

“I will see that Roxanne meets him there.”

Devlin watched them leave and he looked down at the television at them locked in an embrace.

*****

Michelle was slipping her jeans on when Devlin walked inside the bedroom.  She looked over at him.

“I thought I would go for a walk around the grounds”, she told him.  “I haven’t had an opportunity to explore them.”

“You won’t have one”, he told her.

Michelle looked over at him and she saw the cold look in his dark eyes.

“Devlin”, Michelle said.

Devlin walked over to her and he stood for a moment and before Michelle could react, he back handed her and sent her sprawling on the bed.  She brought her hand to her mouth and she could taste the blood.

Michelle had barely recovered when Devlin suddenly threw himself on top of her and began ripping at her clothes.

*****

Starsky looked down at his watch and then over at Hutch.

“He may already know”, Starsky bit out.  “It’s almost eleven.”

“Starsk, that warehouse where you were at”, Hutch asked.

“It’s possible.  Josh had said something about getting some of the shipments over to it.”

“I don’t see what we have to lose.”

Hutch put the petal to the metal and pushed the car as fast as it would go to get to the warehouse.

*****

Josh paced nervously in the warehouse.  He almost wished he smoked as he looked at the men with him.  They hadn’t spoken and they had given no reason as to why Montgomery wanted to meet him here.  He heard footsteps and when he looked up, Devlin was walking towards him with Roxanne.  He felt his gut clench when he saw the broken look on her face.  He could see her lip had been split open.  Josh clenched his fists and looked over at Devlin.

Devlin shoved Roxanne and she fell to the floor.  She slowly stood and looked over at Dustin.

“I thought the lovers deserved a reunion”, he spat out.

“Devlin”, Josh began.

Devlin made a motion and Josh was grabbed from behind.  Michelle started to move and she felt a strong grip on her arm.  She watched as Devlin walked over and gave Dustin two hard punches to his stomach.  He hunched forward from the pain.  Devlin hit him across the face with his fist and he fell to his knees.

*****

Hutch stopped the car and they both stepped out with their guns drawn.  Starsky pointed to a far door and Hutch looked over to see a woman with a briefcase entering the building.

“That’s that female agent I was telling you about”, Hutch said.  “Lisa Michaels.  The one where her father died.”

“It was a setup to cover for the payments she was getting from Devlin”, Starsky said.

“She killed Jackson to find out about the case”, Hutch told him.  “I’ve got her.”

“I’ll meet you in the middle”, Starsky said as he checked his barretta.

Hutch nodded and both men split up.

*****

Josh was on his knees with his arms pulled back.  He clenched his teeth to keep from making a sound.  He felt someone grab him by the hair and yank his head up.

“She’s very good”, Devlin said as he motioned towards Michelle.  “She’s a hellcat, but it is possible to subdue her.”

“You fucking bastard”, Josh bit out.  “I’ll kill you.”

“No, my friend.  You won’t.  You’ll be dead and your whore will join you.”

Devlin stepped back and motioned at his men.  Josh was pulled to his feet and Devlin turned towards Michelle as the men began beating on him.

“Devlin, stop this”, Michelle told him.  “Please.”

“What night was it”, he asked her.  “Was it the night you were robbed.  I instructed him to protect you and you let him in your bed.”

“I’ll do anything, Devlin.  Just leave him alone.”

Devlin grabbed her and shook her. 

“What will you do to protect you lover”, he yelled.

Michelle could only stare at him as he instructed his men to stop.

“What, Roxanne”, he screamed.

Michelle looked over at Dustin and she couldn’t bear to look at the pain-filled eyes.  She could see him slowly shaking his head at her.

*****

Hutch could hear noises away from him, but he couldn’t make them out or the voices.  He watched as Lisa Michaels stopped for a moment and then proceeded carefully.  Hutch walked up behind her and grabbed her with one arm and put a hand over her mouth.  He pulled her back.  He didn’t expect the elbow in his face and it forced him to loosen his grip. 

She pulled away and pulled her gun out.  Hutch was quicker as he shot her through the heart.  She slumped to the hard floor.  Hutch walked over and pulled the gun out of her lifeless hand.

*****

Devlin looked around and motioned for two of his men to investigate.  Michelle watched as he pulled a gun from inside of his jacket and held it out.

“Take care of whoever it is.”

They dropped Josh to the floor and he was barely conscious.  After they walked off, Michelle’s eyes widened when he saw him aim his gun at the man on the floor.

“No”, she screamed.  She shoved her body into Devlin as hard as she could and they both went over the railing.  Michelle scrambled to grasp onto a rail and she screamed when she felt Devlin’s hands on her leg.  She could barely hold on with the extra weight on her body.

“Dustin”, Michelle cried out.  “Dustin.”

Josh was starting to move around.

*****

Starsky heard Michelle’s scream and he started towards her.  A gunshot went off just barely missing him and he turned around and shot at a man hidden behind some empty barrels. 

“Starsk”, Hutch yelled out.  “Four o’clock!”

Starsky turned and saw the man approaching him and he shot him in the chest.  Starsky was still pinned down by the other gunmen.  He looked over and saw Hutch flanking them from the right.  Starsky moved left to get a better aim at the other one.  When he was in position, he looked over and saw Hutch positioning himself.

“Three”, Starsky yelled.

Both Starsky and Hutch jumped out at the same time hitting both men and instantly killing them.

*****

Michelle could feel her hands straining to hold on.  She looked down at Devlin frantically grabbing at her and she was unable to shake him loose.  It was a long drop down and the sheets of glass sitting at the bottom looked almost like a coffin to her. 

“Oh, God, Dustin”, she cried.  “Help me!”

Josh shook the cobwebs loose and he crawled over to where she was hanging.  He grabbed onto her arms and she suddenly slipped.  Josh held on to her hands with everything he had.

“Do it”, Josh yelled.  “Do it!”

Michelle frantically began kicking her legs praying she wouldn’t fall and she thought she was going to be torn in half when suddenly Devlin lost his grip.  She looked down as he fell into the glass.  Michelle closed her eyes at the bloody body and then she looked up as she was finally pulled to safety.

Michelle grabbed onto him and held him tightly.  She cried as she felt his arms around her.  Michelle looked up when she heard footsteps.  She slowly stood as she made out the shape of her father running towards her.

“Oh, God”, she cried as she ran over to him.

Josh’s mouth was open as he watched Roxanne run into Starsky’s arms.  He was speechless as they hugged each other and he thought he was going to come unglued on the spot as they exchanged small kisses.

“Don’t you think you’re a little old for her”, Josh bit out.

Hutch looked over at his son and then at Starsky holding Michelle.

“Oh, God, I thought you were dead”, she cried.

“I’m okay”, Starsky told her as he hugged her tightly.  “Thank god, you’re okay.”

“I love you”, she told him.  “I’m sorry for being such a jerk.”

“It’s okay, honey.”

“Wait a damn minute”, Josh yelled. 

Starsky released Michelle and looked over at Josh.

“I am too old for her”, he told him.

Michelle suddenly stepped away from her father and looked at Dustin.  Then she looked over at Hutch.  She looked back at Dustin and then suddenly reality hit her square in the face.

“Oh, my god”, she stated.

“You’re Josh”, she asked him.

“Yeah”, Josh said.  “I don’t believe it.  Michelle?”

Suddenly everything added up and for some unexplained reason she became totally pissed.  Michelle hit Josh full force across the face.

“You asshole”, she yelled.  “This entire time I thought you killed my father and you knew it was a setup!  You saw the hell I was going through and you didn’t do a damn thing to set me straight.  Not even a hint!”

“How in the hell was I supposed to know”, Josh yelled back.  “You were shacking up with the poster boy for weapons dealing!”

“Oh, I ought to kick you square in the balls over that one, buddy!  Did you even bother asking if I slept with the scum bag?”

“Like I’m supposed to ask”, he retorted.  “I was undercover!”

“So was I!  You’re walking around like your God’s gift and I’m supposed to be able to read your mind!”

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other as they watched their kids arguing with each other.  Both of them were speechless at the sight they were witnessing.

“You are the craziest woman I’ve ever met in my life and whose idea was it for you to go undercover anyways?”

“It was mine!  If you were any kind of cop you  would’ve figured out I was a cop from day one instead of scoping me out like I was thanksgiving dinner!”

“Me”, Josh said with disbelief.  “Lady, you had me practically undressed the first time you saw me!”

“As if!  All I saw was the most overbearing egomaniacal man I had ever met in my life!”

“And you are a mental case”, he said simply.

“Fine”, Michelle told him.  “I can see that we are getting nowhere.”

Michelle turned around and looked at her father.

“I’ll call this in and go work on my report.”

“Just make sure it’s not your one-sided version”, Josh shot at her.

Michelle gave him a deadly look and stormed off.  Josh sighed heavily and slowly made his way in the opposite direction.  Starsky and Hutch stood there not saying anything.

“That was interesting”, Hutch said.

“What the hell just happened”, Starsky asked.  “Aren’t we all working on the same case?”

“What do you suppose happened while they were undercover?”

“I don’t want to know”, Starsky told him.  “I’d have to shoot your son.”

“You know, Starsk”, Hutch said with a smile.  “This does mean one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I think they’re in love with each other.”

“After what we just saw, Hutch?  Have you lost your mind?”

“Think about it, Starsky?  They must have noticed something about each other before they realized who they were and now…”

“Now, they hate each other.”

“Buddy, there’s a fine line there.”

Starsky shook his head and started towards the police officers who were just now arriving.

*****

A week later and Josh’s mood had not improved since that day in the warehouse.  He had seen Michelle from a distance but with the looks they were giving each other, neither was about to give.  He sat down in a chair across from Hutch.

“Looks like everything’s finished.  Montgomery’s operation is totally shut down.”

“Great”, Josh muttered.

“I guess Michelle is headed back to New York”, Hutch stated.

“She’s not staying”, Josh asked.

“I guess not.”

“Starsky must not be crazy about her going back there.”

“You know how he is when it comes to her”, Hutch told him.

“I guess that explains her moods.”

Hutch looked up and gave Josh a look.

“What do you think about her going back”, Hutch asked him.

“Not much I can do about it”, Josh said as he stood up.

“Leaving?”

“Yeah, I need a drink.”

Hutch watched Josh leave and he almost smiled.  He could see the looks in Josh’s eyes whenever he saw her.  It was obvious to him that his son cared about Starsky’s daughter a great deal.

*****

That evening, Michelle’s luggage was sitting next Starsky’s front door.  She decided it would be best if she stayed with her father before flying out the next morning.  She sat across from him playing with her food while he ate.  Starsky took a long drink from his beer and looked over at her.

“You did a good job on this case”, he told her.

“It doesn’t feel like it”, she muttered.

“You saved Josh’s life, Michelle.  You kept Devlin from killing any more people.  He got his due.”

“Nothing ever happened between me and Montgomery”, Michelle told him.

“You don’t have to explain”, Starsky told her.

“But, I do”, she told him.  “No matter how things have gone between us, what you think of me is important.  I want you to think I’m a good cop.”

“Michelle, I’ve never thought otherwise.  Even if you were an accountant, I’d still be proud of who you are.”

“I just wanted you to see that I could do this on my own.  But I still need you.  More than I was willing to admit.”

“What about Josh?”

“What about him”, she asked as she played with her food.

“Well, you don’t have to tell me what happened between you two, but it’s obvious that something did.”

“Yeah”, she admitted.  “I guess I feel like he lied to me, Dad.”

“Michelle, he was undercover as you were.”

“I know that and I keep telling myself he was doing his job, but I feel like I was betrayed somehow.”

“Michelle”, Starsky asked.  “Do you love Josh?”

“When I thought he was Dustin Chandler, I saw him kill you.  One minute he was someone I know I could love and then he was a murderer.  I couldn’t pick apart my feelings and decide which one I should go with.  I was ready to kill him and then he saved my life and I was holding onto him for dear life.”

“What about now”, Starsky quietly asked.

“I don’t know”, she said with a shake of her head.  “I just don’t know.”

“Maybe you should talk to him before you leave”, Starsky offered.  “At least get it all out in the open.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.  There would probably be a shootout.  He thinks I slept with Montgomery.  He practically accused me of it.”

“I’m sure he’s read the report by now.”

“Maybe”, Michelle said.  “But when he found out who I was, he didn’t bother asking.  He just assumed.”

“People make mistakes, Michelle.  I’m a prime example of that.”

“We all make mistakes, Dad.  I’m just going to chalk this one up to experience and make sure I never find myself in this situation again.  Maybe after a few months when things settle down, Josh and I can talk.  I don’t want our problems to cause you and Hutch any problems.”

“Michelle, I’m sorry if you felt I picked Hutch over you.  I never meant for it to be like that.”

“Dad, when I said that, I felt like that little girl who had no understanding of what you were about.  I understand it now.”

“It still shouldn’t have been like that.”

“Dad, I know what Hutch means to you and now I know what I mean to you.  I haven’t exactly been very open to your attempts to communicate with me.  Besides, I would rather work on what we have now and make sure that we don’t drift apart from each other.”

Starsky reached across the table and took her hand in his.

“I love you, Michelle.”

Michelle smiled at her Dad and held tightly to his hand.

*****

Hutch looked across the table at his son and sighed.  He was working on his sixth drink and he could see the alcohol was having the desired effect on him.  Hutch could see he would be driving his son home and he had switched to coffee early on.

“Michelle is a beautiful woman”, Josh told him.  “The first time I saw her, she floored me.  That red dress was fantastic.”

“Don’t let Starsky hear you talking like this.”

“I like my life”, Josh said as he took a drink.  “God, I thought the worst of her when I saw her.  Hell, I even accused her of being a tart.”

“A tart”, Hutch asked with a grin.

“Yep.  You may still look at her like a little girl, but she’s all woman and fascinating as hell.”

“Josh, why don’t you go with us to the airport?”

“She’d shoot me on sight”, Josh told him.  “You heard what I said to her.  I can’t believe I actually said it.”

“You were jealous”, Hutch told him. 

“There was a night there, I really thought she was with him”, Josh said as he shook his head.  “I read the report and now I feel like such an idiot.  I should know better than that.  The bastard tried to rape her and she plowed him in the nuts.  I would’ve paid money to see that.”

Hutch watched him snicker and finish off his drink.

“So how long have you been in love with her”, Hutch asked.

“It was when she threw that pillow and blanket at me”, Josh said with a smile.  “I knew she wanted me like I wanted her.  She had too damn much pride to admit it.”

Josh leaned in a bit closer to his dad.

“Dad, I can tell you anything, right?”

“Of course.”

“If you tell Starsky what I’m about to tell you, you’ll be planning my funeral.”

“I’m listening.”

“That night at her place, we spent the night together.  I don’t know how it was for you and Mom, but for me and Michelle, it was the night of my life.  I could have a thousand nights like that and it would never be enough.”

“That’s how it was”, Hutch told him.  “Your mother and I had many nights like that.  My whole life seemed to revolve around moments with her.”

“That’s how I feel”, Josh told him.  “I would give my right arm and more for just one more night with her.”

Josh lifted his arm up for another drink and Hutch shook his head.

“You’ve had enough”, Hutch told him.  “Come on.  I’ll take you to my place.  You can crash on the couch.”

Josh wasn’t in the mood to argue as he slowly stood up and followed Hutch.

*****

It was almost 11am and Starsky stood with Michelle at the airport.  She was just about ready to board her flight and Starsky grabbed onto her arm.

“You’ve got a job here whenever you want it”, he told her.

“I know”, Michelle said with a smile.  “Maybe one day soon.”

Starsky pulled her close and they tightly hugged each other.

“I love you, Daddy”, she whispered.

Starsky let her go and he watched as she boarded the plane.  He watched as she handed the stewardess her ticket and boarded the plane.  When the door had finally closed, he turned around and his eyes widened as he saw Hutch and Josh running towards him.

“What’s wrong”, Starksy asked.

“Where’s Michelle”, Josh asked.

“She just boarded.”

Starsky was silent as Josh walked to the people behind the counter.

“Come on”, Hutch said.  “He’s going to need help getting on that plane.”

*****

Michelle sat in the seat wondering why it was taking so long for the plane to move.  She had arranged for her mother to meet her in New York and she didn’t want to be late.  She looked up as she heard the ruckus up front.  Michelle froze when she saw Josh approaching her.

“Michelle”, he said.

“What on earth are you doing”, she asked.

Michelle looked around at the passengers staring at them.

“Listen to me, please.”

Josh kneeled down on one knee and looked at her.

“I’ve been a jerk to you and I’m sorry.  I should have shut my mouth and listened to you instead of judging you like I did.  I should have trusted you and I didn’t.  I let my own pride get in the way.”

“Josh, you’re holding up the plane.”

“Just hear me out and if you don’t agree with me, I’ll leave.”

“Okay.”

“Ever since I first saw you at the club, my life has been on a roller coaster.  You were driving me insane and my life hasn’t been the same since.”

“Gee, I’m sorry”, Michelle retorted.

“You don’t understand”, Josh said as he reached into his pocket.  “That’s how I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Michelle was silent as he opened up the small box and pulled a ring out.  Her mouth was opened in an O shape.

“Ma’am, could you give him your answer please.  We need to get this plane in the air.”

Michelle looked up at the pilot who was witnessing the entire scene.

“Michelle”, Josh said.  “I love you.  Will you marry me?”

“Oh, my god”, she whispered.  “Josh.  Yes.  I love you and I want to marry you.”

Michelle had tears in her eyes as he stood up.  Josh took her hand in his and pulled her to a standing position.  He smiled at her and then pulled her close before kissing her.  They stopped when they heard the applause around them.

EPILOGUE

ONE YEAR LATER

Michelle yawned and laid her head back against the pillow.  She looked up to see Josh walking over to her with a large smile.  He gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

“Where are they”, she asked.

“Where do you think”, he told her with a look.  “If you think they were hard to live with before, just wait.  Now it’ll be hell.”

“We knew it was coming”, she said with a shake of her head.

“I don’t even want to imagine what our life is going to be like now”, Josh said with a grin.

“It’s not ours we have to worry about”, she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Have I told you lately how much I love you”, Josh said.

“Not in the last five minutes.”

“Thank you, Michelle.  I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you in it.”

“I love you”, she whispered before she kissed him.

*****

Starsky and Hutch stood in the center of the room while the large black nurse looked at them. 

“I’m tired of the both of you running my nurses ragged”, she told them.  “There are two rocking chairs and I want both of you in them.”

Both men were silent as they obediently followed her directions.  Starsky looked over at her as she directed the nurses.

“Nothing like this has ever happened to us before”, Starsky tried to explain.

“We’re pretty new at this”, Hutch told her.

“I’m going to explain this to you just once”, she told them.  “You are not to get up from those chairs until I say.  You think you know everything, but just remember how out of practice you both are.”

Starsky and Hutch straightened up as they watched the nurses approach them.  Before either of them could argue with the head nurse, each one held a tiny baby in his arms.  Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and grinned.

“Who would ever thought we’d actually be grandpa’s”, Starsky said as he looked down at David Starsky Hutchinson.

“I never imagined we’d share the same grandkid”, Hutch told him.  “Especially twins.”

Hutch gently touched the soft head of Kenneth Michael Hutchinson

“Hutch”, Starsky said.

“What?”

“Think these kids will grow up to be cops?”

“Don’t even say the word around Josh and Michelle.  I think they want to get through the first eighteen years before they have to worry about it.”

“Well, it would be nice to have another Starsky and Hutch bustin’ heads.”

“Starsk, we did okay”, Hutch said with a smile.  “I couldn’t imagine life any better than this.”

Starsky looked over at Hutch and smiled.  The smile disappeared when the head nurse appeared.

“Think you two can lift your heads and smile without waking those babies.”

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and then at the nurse who was holding a camera.  They both proudly smiled with each holding a their grandson in their arms.

THE END