Starsky was angrily walking through the parking lot and Hutch caught up to him and grabbed him by the arm.

“Where are you going”, Hutch asked Starsky.

“Where do you think”, Starsky bit out. “I’ve got to get her out of there.”

“You can’t”, Hutch told him.

“I had to leave her there with that son of a bitch knowing he would probably beat the hell out of her. If those assholes are going to cut a deal with him, I’m not letting Sara stay there!”

“Starsky, if you do, you will blow this case!”

“Fuck the case”, Starsky yelled. “I don’t give a damn about the case!”

“Listen to me”, Hutch yelled back. “If you take her out of there now all you’ll do is get yourself and her killed that much quicker. He’ll know what you are and what the two of you have been doing! He chased her down once and I guarantee you, Starsky that he’ll do it again and he won’t stop. The only chance she has is letting this thing play out and when it’s over, we’ll get her in the witness protection program.”

“How am I supposed to look her in the eye, Hutch? I promised her that after this thing was over Benedict was going to take a hard fall and that he would never hurt her again.”

“You can’t, buddy”, Hutch told him. “You can’t even let her know about this deal the DEA is going to cut with him. She could loose it and you know it.”

“Goddamn them for doing this”, Starsky said as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Starsky, this will be over in a few days. Just hold on till then and we’ll get through this. Sara will get through it, too.”

Starsky nodded and sighed. Hutch gave him an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

Mavis hurried into the living room after hearing Jason Benedict leave the house. She was followed by two members of the staff. They found Sara on the floor in the corner of the den. She kneeled down and helped her to a sitting position while the staff began to quickly clean up the mess which had been made.

Sara pushed herself up off the floor with Mavis’ help and when he hair came away from her face it was obvious what he had done to her. Her left eye was blackened and her nose was bleeding. Sara was stiff and sore as she began to walk with Mavis’ assistance.

“David can’t see me like this”, Sara told her.

“I know”, Mavis told her.

“Promise me that no matter what, he doesn’t see me, Mavis. I don’t know what he’ll do.”

“He won’t”, Mavis promised. “I’ll tell him you’re resting which won’t be a lie.”

Sara didn’t argue as Mavis helped her to her room.

When Starsky walked through the front door of the house, Mavis was coming down the stairs. He saw the hard look coming from her and he didn’t say anything.

“Mr. Benedict called and wanted you to know he will meet with you first thing in the morning. Mrs. Benedict is resting and she asked that she not be disturbed.”

Starsky watched her leave and his sighed. He looked up the stairs towards the direction of her room and considered just going up there anyways. Instead, Starsky walked into the den to pour himself a strong drink.

Hutch sat in his car and stared at the small bar. He had followed Tommy Heaton after catching up with him. He had been waiting for him for the better part of an hour. The conversations from Dobey’s office and the parking lot with Starsky still played on his mind. It just seemed that things couldn’t get any worse and Hutch had been unable to get Starsky to realize this was a no win situation for him and Sara both.

She had to be a hell of a woman to gain Starsky’s undying loyalty as she had. Hutch felt jealous of his best friend. The love Starsky had for Sara Benedict has been as apparent as the stars in the sky. He only wished he could feel even a tenth of that for a good woman such as her.

Hutch knew Starsky would hurt a hell of a lot more when the inevitable good-byes would come.

Starsky sat out on the chair by the pool sipping on a beer. He stared out at the water and sighed. He had been out here for almost an hour not knowing what to do next and not knowing how to deal with the situation he found himself in.

He heard footsteps approaching and when he turned his head, he saw that it was Mavis.

“I would ask that when you conclude your business with Mr. Benedict that you not return here”, Mavis told him.

“You think what happened today was my fault”, Starsky told her.

“I think you feel that way, David, but it’s not. I have worked for Mr. Benedict for almost seven years. I was on the verge of quitting when he brought his wife home. It didn’t take long for the entire staff and me to see how truly of a wonderful woman she was. Sara Benedict has run from her husband six times since she has been married to him and each time he found her and brought her back. The last time, she was gone for almost three months. He damn near killed her because she wouldn’t tell him how she had eluded him for so long.”

“Was that because of you”, Starsky asked her.

“Yes”, Mavis told him quietly. “You see, David, we’ve realized as well as Sarah, that nothing anyone can do or say will ever change the situation she is in. Jason Benedict has powerful friends and all we can do is everything we can to protect her.”

“You prop her up to his liking”, Starsky said bitterly.

“No”, Mavis told him. “We help keep the woman you love alive in this house. The woman you love hates dressing up and hates dieting. She eats like a horse and watches old movies. That’s the woman we love, too. That’s the woman we want to protect from Jason Benedict.”

“I’m sorry for what happened today”, Starsky said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it.”

“No one could have”, Mavis said before walking away.

Jason Benedict motioned for his men as he headed to the back of the bar. The men grabbed Tommy and dragged him to where Jason was.

“We haven’t spoken for a while, Tommy. Where have you been?”

“It’s been too dangerous for me to do anything”, Tommy said nervously.

“Why”, Jason asked his eyes glittering with anger.

“They locked everything up and I can’t find out what the cops are doing.”

“Tommy”, Jason said with a shake of his head. “I heard you were down at the police station today and I know it wasn’t just to visit that brother of yours.”

“Mr. Benedict”, Tommy begged. “I can’t do anything.”

Tommy’s arms were grabbed from behind and Jason yanked his head up.

“Do I have to pay a visit to someone you care about, Tommy”, Jason stated evenly.

“They found out the report was swiped”, Tommy said. “They’re trying to find out who did it.”

“Did you get yourself caught”, Jason asked. “If you did I have no use for you.”

“No, Mr. Benedict”, Tommy answered. “They don’t know anything.”

“Who is doing the looking?”

“A cop”, Tommy said. “He’s just snoopin’ around and that’s it.”

“I want a name, Tommy. If I don’t get one, you’ll loose fingers.”

“Hutchinson”, Tommy told him nervously. “His name is Sergeant Hutchinson.”

“Very good”, Jason said with a small slap on Tommy’s face. “Keep on it. I expect more information very soon.”

Jason motioned for his men to release Tommy and they left the bar. Unknown to them, Hutch watched Benedict and his men leaving in the limo. Hutch knew who it was that had stolen the report and it was an even bet Benedict still had the gun used to murder the federal agent. He checked his gun and started the car waiting for Tommy to emerge. Hopefully he didn’t give anything away too crucial and break Starsky’s cover.

Sara sat up in her bed just sitting in the darkness. She looked over at the ringing phone next to her nightstand and answered it.

“Hello”, Sara said.

“Sara”, Jason said. “I won’t be in tonight, so don’t wait for me. I do expect you up early in the morning.”

“Yes, Jason”, Sara said.

“I’ll take you to Cancun this weekend to make up for my not being home.”

“It sounds wonderful”, Sara told him with no emotion in her voice.

“Goodnight, darling.”

After hearing the click on the other end, Sara held the receiver in her hand. She took a deep breath and slowly set it down. Sara got out of her bed and walked over to her vanity and sat down. She looked at the bruising around her face and picked up her make up. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hide it all, but she didn’t care.

When Sara finished, she walked over to the foot of the bed and picked up her silk robe. She left the room as she put the robe on. Sara purposefully walked down the hall and found the bedroom. She put her hand on the door for a moment and leaned her head against it.

She reached down with her right hand and turned the doorknob. When Sara opened it, she saw Starsky in bed with the sheet up to his waist. She walked in as he sat up and closed the door behind her. Neither spoke as she walked over to the bed where he was. Sara let the robe fall down past her shoulders to the floor as she approached his bed.

Starsky silently pulled the sheet back as Sara got into the bed with him. He pulled her close and gently touched her face. He was leaning down to kiss her when she stopped him with her hand to his lips.

“I love you, David Starsky”, Sara whispered quietly.

“I love you”, Starsky gently told her.

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him close as she brought her lips to his. Both knew it would be their final night together.

Hutch had a cup of coffee in his hand and walked into the interrogation room. It was in the early morning hours and Tommy Heaton had been brought in. He had already spoken with his brother and it seemed that after some pressure, Tommy was ready to talk.

“Okay, Tommy”, Hutch said. “I think you know what we want to hear.”

Tommy looked up at Hutch and then over at his brother who was stoic near the wall.

“I got in trouble a while back and I owed some money to Jason Benedict”, Tommy admitted. “He found out who my brother was and he told me that if I liked my life I had to help him. At first it didn’t seem like that big of deal, but then that agent was killed and Benedict wanted me to get the info on any law that might be tryin’ to come in on his organization.”

“That’s why no one could get in before”, Hutch said.

“I tried to get out of it”, Tommy told him. “He wouldn’t let me go.”

Tommy looked over at his brother who was barely holding it together.

“Bobby, he said he’d kill you and Charlene and the baby. I was too damn scared that he’d do it. I swear”, Tommy said with tears in his eyes.

“Tommy”, Hutch said calmly. “You saw Jason Benedict tonight. What did you tell him?”

“He wanted to know who found the report I stole”, Tommy said weakly. “I gave him your name.”

“Is my name the only one you gave”, Hutch asked Tommy.

“Yes.”

“Tommy, you’ve got to be certain about this”, Bobby said. “If Benedict thinks one of us is in there, he’ll kill him.”

“It’s the only thing I knew”, Tommy swore. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you guys.”

Hutch breathed a sigh of relief and looked over as Bobby walked to his brother. He knew Tommy would probably do some time for this, but given his cooperation and the duress, it wouldn’t be much. He was glad that Starsky was still safe for the time being.

Starsky opened his eyes and the sun shown brightly through the window. He saw up in bed and looked over. She was gone. He remembered how she had come to him in the night and almost smiled at the memories made together. Starsky kicked the sheet off and took a quick shower.

He headed downstairs when he was finished and found Jason out on the patio by the pool. He was eating breakfast and Starsky saw Sara in the pool swimming laps. He averted his gaze as coffee was poured in front of him. Mavis was bringing a plate of food over and Starsky stopped her.

“No, thank you, Mavis”, Starsky told her. “I’m not hungry.”

“Yes, Mr. Glasgow”, Mavis said.

“How did you sleep”, Jason asked Starsky after Mavis had left.

“Good”, Starsky replied mindful of the laps Sara was still swimming.

“It looks like our first shipment will arrive tonight, David. I’m expecting it at my warehouse at 11pm. Will you be there for your installment?”

“Everything is set to go”, Starsky told him. “I can arrange for my courier to meet us there.”

“I would prefer us to do business ourselves”, Jason said. “You know me and I’ll have two of my men there with the shipment.”

“Sure”, Starsky said. “I’ll need to go get the arrangements made to meet with him.”

“Of course”, Jason said with a smile. “I trust there should be no difficulty meeting with the schedules I’ve laid out.”

“No”, Starsky told him after taking a drink of his coffee.

“I would imagine you’ll be heading back to San Francisco after this.”

“I’m missing home”, Starsky replied. “It’ll be good to get back and I am looking forward to the visits I’ll make back here, Jason.”

“As am I, David. I’m looking forward to taking you to Mexico City. There are some fine clubs there with fabulous women. They would certainly take a fancy to a man such as yourself.”

Starsky gave Jason a smile and as he took a drink of his coffee, he could still see Sara swimming in the pool. He was starting to wonder if she was tiring any from the speed of the laps she was taking.

“I’d better go and make sure our arrangements are taken care of”, Jason said as he stood. “You could use one of my cars if you’d like, rather than a cab.”

“Are you sure”, Starsky asked him.

“Of course, David. I trust you.”

“I do need to make sure my courier is made aware of the changes.”

Starsky stood up and looked over as Sara emerged from the pool. He could see she was tired from how hard she was breathing. She had a towel in her hand and he flinched inwardly from the ugly bruise around her eye.

“Darling”, Jason said to Sara. “Do another mile.”

Starsky watched her shaky nod and he hated it when she dropped the towel on the chair. He was helpless as she dived into the pool and began swimming the laps once again.

“She’s putting on weight”, Jason said with a sigh. “If I don’t watch her, she’ll get fat.”

Starsky tightened his jaws at the comment and reluctantly followed Jason out to the garage where he kept his cars.

Hutch leaned against the car and watched as Starsky checked the bug strapped to his chest. He looked out over the night sky and sighed. When he looked back, Starsky was putting his shirt on.

“Are you set”, Hutch asked quietly.

“Yeah”, Starsky told him. “The bug is good and I’ve got my backup on.”

“Starsk, are you okay”, Hutch asked.

“I just want this thing over with”, Starsky said as he buttoned his shirt. “The sooner we get this over the better I’ll feel. Did you talk to the justice department?”

“Yeah”, Hutch told him. “They’ll head over to the house and see Sara at noon. There shouldn’t be too much of a problem getting her in the witness protection program considering the circumstances.”

“She has no idea about any of this, Hutch. That son of a bitch had her working out most of the day to keep her too damn thin. I called and Mavis said she had been working in the weight room and after that, she was going on a run.”

“I know you don’t want this”, Hutch said quietly.

“I love her, Hutch. But I know it’s for the best that she has to get a new identity. I just wish we would have more time together before she has to leave.”

“This deal is pretty well set with the DEA”, Hutch said with a shake of his head. “They’ll hold the murder of the federal agent over his head if he doesn’t go along with it. Maybe…”

“No”, Starsky told him. “Jason Benedict will go along with it to keep himself out of prison and he’ll give them what they want to protect what he’s got. He’s a selfish bastard.”

Starsky grabbed his jacket and put it on. He walked to the trunk of the car and looked down at the large suitcase with the cash inside. Starsky slammed the trunk shut and walked around to the driver’s side of the car.

“Okay”, Starsky said. “I’ll give the word once the deal is done. Make sure you’re not late.”

“Everything will be fine”, Hutch assured him. “We’ll be close.”

Starsky nodded and got into the car. He started the car and put it into drive. He looked over at Hutch.

“I would’ve married her, Hutch”, Starsky said with a smile. “I was really looking forward to her being the mother of our kids.”

“I know”, Hutch replied.

Starsky pushed the accelerator and drove away.

Starsky stopped in front of the warehouse and watched as the large door was opened. He drove the car inside and parked it. He saw Jason standing next to one of his men and didn’t even look over at the man which was closing the door behind him.

“Well, David, you are punctual”, Jason said with a smile.

“I always am, Jason”, Starsky replied.

Starsky stepped out of the car and walked around to the trunk of the car. He looked over at Jason who was pulling a kilo of cocaine out of a crate. As Jason walked over to him, Starsky pulled the suitcase out of the trunk. He set it down on the ground and opened it up.

Jason held out the cocaine and Starsky stood and reached for it.

“I don’t believe it”, one of the man said.

“What is it, Sully”, Jason asked.

“He’s a goddamn cop”, Sully said.

Starsky froze and looked over at him. His face tightened up at the sight of the man who he had first seen chasing Sara.

“No”, he’s not”, Jason said. “This is David Glasgow. Apologize Sully.”

“Mr. Benedict, he and his partner are the ones that busted me at that damn festival”, Sully explained. “They got me extradited to Reno.”

“Must be a case of mistaken identity”, Starsky told them.

“No”, Sully said. “I remember you and that partner of yours. Hutchinson was his name.”

Jason looked over at Sully.

“Are you sure about this”, Jason asked him.

“Yes, sir”, Sully said. “I remember the both of them.”

“How odd”, Jason said tossing the cocaine to one of his men.

Starsky knew he was dead in the water unless Hutch came quickly. He watched as a gun was drawn on him. Jason walked over and ripped Starsky’s shirt open. He saw the bug and his eyes were burning with anger. He swung and hit Starsky square in the jaw sending him to the ground.

“It seems a cop by the same name was looking into something that I didn’t want known.”

“It’s over”, Starsky told after spitting the blood out of his mouth. “Tommy Heaton rolled over on you. You’re operation and everything is over, Benedict.”

Jason angrily kicked Starsky in the ribs. Starsky law on the ground clenching his ribs as Jason stood over him.

“I let you in my home”, Jason said. “I trusted you and treated you as a friend!”

Jason suddenly stopped and looked down at Starsky.

“She knew”, Jason said quietly. “Sara knows you’re a cop.”

“You’ll never touch her again”, Starsky swore at him. “When this is over, you’ll never find her.”

“You and my wife”, Jason yelled.

Jason Benedict didn’t think as he pulled his gun out and aimed it at Starsky’s head. The doors to the warehouse suddenly crashed open by a large truck and Starsky looked over at Hutch who was running inside. Starsky saw his chance and ran Jason Benedict down with a tackle. He hit him in the face.

“Try me on for size”, Starsky yelled at Jason. “You want to beat on somebody, try me!”

Starsky looked down at Jason’s blood face and shoved him down in disgust. He stood up and walked over to Hutch. They watched as Jason Benedict was picked up by the police and handcuffed.

Starsky walked back through the booking room and handed the reports to the desk sergeant. He looked over at Benedict who was walking through the jail with the DEA agents Matthews and Todd. It appeared that he also had an attorney with him as well.

Starsky shook his head and headed back to the squad room where Hutch was sitting at his desk. Starsky poured himself a cup of coffee and walked over to his desk. He stretched and yawned before reaching for the coffee.

“Why don’t you go get some sleep”, Hutch told him. “You could use it.”

“Later”, Starsky replied. “I want to get this stuff done and head to the house to see Sara. By that time it’ll be dawn and I won’t sleep worth a damn anyways.”

“At least you’ll get some time with her”, Hutch told him. “Dobey’s working with the DA to keep Benedict here for another twelve hours. That’ll give you more time with her before she leaves for parts unknown.”

“Yeah”, Starsky said. “I’d like to be there when feds arrive from the Justice Department.”

Sara was in the living room watching TV in the early morning and she sat up when the arrest of her husband was announced. She could barely believe it when she saw his picture and the details announced. Sara wanted to celebrate, but she knew she couldn’t just yet. It explained why he hadn’t arrived home during the night and David not contacting her. Her heart pounded in anticipation of the possibilities.

She didn’t even think when she reached over and picked up the ringing phone.

“David”, she said.

“No, darling”, Jason said. “I’ll be home soon and we’ll have a final matter to discuss when I arrive.”

Sara was frozen as she heard the click on the other end and she knew. She felt numb as she stood up and walked to the office where Jason kept his gun.

Starsky looked out of Dobey’s office window ignoring the DEA agents talking. He had his hands stuck in his pockets as he listened to Hutch.

“We’ve got the guy dead to rights on the murder of a federal agent and you make a deal with the asshole.”

“You were aware of this, Sergeant”, Todd said. “By the terms of the agreement he will be granted full immunity.”

“This stinks”, Hutch said as he stood. “I hope whatever Intel you get from him is worth it.”

“We’ll get it tomorrow”, Matthews said. “Jason Benedict requested to be released so he can see his wife. We couldn’t very well say no.”

“What”, Starsky said as he abruptly turned around.

“He’ll be processed out within the hour”, Todd replied.

Starsky looked over at Hutch.

“Benedict knows everything”, Starsky whispered.

Both men tore out of the office not hearing their names being shouted. Hutch put the cherry on top of the Torino as the car sped towards the house. He pulled the car up close to the door and they jumped out of the car. Starsky swung the door open and found Mavis.

“Where’s Sara”, Starsky asked her.

“She’s not here”, Mavis told him. “She had an important errand to run.”

Starsky thought for a moment and then ran to Jason’s office. He kicked the door open and opened the top drawer. He looked up at Hutch.

“Benedict has a laser sighted gun”, Starsky told Hutch.

“Come on”, Hutch told him.

They ran out of the house not seeing the fear which had overcome Mavis.

Sara sat in the car staring straight ahead. She felt outside of herself and numb with fear. He reached over and shut off the car. Sara reached over to the passenger seat and picked up her purse. She ignored the heaviness in her purse and stepped from the car. She looked over across the street and standing at the top of the courthouse steps was Jason. He was surrounded by reporters and various other people.

She checked her hair and pulled on the silk shirt she wore. Sara began slowly walking across the street and as she did, people moved out of her way. When she reached the sidewalk, she slightly opened her purse and stuck her hand inside. Sara looked up at Jason who looked down at her with a wide smile.

“Hello, darling”, he said.

Sara pursed her lips tightly when she saw the cold gleam in his eyes. She never even heard the siren or saw the Torino pull up at the curb. Sara had her hand on the gun and pulled it out. She looked Jason square in the eyes as the red light shown in the middle of his chest. By the time Starsky reached her, she had fired off two shots at where the laser hit Jason. She watched as he crumpled to the ground and barely felt the gun pulled out of her hand.

She felt the familiar arm she had loved so much around her and she leaned against Starsky.

“He was going to kill me”, she said with tears in her eyes.

Starsky pulled Sara close to him and handed the gun to Hutch. He put his hand on her head and held her tightly. Starsky looked over at Hutch who could scarcely believe what he had witnessed as well. He looked at the lifeless eyes of Jason Benedict on the ground amid the flashing bulbs going off around them.

THE END

Part II to come very soon. Starsky begins a new and unexpected journey with Sara. Hutch makes a new discovery with unexpected results.