ENCHANTED WATERS

By Karen B

Feedback at KKBELVIS@aol.com

Fandom: Starsky and Hutch

Rated G

Pairing: Starsky and Hutch

Summary:Starsky must help Hutch release his pain.

He walked along the shoreline. Behind him he left his footprints in the sugar white sand. The curling surf rolling over them wiping away any existence of him ever being there only seconds ago. Funny life can do that to ya sometimes. Here and gone that quickly.

Water? It’s suppose to be a clear, colorless, odorless, tasteless liquid. Yet how can it be so plain? Here I can see the swells of blue mirroring the sky, I can smell the sweetness of its spray, and taste its salty life upon my lips. A mystery I have yet to figure out.

I watch the waves as they curl in toward the sandy shore. The White Sea foam doing a dance of delight on her way in. I marvel at the strength and power she holds. The will to give life and the will to take it away that quick. As quick as a wave washes away my footprints in the sand.

The curls surge upon the land carrying with them the trinkets of the sea. Shells, pebbles, and living creatures of every shape and form. She is the heart of the planet her soul is as deep as her secrets. The life's blood of this earth. She is a living breathing part of all existence. stand still for a moment in time and space. Letting the pounding surf roll over my feet. With every wave I sink deeper into the gritty sand. I watch as she creeps as far onto land as possible till she can no more and then slides back into her watery hole.

It’s true what they say when you come so near death’s door you really do see things in a different way. I never thought much about the water before, the ocean. Never thought about a lot of things. I do now. Take that seagull over there for instance. The bird floats on air. Did ya ever really look at one? Fluffy white and gray like a storm cloud.

He sat down in the sand just out of the reach of her majesties touch. He opened the bag of bread he brought and began to ball it up and toss it into the air. Gulls came quickly swiping the bits of bread in mid stream. Some dive bombing the dough and snatching it just before it landed on the white sparkling granules. They floated above him waiting for more. The wind under their wings holding them almost motionless like magic. Every now and then a gust would blow and they would be swept along with it only to return hovering over him again with anticipation.

The champagne bubbles rolled closer now as her majesties tides came in. Stuffing the empty bread bag into the pocket of his shorts he headed down the beach. Hutch should be ready to sail by now. It was his first time out on a sailboat. Actually it was his first time out anywhere in months. Cooped up like some sort of diseased animal unable to do anything for himself or others. That was changing now. He had become stronger and Hutch promised him he could get some fresh air and watch the sun set if the doctor cleared it at this morning’s exam. He still felt weak and needed his pain pills but time and endurance and the love of his best friend had brought him farther down the road of recovery much faster then expected.

He could see Hutch not to far off pulling and tugging at the woven ropes. The sun was setting and he approached just in time to see the billowy white and yellow sail catch the wind with a loud snapping sound. Hutch looked up at that moment and caught the blue shimmer in his partner’s eyes. "All aboard buddy."

"I thought that’s what they say when ya get on a train buddy?" Starsky laughed heartily.

Hutch rolled his eyes as Starsky clambered into the sailboat, and with one push from the strong agile blond man the boat was ocean bound.

The wind whipped at the sail like it were a toy there for its own amusement. The ruffling sound of material and the splashing sound of waves music to both their ears.

Farther out the ship sailed and tussled about. They finally came to a stop as Hutch lowered the sails taking away the winds toy. Close to where the ocean meets the sky they sat and watched as the star known as the sun slowly began to be swallowed by the sea.

Starsky watched with eyes of new and he was certain he could hear the flame’s being snuffed out as the star sank. Sounded like a thick steak being tossed onto a fiery hot grill.

Starsky let his attention slip to his captain.

I can see the change in him to. These past months not bringing my partner much joy. Gray hair where there was non. Deep lines of fear and wear across his previously milky complexion. The slump of his back as he walks tired of holding the world on his shoulders. I need to bring him back to me back from this dark shadowy place he keeps himself. I know his afraid to let it go afraid to let me know.

What’s this? He won’t look my way. I know why. I see the single, solitary tear forming in the corner of his classic blue eye. It won’t spill over he won’t let it. I watch as the vacuum of his soul sucks the salty pearl back into place. A safe place where the pain is neatly wrapped in a pretty little somber package. A package that is hidden in the well of his spirit. Away from me, away from the world, away from him, untouchable. It’s got a little tag on it says DO NOT OPEN... EVER.

He’s afraid if he opens it maybe the balloon will burst. Maybe he won’t ever be able to fix it. Maybe it won’t ever be the same again. Maybe he would drown in the pain that is there. I know. I been there. Sometimes I go there still. He needs me to take that vacuum and put it in the closet for awhile. The pain can’t stay wrapped up nice and neat forever. Packaging fades, ribbons loosen, stored boxes get ripped and the insides shatter. Gotta get him to let it out but how? Now’s the time. Come on partner let it out.

The star was almost gone now only the tiniest thumbnail of orange sat upon the surf. "Hutch? I think the world really is flat. Look if you kept on going we would fall right off the edge and disappear like the sun." Starsky pointed to the horizon which indeed looked like it came to a dead stop.

Sometimes I would like to disappear buddy. Disappear and run and hide from the pain I know lingers still inside. Hutch didn’t let his thoughts carry him to far away and he looked to his partner with a grin.

"Starsk don’t be ridiculous you learned in first grade the world is round." Hutch chuckled at the boyish charm of his friend and looked back out to sea.

"Hey Hutch?" Starsky’s voice was soft letting his heart shine through the name of his best friend.

The bleach blond man turned his blue suede eyes toward his partner, toward his whole world.

"What is it buddy? You feel in ok? We could go back ya know." Hutch wasn’t sure what was shinning in those marine blue eyes. A tear?

Starsky’s head tilted some the way a dog cocks his head when he’s trying to figure out what you’re saying. He lay a hand on Hutch’s chest close to his heart, and let a small smile appear on his face. His hand moved from his chest and up to a shoulder squeezing it tight and stopping there briefly eyes never leaving eyes. Slowly he raised a trembling hand to his partners face and brushed at his cheek lightly before the hand fell back down to Hutch’s chest to lie.

"It’s ok Hutch it’s all ok." Starsky’s words came from a still, quiet place. They made their way to the pretty wrapped secretly hidden package in Hutch’s soul. "Let it all go Hutch. Just go ahead and let it out. I won’t let ya fall partner we can fix it together." The words Starsky spoke began to unwrap the pretty tightly bowed package. "It’s just me Blondie just me and thee."

Hutch inhaled a breath of salty air taking in the life’s energy of the ocean. Then very slowly he exhaled giving it back again. He began to open the package that was never to be opened.

That single, solitary, lone tear came back into one blue suede eye. The vacuum gone now. Placed by Starsky neatly and securely in the closet unable to suck it back.

"Set it free partner it’s ok I’m hear with you always." Starsky gave permission and that was all it took.

Eyes never left eyes. The lone tear brimmed on the edge lingering and unsure. He wanted to suck it back in but the ability to do that had been taken away by his partner and friend. It teetered and hung there and grew to the size of a pearl. Then it happened the pearl became too large and too heavy to lie on the edge another moment and it slipped from its place and glided down his cheek. The pearl drop landed at the edge of his clinched jaw hanging only seconds before making the fall toward the boats deck.

Starsky’s lightning fast hand left Hutch’s heart and snatched the tear in the palm of his hand. He clinched his fist tight and held it to his own heart pressing it into his chest. "See I caught ya blintz never gona let you fall." He lowered his hand and opened his palm revealing the lone tear that seemed to glow in his hand.

"You’re almost there buddy." Starsky raised his hand closer for Hutch to see the tear he had caught in the palm of his hand. "Can’t hold it in forever Hutch. I know how scared you were. I still see the hurt in your eyes. It kills me to see it. I caused it. Let me help ya get rid of it huh partner?"

Hutch shook his head no, and looked out to the now ebony waters. Waves tumbled against the boat. The sky mirrored in the enchanted waters, and it became hard to distinguish which was sky and which was sea. They seemed to be suspended between the two suspended in time.

"Starsk I can’t, won’t, hurts too much pal." Hutch’s head looked upward. "What would I have done? How could I have lived if you had died? I ask myself that every damn day Starsk."

"Hutch I’m hear, and I need you to be ok. Ya gotta let it out buddy. Locking it up and throwing away the key isn’t going to keep the pain away." Starsky was pleading now. His own healing couldn’t be complete without Hutch healing as well.

Hutch must of read his mind like always. "You can’t heal till I heal is that it partner?" He let his gaze come down to Starskys face.

Starsky looked at Hutch with misty blue eyes; pain mirrored pain till you couldn’t distinguish where ones pain began and the others ended. Hutch saw the truth Starsky needed him to heal to. One half couldn’t heal and watch the other half suffer.

The ship rocked in the night. The moonbeams bounced upon the rolling sea. Tears streamed from Hutch’s face dripping to the deck as Starsky kept a clinched fist against his chest. Holding in it the first tear to fall. They sat in the stillness of the night for a long time. Starsky letting his partner freely unwrap and shed months of pent up sorrow and fear.

Relief finally washed over both partners. The package lay open now colored tissue and ribbon torn to bits and lay at his feet. The tag now reading DO NOT DISTURB.
"Hutch ya got a bucket handy?" Starsky finally spoke up breaking the flow of tears.

"What for gordo? Ya gona be sick or somethin?" Hutch looked worried as he wiped away one last tear.

"No dummy I think I gotta bail out some of this water ya just let fall to the deck or were gona sink." Starsky mimicked a bucket in his hand scooping out water {tears} dumping it over the side of the boat laughing.

"Ok, Ok I get the hint." Hutch raised the white and yellow sails again the unseen wind caught and snapped the sail to attention as they headed back to shore headed back toward home together forever.

The End