| All I Want for Christmas: Part 2 |
| When they arrived at the Dobey's and told Edith where they had been, she hugged them both and kissed them on the cheek. "That was so kind of you! For that, you get an extra piece of pumpkin pie." Dobey grumbled good-naturedly at that, then winked at his men. "Better loosen those belts, you two. Edith has outdone herself again." The rest of the evening passed quickly. Cal and Rosie showed the two detectives all the gifts they had received, and watched with excitement as Starsky and Hutch opened up their presents. For Starsky, it was another model of a ship. He had made the comment that he was glad he finished the other one, but missed having something to build. Dobey had overheard him, and mentioned it to Edith. For Hutch, it was several new canvasses and some new paints. After Gunther, Hutch had stopped painting. He said he found it hard to find beauty in anything when a man as evil as Gunther existed. Dobey hoped that the new supplies would encourage Hutch to start painting again. The blonde detective was talented, but it was more than that. Dobey knew how much pleasure painting gave Hutch, and hated to see him leave that part of his life behind. By the time he got back to his apartment that night, Hutch was exhausted. It had been a good day, but now he was winding down. He took a long, hot shower to soothe his tired muscles, and got ready for bed. As he reached down to turn his bedside lamp off, a strange object caught his eye. A gold frame stood on the table, with a photograph inside. He held it up, and looked at the two men in the picture. At first, he didn't recognize them, so he took a closer look. His heart stopped when he realized who they were. The familiar curls were gone, but there was no mistaking that Starsky smile. Except for the laugh lines beside those blue eyes, the face was the same. He looked at the other man in the picture. Was that really him? The blonde hair that had darkened over the years was thinner, and slightly shorter. The mustache was gone, too, but the face was undoubtedly his own. His vision blurred with tears as he looked at the picture. He didn't know if it was a trick of photography or a glimpse into the future, but it didn't really matter. He and Starsky would grow old together. Ken Hutchinson held the picture close to his heart, closed his eyes and smiled. |
 |
 |