A short while later, it began to snow. Starsky and Ali, once her side had been tended to, finished setting up the camp, and bedded down the horses. Hutch was left to savor another cup of the Au Jus, and the exquisite sensation of being able to stretch all 6'1" of his body out straight. Finally all three were settled for the night inside the tent. Riley had been contacted and he relayed the news that SAR would pick them up in the morning, while the trackers would be dropped off to take care of the bear and the horses.
As expected, Ali wrapped herself snuggly around her husband's side and was out in minutes, only the top of her head visible from under the sleeping bags. Hutch was gratefully stretched out, his arm around his wife, looking over at Starsky. He was neck deep in his own sleeping bag, on his side, his head propped up with his hand and gazing at his partner.
"She out?" Starsky asked softly. Hutch glanced down at the ivory white hair, smirked and nodded yes. Starsky smirked back.
"She's changed." he remarked. Hutch nodded, smiling softly, lightly squeezing her shoulder.
"What did she do?" he asked. Starsky shook his head.
"Sucker punched me."
Hutch raised a curious eyebrow.
"Came into the Pits and asked me to forgive her. She apologized for
the uhhh, well, you know, and gave me a ticket to get here."
"She flew all the way to LA on her own, looked you up, and got you to fly out here?" Hutch asked. Starsky nodded.
"Been feeling for days that something wasn't right up here!"
Neither of them said anything, their eyes met, sharing a knowing smile. Both knew the intuition thing between them had worked too many times to count.
"Yeah..." Hutch sighed. "I knew when I took that fork in the trail, you should've been at my back."
"Next time you won't forget, will ya?!" Starsky teased. Hutch smirked.
"You were right ya know." Starsky said, sounding more sober.
Hutch raised an eyebrow, looking at him. The brunette grinned, nodding at Ali.
"You always believed she would heal, given a chance."
Hutch watched his partner, sensing his need to say something important. Starsky toyed with the zipper on his sleeping bag, unable to meet the blonde's calm, blue eyed gaze.
"We said some stupid things to one another over the years, about her, but you were right. She's changed from what that shooting did to her." He glanced up, like a slightly abashed boy. "I kept trying to provoke her into a fight and Ali wouldn't bite. She just kept telling herself to think!" He smiled slightly at Hutch. "She wouldn't have been able to do that without you, Hutch..." He looked down at the zipper again. "I wouldn't even be here for all the times you hauled my keister out of the fire."
"Starsk, I wouldn't be here, now, for all the times you did the same for me." Hutch said softly. "I knew the day on the beach when you goaded me into asking her out, and she told me no, that Ali would someday be my wife..." He grew a little reflective. "It's just taken a whole lot longer than I anticipated! You know what else I knew?" Starsky looked back up at him.
"I knew someday, this thing would get fixed, between you and her. You are my best friend, Starsk, I just can't see going on with out you being around! I can't tell you..." he paused a moment, struggling with a sudden strong inner emotion. "I can't tell you buddy, what it means to see you two laughing at each other the way you were tonight." His voice was choked.
"I've watched her struggle all year, wanting to heal, wanting to do something about this thing. She knew I missed you, Starsk. She just wasn't ready. She has a lot of work still ahead of her. But she's known she needed to go and talk to you about what happened. I just didn't expect it to happen like this!" He smiled lopsidedly.
"It's because of you, Hutch." Starsky replied, a sudden lump in his throat. "I think in our ways, we both need you...Ali's just horded you like a pig, the last few years that's all! " He grinned slightly. "I just didn't take it gracefully...and uh, I've missed you too, bud."
"So, what's it going to take to get you to stay up here a while?" Hutch asked, feeling the knots in his shoulders begin to relax.
Starsky snorted. "Dunno, may not have a job when I get home. I didn't tell Dobey where I went." His eyes held a wicked little gleam as Hutch glanced over at him. "Besides, I'm getting tired of the training rookies routine. Maybe I should retire, buy a ranch in the toolies, and get myself lost in the mountains on occasion."
"You?" Hutch snorted."You wouldn't survive if there weren't a burrito stand within twenty miles!"
"Hey! I did quite well getting up here to rescue your butt, I'll have you know! And from a cliff! For the second time in your life!"
"Yeah? I've seen how saddle sore you are too, bud!"
"Well, if you hadn't have decided to go off on a lark on your own, I wouldn't have had to get on the damn horse!"
"I'm glad you decided too though!" Hutch grinned at him, "Let me call Dobey for you, I'd like you to stay for Thanksgiving, if you'll do it?" Starsky pursed his lips slightly, glancing up at the top of the tent.
"It's a deal, under one condition..." Starsky said, looking back at Hutch, their friendship quickly recovering from the years.
"Anything, you name it." Hutch replied, returning his gaze.
"I ain't never getting on one of them horses ever again!"
The End?