Crack Van Recs

My first rec comes from a new writer to S&H (although apparently she was highly prolific in another fandom before turning her attention to the Bay City boys). She's currently working on her new opus (her word, not mine). But this is her first S&H story:

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: None (gen)
Length: 17K
Author on LJ:

debbiel66
Author's Website: Right now, her stories are only available on her LJ
Why This Must Be Read: Debbie captures a day in the life--or more to the point, an afternoon in the life--of our two favorite cops. They're in the middle of a stakeout, trying to capture a serial killer who preys on children. Nothing is happening. Both are bored, so they talk. She has the characterizations down to a T. The dialogue is funny, yet not forced. And most memorably, amidst all the idle chat, she manages to sneak in a little zing of emotion that has you not knowing whether to sniff or smile. I love the way she writes the guys.

“Honestly, Starsk,” Hutch protested. “I don’t know what you’re asking.”

“If we were doomed,” Starsky repeated, as if trying to teach a particularly recalcitrant child. “Would you want to know?”

“You’re asking if I want to know when I’m going to die?”

Starsky frowned. “I don’t like it put it like that. Besides, I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about us. I’ve been thinking a lot about this. When we go out, we gotta go out together.”

This was a new one. It almost felt like a proposal. Not – will you live with me, but will you die with me? Starsky was looking at him so expectantly, but it had been a long time since Hutch had been the first one with all the answers.

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch (pre-slash/gen)
Length: 7K
Author on LJ:

lauramcewan
Author Website: http://www.hawksong.com/~lauramcewan/index.html
Why this must be read:

In the spirit of full disclosure, Laura wrote this for me for the Me and Thee Yahoo Group's 2007 Secret Santa. I'd admitted h/c was a favorite genre of mine and she went to town. This is a complement to the two-part episode The Plague. It's not a missing scene so much as a look at the action through Hutch's eyes. Gravely ill, he is all but sure he's dying. Certain things become clear as his time ticks away. He only wonders if he'll ever have the opportunity to say what needs to be said. The story isn't super long, but it's delicious. Think of it as an angst truffle. Yummy!

Hutch struggled, his eyes darting frantically as if searching for an escape in the ceiling. "Just take care of the little -- little sucker that's - t-twisting my chest into a knot."

An impossible, desperate request, he knew, but Starsky reached for him. Their hands came together fiercely, Hutch needing something solid and alive to hold onto as his body tried to drive his consciousness away. He resented the cool feel of the latex instead of the warmth of his partner's hand.

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: None (gen)
Length: 63K
Author on LJ: aesposito
Author Website: http://meandthee.shahrazad.net/display.php?storyid=848
Why this must be read:

You know, for a girl who loves her m/m, I'm rec'ing a heck of a lot of gen. That'll change soon. For now, though, this needs to be read because it combines a gritty case with a slightly older (post SR anyway), wiser pair, whose devotion has never been stronger. This story features a serial killer, hurt/comfort, conversations about faith, humorous banter, and the sense there will never be anyone better for either of these guys than their partner--even if the fic never steps over the line into slash. It doesn't have to. With all the years they've been together, at this point, Starsky and Hutch truly are like an old married couple:

"Need more cheese in these," Starsky said as we ate our eggs the next morning.

"Don't know why you can't just shred a little more cheddar into them. Or maybe some ham. What are we doin' today, anyway?"

"Ha ha," I snorted. "God would have a heart attack if I showed up in church." 18 years of Sunday mornings at the First Lutheran Church of Duluth flashed through my head in an instant. "And what would your mother say?"

He smiled. "She would say you've corrupted me. Which isn't too far from the truth, now that I think about it..."

Fandom: STARSKY &HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky & Hutch
Length: 34K
Author on LJ: DNA
Author Website: http://www.angelfire.com/planet/elizabethlowrysh/stories.html
Why this must be read:

My recs have been all gen till now, so I decided to mix it up with a steamy little PWP (It's rated R at Me & Thee, but I think I would have given it an NC-17).

I have a confession--I kinda like it when Starsky is written as being bossy in bed. In this story, set during season three's Satan's Witches, the curly-haired one turns incubus. Tucked away in an isolated cabin in the woods, Hutch thinks he has the upper hand when it comes to sex. But it doesn't take long before Starsky has him utterly at his mercy. Strangely--or perhaps not so!--Hutch winds up not minding all that much. Never have longjohns seemed so sexy.

Starsky lay flat on his back on the old brown sofa: mouth agape and snoring loudly, legs twisted in the old hand-knit afghan, arms flung up over his head. His hair was a mess, uncombed and tangled, curling about his face with wild abandon. The ratty plaid shirt he wore was--barely--buttoned once, just across his belly, completely exposing the red longjohns he insisted upon wearing day and night. Candy apple red longjohns. Flesh-skimming longjohns. Skintight longjohns. Put a white racing stripe on them and Starsky would be the fastest motor on the road.

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Length: 82K
Author on LJ: DNA

I suppose it isn't enough to say the story must be read because it's written by Kaye Austen Michaels. Though, ask anyone who knows anything about Starsky & Hutch slash fic, and they'll tell you that's reason enough.

But this story, in particular, is something special. It's the summer of 1966. Ken Hutchinson is between his junior and senior years of college, and has accompanied his parents to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He's restless, toying with rebellion, and trying to come to terms with his attraction to men. Wandering the boardwalk, he spies David Starsky on the dance floor. It's infatuation at first sight. Starsky has come east from LA with Huggy for one last fling before heading off to the local Army recruitment center. He's as taken with Hutch as Hutch is with him. They have one magical night together.

Until KAM writes the sequel.

Which rumor has it might just be coming some time soon. (If that's not a reason to read the original, I don't know what is.)

But even if you don't wind up reading the second story, this one stands proudly on its own. It's funny, sweet, hotter than anything, and you recognize the characters, even if the story is set long before canon.

If you're interested, you can find Starsky's Girl one of two ways. It's available in Venice Place Chronicles VI, which is published by Keri T (one of the nicest, most helpful zine publishers around--she works with the best authors and her zines are gorgeous). Or you can join Love of Me & Thee, an exceedingly enjoyable S&H Yahoo group. Members are friendly to fans of both slash & gen. Starsky's Girl is archived in the group's Files, under Stories/Kaye Austen Michaels.

*******

Hutch waved the last bite of corn dog at the dance floor. "The girl you were dancing with earlier?"

Again, Starsky chuckled. "Oh. She's not my girlfriend. Just met her tonight and asked her to dance. Anyway," he lowered his voice and edged closer. "I'm not looking to leave here with a girl tonight. To put it all right out there, I'd helluva lot rather dance with you, and I can't do that here. Okay?"

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: None (gen)
Length: 57K
Author on LJ: DNA (as far as I know)
Author Website: http://meandthee.shahrazad.net/author.php?authorid=26
Why this must be read:

Hutchrules3 is probably best known as co-author (with Paula Wilshe) of Tandem, a phenomenal hurt/comfort, first-time, post-Plague novel that's been rec'ed here before. That's a heck of a read. But this story is excellent as well.

It's the holiday season (first Thanksgiving, then Christmas), not long after the events in The Fix and Shootout. Starsky is going home to New York to celebrate with his family, and invites Hutch to come along. Once there, Hutch soon realizes Christmas with the Starskys is nothing like Christmas in Duluth, and with that realization, emotions come to the surface that both surprise and embarrass him.

This is such a sweet, feel-good story. Yes, it's gen, but squint a bit and you can see the slash. It's chock full of Hutch-angst, Starsky h/c and so much love you can't help but smile.

*******

"Just sit tight, babe," Hutch told him gently. "Everybody else is gone, we got lots of time." He slung both bags over his shoulder, groaning under the weight of Starsky's and glad he'd thought to ship his own gifts out to Rachel ahead of time, and extended one hand to his partner.

Starsky unbuckled the seatbelt with his good hand, and Hutch caught him under the elbow as he rose stiffly and painfully to his feet. "Take it easy," Hutch crooned, his grip firm. "Nice and slow."

"Hurts like hell," Starsky muttered under his breath as he eased himself out of the row of seats, to finally stand upright in the aisle.

"I know it does," Hutch soothed. He adjusted the sling over Starsky's shoulder, and grabbed the battered leather jacket from the seat his partner had vacated. "You wanna put this on, huh? Or just sort of--drape it?"

"I can do it," Starsky insisted, but his protest sounded perfunctory, and he offered no further resistance as Hutch slipped a sleeve over his good arm, then draped the jacket over Starsky's left shoulder and sling and pulled the front as tightly as he could. "Thanks," Starsky sighed, and Hutch could hear him repressing his impatience at having to be helped. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's get outta this flying sardine can," Hutch said fervently, stepping back so Starsky could precede him. He eyed his partner worriedly as Starsky passed; the dark-haired detective looked worn out from having his injured shoulder cramped into a coach seat for hours on end. "You gonna make it, huh?" he asked as he fell in behind Starsky and laid a hand on the leather-covered shoulder. "Or should I have the stewardess bring one of those wheelchairs so you can ride out in style?"

"No, thanks, that's all I need," Starsky said with feeling. "Ma'd freak out completely if I came off this thing under anything but my own power."

Hutch chuckled, and felt the shoulder under his hand square determinedly. They made their way through the plane, Starsky first and Hutch following, watching vigilantly for the slightest wobble in his partner's walk, and said their polite goodbyes to the flight crew.

"Probably glad to see us go," Starsky murmured as they started up the jetway. "Wish I had a nickle for every time you rang that bell."

"Well, you needed a blanket and a pillow," Hutch defended himself, pulling the slipping jacket more securely around Starsky's shoulder. "No way you were going the whole flight as cold as you were."

"They were okay with that," Starsky conceded. "But by the time you asked for the fourth cup of coffee, I think they were gettin' ready to clock you."

Fandom: Starsky & Hutch/The Professionals (Crossover)
Pairing: None, really (despite oodles of sex, this is basically gen)
Length: 149K
Author on LJ:

rebelcat
Author Website: Rebelcat's Starsky & Hutch
Why this must be read:

My two favorite fandoms are Starsky & Hutch and their British counterpart, The Professionals. Imagine how thrilled I was when Rebelcat, one of the best writers in either fandom, decided to combine the two.

The story kicks off in Bay City when something unexpected turns up in the belly of a shark. Starsky & Hutch are on the case, and and it doesn't take long before they find their way to smack dab in the middle of BC's thriving pornography industry.  Soon, Starsky has a budding new acting career and Hutch is pretending to be his lover, just so the two of them can stick together on set.

At the same time, Bodie & Doyle (aka The Pros) are undercover as hired muscle on their side of the pond.  Their boss has a taste for kinky sex and drugs, with possible connections to a lot more. Business lures the crimelord to Starsky & Hutch's turf. Bodie & Doyle tag along.

It's like universes colliding.

There is sex a plenty here and Hutch posing as Starsky's SO, yet this isn't a slash story. It's not het either, as all the NC-17 is tied to the case the guys are trying to solve.

What's probably most interesting about this story is being able to see the way the two fictional crime fighting pairs compare and contrast. Despite The Pros supposedly being the British answer to S&H, in reality they are a very, very different set of characters inhabiting a much darker world. That comes across here. But the Yanks aren't only used for comic relief. Every one of the four is given a chance to shine. This is a gritty, yet fun, read.

Doyle exchanged a glance with Bodie as Trevor headed for the girl, who was now rubbing her eyes and smiling sleepily.

Together, they moved up on either side of Dave, and snagged him by the elbows, pulling him back.

“If you know what’s good for you, keep your mouth shut,” said Bodie, quietly.

There was a grim expression in Bodie’s eyes, which Doyle suspected was echoed in his own. He patted Dave’s cheek. “We like you.”

“We’d like to see you live,” said Bodie, grinning humourlessly. He leaned in close to Dave’s ear and whispered, “Copper.”

Doyle had to suppress a grin. It wasn’t at all nice of Bodie to terrorize Dave, but it certainly was an effective way to keep him quiet. And from Dave’s reaction, maybe he actually was an undercover cop. Doyle had been thinking more along the lines of private investigator, judging Dave and his partner too clean cut to be working for Teddy’s competition. But Bodie’s instincts were usually good, however unlikely it seemed that any department would put its officers undercover in a dirty film.

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch (slash)
Length: 104K
Author on LJ: morganlogan
Author Website: http://www.morganlogan.com
Why this must be read:

I'm a little nervous about this rec. Not because I don't believe the story is worthy. It's awesome, and if you haven't read it, you're going to thank me for pointing you in the right direction. I'm concerned because I'm writing this at work, during my lunch hour, and I'm not able to consult the spreadsheet I'd made of S&H stories already rec'ed on Crack Van (yes, I made a spreadsheet--quit laughing) to see if this story has already been featured. I scanned through Memories, and it doesn't look as if it's already been rec'ed. If I'm wrong, I apologize. But I've been a little lax with my recs this past week, and I'm trying to get caught up.

Morgan Logan or Molo, as she is known, is one of the most popular authors currently active in S&H. She writes both gen and slash (though probably more of the latter). She is known for breezy humor, Hutch/hurt (god love her!), scorchingly hot bedroom scenes, and guys that are so damned affectionate with each other, you want to reach through your monitor and hug them yourself. As a bonus, she's not afraid of angst. This story has all of the above.

This story is set post-SR. Starsky hasn't been out of the hospital long. Hutch has rented a beach house so they can live together while Starsky is convalescing. Everything seems to be going fine, but Hutch can't help but fear things are going to take a turn for the worse. He isn't eating or sleeping well, he can't relax, and to top it all off, he has discovered he is in love with his partner--a revelation he is not yet willing to share.

Molo's Hutch is a guy who is pretty hard on himself. He doesn't really believe he deserves to be happy, he can't help but analyze everything to the point of inertia, and he isn't entirely convinced he is someone Starsky could love. At least not the way he wants to be loved. Good thing Starsk (who, let's face it, has his own problems to deal with) knows how to handle his beloved Blintz.

*******

"What's going on with you?" Starsky asked him straight out. "Tonight was supposed to be a celebration."

"Yeah, I saw that. You were really knocking 'em back." Starsky's voice held the faintest hint of disapproval. Ridiculous. Hutch had seen him toss down more than a couple on too many occasions.

"Just trying to unwind," Hutch said, easily. He made as if to rise but Starsky's hand came out to press down on his thigh. The hand was almost intimately placed, and Hutch felt a flash of heat at the touch. He looked up into Starsky's knowing eyes and his heart made a shuddering attempt to halt in his chest.

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch (slash)
Length: 25K
Author on LJ: DNA
Author Website: http://meandthee.shahrazad.net/ (I believe her stories are all archived here.)
Why this must be read:

Paula is someone who had a tremendous impact on Starsky & Hutch fandom before she passed away far too young. The Paula Wilshe Award for New Writers is awarded annually in her memory.

I came to the community too late to know her. But I've enjoyed her stories immensely. She wrote both gen and slash. Her fic is characterized by a warmth both between S&H and for them as characters. You can tell Paula just adored this universe and the men at its center. Her love and enthusiasm for the Bay City boys come through in every line of dialogue, every glance, every action. Her work is such a pleasure.

This is one of those stories I haven't heard talked about much, so I thought I would highlight it. It's set post-SR. The guys have been together romantically for three years at this point, and are celebrating Hutch's 39th birthday at a cabin in the woods. If you know anything at all about this fandom, you know trouble can only be lurking in the wings.

Hutch rises early and decides to take advantage of their setting by heading outside to enjoy the beautiful morning. Mistake. Bad mistake.

If you like hurt/comfort (check), sweetness between S&H (check), a pinch of humor (check) balanced by a pinch of angst (check), this story is a treat.

*******

Starsky rolled over languidly, his body thrumming with sleep, and he knew without opening his eyes that Hutch was no longer on his side of the bed. Liquid golden sunlight poured through the window, and even through eyelids that he tried to squeeze shut, it was loud enough to let him know that he wouldn't be falling back to sleep. He hung a wrist in front of his face, and squinted balefully at his watch. Seven a.m. Ridiculous.

On the other hand, he realized, as he slowly came to wakefulness, it was Hutch's birthday. Smiling at the sunlight, which had seemed intrusive only a moment before, he was glad that Hutch's day was going to be so beautiful. He shrugged his way out of the covers and stretched, pulling on the pair of shorts he had dropped on the floor the evening before.

He was unsurprised to find that Hutch was not in the cabin--indeed he would have been stunned to find his partner inside the darker dwelling on such a bright morning. He heard several cracks and a thud and a splash from outside and smiled, knowing that Hutch was probably splitting logs for the fireplace and had lost another one to Pine Lake.

But then he heard something. A faint--was it a call? A bird? An animal? Hutch?

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starky/Hutch (slash) , Starsky/Rosey (het)
Length: 825K
Author on LJ:

flamingoslim
Author Website: http://starskyhutcharchive.com/stories.php?genre=slash&authid=47
Why this must be read:

I decided today would be a bit of a theme day for me. As some of my Me & Thee listsibs know, I've got the episode I Still Love You, Rosey Malone on the brain. This story takes the canon character of Rosey, and returns her to Bay City two years after she left a heartbroken Starsky behind to accompany her father south of the border.

This novel is set post-SR. In this universe, our two heroes confessed their love after Starsky regained consciousness from the shooting, and they've been blissfully happy ever since. Seven months have passed. Starsky is well on his way to getting better. One night, they go out for Mexican food. All is right with the world, until Rosey Malone stops by their table unannounced. Her father is dead and she's back in Bay City. She doesn't know the guys are an item, and makes tentative overtures towards rekindling a relationship with Starsky.

Hutch is stunned and horrified. But, because he doesn't quite trust what Starsky and he have, and because he doesn't ever want Starsk to resent him, he encourages his partner to go out with Rosey, just to see how things stand. Part of him hopes Starsky will say no. And indeed, Starsky is still hurting from Rosey's abandonment, and distrustful of her, so he's reluctant to even give her the time of day. Yet Hutch is so persuasive with his argument, Starsky ultimately sees no recourse but to agree to a get-together.

Much to everyone's surprise, the magic between Rosey and Starsky is still there. Without understanding quite how it happens, Starsky begins to fall for her again, even while he's still deeply in love with Hutch. At a loss, he turns to Hutch, who refuses to tell him what to do. Before he knows it, Starsky is in a relationship with two people he cares about deeply. While Hutch stands alone on the sidelines, watching as everything he's ever wanted is threatened with extinction.

I adore this story. Though I realize, after talking to some other S&H readers, that the feeling isn't quite universal. The way I see it, for this story to work, you have to believe Starsky is utterly and honestly bewildered by his conflicted feelings, not actively trying to wound Hutch. Regardless of his actions, you have to buy that he's hurting just as much as Hutch, only in a completely different way. I thought Flamingo took great pains to make that apparent. However, I could see how many fans are not going to want to read about Rosey coming between our guys.

To them I say, "Reconsider!" :-) If you stick around, you get the epic love scenes Flamingo is known for (the way she writes them, Starsky & Hutch are never going to need Viagra), angst out the yin-yang, hurt/comfort, a fabulous and well-earned reconciliation, and two guys who are achingly in love, even though they can't seem to stop hurting each other.

*******

She seemed to sag as soon as he was gone. Glancing at Hutch, she said miserably, "Well, that was a disaster."

Unsure of how to play it, Hutch asked noncommittally, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't the way I wanted our first meeting to go. I wanted to contact him by phone first, give him a chance to get used to the idea. Then see if he had any interest in meeting me. But when he walked in—I just couldn't walk out."

"Well, I can understand that," Hutch said softly. Now that Starsky was out of sight, she seemed nervous, almost fearful.

"Hutch," she said suddenly, placing a hand on his arm, "you're his best friend. I know you know everything that happened between us. You're probably pretty unhappy that I reappeared."

Hutch fought to keep his expression neutral even as he felt a surge of surprise at her intuitive guess. Then, he realized they were thinking on totally different wavelengths. She was talking to him as Starsky's friend, assuming Hutch's disapproval would stem from the heartache Starsky had suffered when she'd left him. She had no reason to assume anything else about the relationship between her former lover and his partner.

"But," she continued hesitantly, "I've got to ask you—please tell me—is there another woman in his life now? If there is, I'll walk away and never look back. But I've got to know. It's been two years. I had someone check, and I know he's not married. But is there another woman?"

She seemed on the verge of tears and the grip on his arm tightened. Hutch felt his own throat close down as blood pounded at his temples. Another woman?

Somehow, he found the voice to answer her. "No, Rosey. There's no woman."

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch (slash)
Length: 188K total
Author on LJ: DNA (I don't believe)
Author Website: http://www.thepitsarchive.com/stories/Reggie/Reggie.htm
Why this must be read:

I only just discovered this author and this series in particular. I'm so glad I found her! She isn't someone I'd heard a lot about. Of course, perhaps there are entire lists devoted to discussing her work, and I just don't know about them. There are/have been a lot of authors writing in S&H, past and present, so it's difficult to keep tabs on everyone.

I'm not usually a fan of songfic, as I find a lot of it overly sentiment and not particularly well done. That can't be said of this series, which was inspired by the music of Paul Simon. Negotiations & Love Stories is a series of seven stories. None of them are particularly long. They range is size from 22K to 34K. When read together, it feels as if you're viewing snapshots, instances or moments plucked from the lives of these two men.

The series begins post-SR. Despite a recent setback, Starsky has recovered to the point where he could qualify for reinstatement with the police force. But he doesn't want to. He wants to do something else with his life and fears dropping that bombshell on his partner.

Hutch takes the announcement better than Starsky had thought he might. So Starsk decides to reveal something even more earth-shaking. He's fallen in love with his partner. When Hutch takes that too in stride, the men begin a tentative journey into the next stage of their lives.

They move in together. Hutch gets a new partner and Starsky goes back to school. These stories trace how their lives weave together in ways both tender and pretty darned funny. There's a bit of angst thrown in, and one story gives me my hurt/comfort fix. But for the most part, this is a gentle series that doesn't really focus on the momentous events in the guys' lives, but the quiet, everyday ones. Not a ton happens in each story, but the cumulative effect is one of an entire universe being reshaped in ways that are utterly new, yet at the same time familiar and almost inevitable. It's a lovely, satisfying read.

*******

"I know you know what I'm gonna say, but I'm gonna say it, anyway." Starsky took a deep breath. "I love you." Hutch opened his mouth to respond, but Starsky wouldn't let him. "No, don't. I've got to get this all out, okay? And then you can say whatever you want to say. I just have to say it while I'm thinkin' it." He asked the question with his eyes, and Hutch nodded silently.

Starsky stood up, suddenly nervous. "I don't know when this happened," he said. "I don't even know that it happened, or if - if maybe it was just always there, you know? An' maybe I just realized - I love you." He chuckled. "The thing that worried me about telling you that I didn't want to be your partner anymore was the fact that I was also going to tell you that I did want to be your partner, just, in a different way.

"Only," he argued, "I don't even know if that's really it. Maybe I'm just worried that I'm not gonna get to spend all of this time with you anymore, and I'm gonna miss you. Maybe I'm trying to replace that - I mean, we work together, we play together, we spend most of our time with each other. Even now that we haven't been cop-partners for months, we still spend most of our time together. If you aren't here, I'm at your place, nights, weekends. We can't seem to let go, you know?"

"I know I don't want to," Hutch said, quietly.

"But what does that mean? Do you know? Does it mean that we're afraid we're gonna lose the friendship that we've had so long, or does it mean - "

"Does it mean that the friendship isn't enough anymore?" Hutch finished for him.

"Yeah." Starsky sat down again. "I've been tryin' to think about it - tryin' to wrap my brain around it, an' I just can't."

*******

In order, the stories included in the series are:

Something So Right (34K) - NC-17
A Good Time (25K)
Hearts & Bones (22K) - NC-17
Still Crazy (23K)
After the War (23K)
Late in the Evening (29K)
St. Judy's Comet (32K) - NC-17

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: None (gen)
Length: 157K
Author on LJ:

debbiel66
Author Website: Everything she's written is on Live Journal, two of her stories can be found at the Me and Thee Archive
Why this must be read:

1. a stumble or fall
2. an experience caused by taking mind-altering drugs
3. a journey

I rec'ed Debbie's first S&H story, Passing Time, as my first rec of the month. I figured it might be a nice idea to close the circle and make her latest story, The Trip, my last rec. It's the "opus" I alluded to in my earlier write-up, and it's amazing.

In it, months after his ordeal at the hands of Forrest and his men, Hutch has begun using drugs again. It's not heroin this time, but prescription painkillers. He hides the problem from Starsky until his pill-popping has turned into a full-blown addiction. When Starsky discovers what has happened, he is determined to pull his partner back from the edge a second time. So he kidnaps a not very appreciative Hutch, and takes him out into the desert, away from everything and everyone. Together they struggle to take Hutch through another painful withdrawal.

That brief synopsis sounds horribly grim, and to be honest, Hutch becoming a drug user again is not a trope I enjoy. But in Debbie's hands, Hutch's weakness, Starsky's horror, and their joint determination become a moving examination of what these two mean to each other, and how much stronger they are when they've joined forces against a common foe, be it drugs or a killer sandstorm. It's a story that sticks with you a long, long time.

Balancing the cup of water and the pills, Starsky ambled to the passenger door, careful not to lean in too close. He’d already learned that while Hutch couldn’t slug him handcuffed, he could most definitely kick and wasn’t terribly concerned about controlling his aim. It had been a while since their last pit stop. He’d have to let his partner out soon to take a leak, but he wanted him a little more doped up for that. Starsky swung open the passenger side door. He leaned over the seat with the cup of water and the pills.

God, the look Hutch aimed his way before opening his mouth… Starsky didn’t think he’d ever get over that little preview of hell. Watching his fingers, he placed the two white tablets on the back of Hutch’s tongue and brought up the cup to his partner’s lips. Hutch tilted his head and took a mouthful, holding it, as if thinking it over first. But then he swallowed.

Starsky felt like the oldest man in the world. Could feel the blood drying up in his veins, could hold onto every breath like it might be his last.

Hutch looked up, his eyes bloodshot and terrible on his broken face. “I hate you,” he said.

Starsky shuddered, absorbing the words, as if his partner had injected them in a vein. But he nodded and backed off slowly.

Starsky shut the door gently and began walking away. When he got far enough, Starsky braced himself on his knees and heaved and retched until he was empty again. The voices in his head were persistent and damning.