December 13th- Christmas 1985 by KiraBerlin

Author’s Note: This is an excerpt from a story I am currently writing. Hutch had a daughter, Amelia, with a woman he briefly knew, but the mother killed herself shortly after the birth of the baby. This is when Starsky and Hutch found their love for each other. With the child and Starsky in his life, Hutch needed to find a new place to live and he and Starsky decided to buy a house together near his old place on the canals. They raise the child together. Even outwardly Amelia is both their daughter: She’s got Hutch’s blond hair and Starsky’s curls. Starsky is the one who has been able to calm the little girl down from day one. This chapter starts a few days before Christmas Day.

“Hey there, what’s for dinner?”

Starsky walked in the door of the Venice bungalow and threw his jacket over the hook behind the door.

“Daddy!” The curly haired blonde 4-year-old came running from the kitchen.

“Hey there, my angel. Did you have a nice day at kindergarten?” He picked her up and sat her on his hip.

“We played and drew pictures and made cookies for Christmas and I want a puppy for Christmas.”

“Ah, sweetheart, we’ve just been through this.” Hutch followed her out of the kitchen, tying an apron behind his back and kissing Starsky on the cheek. “Ever since I picked her up this evening, she’s been going on about it and I told her why we can’t have a dog. Why are you so late?”

“Had a run in with Wiggins on the way out. Something about an acquisition form for a new desk chair?”

Hutch blushed. They’d had a quickie in their new little office at lunchtime when no one was there and broke Hutch’s chair.

“Well, am I supposed to sit on the trash can, or what?”

Starsky turned back to the little girl on his hip. “Now, Amelia. Dad has told you why we can’t have a doggie and I think you should listen to him.”

“But I want a puppy. It’s not fair!”

Starsky put her down on the floor and started to unbutton his work shirt. “Let me just get out of these clothes. What are we having for dinner?” he asked again, his stomach rumbling.

“I don’t know yet, just going through the fridge. I think we might have an empty-the-fridge-dinner.” Hutch said with his head in the appliance.

“Those are usually your best!” Starsky licked his lips.

Hutch took stock. “There are some potatoes, cheese, carrots, grilled chicken, brussels sprouts….”

“Don’t like russel spouts,” Amelia wailed.

“Darling, you got to chose what we ate yesterday. Today’s my turn,” Hutch said calmly.

“No, no, no! Don’t like them and I want a puppy for Christmas!” She was stomping her foot.

“Amelia!” Hutch cautioned her and shook his index finger at her.

“It’s not fair, it’s not fair, it’s not fair!” Amelia sank to her knees and started pounding the floor with her little fists.

That moment, Starsky got into the kitchen. He had changed into a t-shirt and some jogging pants and picked Amelia up from the floor just as Hutch started to roll his eyes. He carried the thrashing little girl into the living room.

“Now, what did I say to you about throwing tantrums the other day?” Starsky asked her while he was placing her back on his hips.

She snivelled. “Santa doesn’t like screaming little girls?”

“Right, and what else?” Starsky looked at her with raised eyebrows, biting his lower lip.

“He won’t bring me any presents?”

“Uh-huh. He’s gonna take them home again,” Starsky said.

“But that’s not fair!” Amelia tried to say it as calm as possible.

He sat down on the couch with her and placed her on his lap. “A lot of things ain’t fair, sweetheart. Look, Dad and I had a long day at work, let’s not argue tonight, ok?”

“Ok.” Another snivel.

Starsky tried to cheer her up. “Hey, have you had a look at your advent calendar today? Let’s have a look behind today’s door.”

She jumped from his knees and ran to the wall behind the dining table. “Ok, there are four doors left. This one?” She pointed to the biggest one.

“Nice try. The biggest one is for the last day. Dad has explained that to you before.” Starsky gave her a little nudge. “Today is the twentieth. We are looking for the door with a two and an o on it. The o is like a round circle.”

Amelia peered at the last closed doors. “That one!” She finally pointed to the one with the right number.

“Well done, angel. Now open it.”

She fumbled with her little fingers to open the perforated cardboard. “Another piece of chocolate.”

“And what’s on it today?” Starsky asked before she was about to shove it in her mouth.

She looked at it elaborately. “A puppy!”

“That’s not a…” Starsky protested, then looked at it. “Oh, you’re right. It’s a puppy.”

Damn these advent calendar manufacturers, Starsky thought. Should have let her put it straight in her mouth.

She ran towards the kitchen where Hutch was cutting the vegetables. “Look, Dad. My chocolate has a puppy on it.”

“Starsky!” Hutch exclaimed reproachful.

Starsky had followed Amelia into the kitchen and looked back at Hutch. “What? Not my fault. I didn’t put it there.”

“You are spoiling her with that advent calendar,” Hutch muttered.

“You liked it up until today for the educational value of the numbers.”

Hutch chuckled. “You’re right, it does have some merits.”

“I got a puppy, I got a puppy….” Amelia sang, dancing through the kitchen.

“Are you gonna eat it now before it melts all over your fingers, or are you gonna save it until after dinner?” Hutch asked.

“Now,” she said and popped the chocolate right in her mouth.

“Go wash your hands, before you cover everything with chocolate,” he demanded.

“Yes, Dad,” she said, sliding the hand with which she had held the chocolate over the back of Hutch’s jogging pants in passing.

Starsky chuckled and followed her out to help her at the sink.

After dinner, Hutch put Amelia to bed and read her a story while Starsky tidied up and washed the dishes.

When Amelia was asleep and the dishes all stored away, they both slumped on the couch in the living room. Starsky leaned over to raise one buttock and pulled a plastic pony from under him.

“Ah, Hutch. I am really looking forward to Christmas. A few days off and some peace and quiet. We gotta pick Ma up from the airport tomorrow. She’s really looking forward to seeing Amelia.”

“Damn. I forgot to tell the kindergarten that Amelia will be picked up by your mom for the next three days.”

“Ah, I forgot too. Have to remember in the morning when we take her.” Starsky snuggled into Hutch’s side.

After they sat quietly for a while, Starsky sighed.

“What?”

“You know, Hutch, it would be so nice if we had a dog.”

Hutch exhaled and threw his head back. “Starsky. Please!”

“Well, it would.”

“Let’s not go through this again, ok? The poor thing would be alone all day, probably howling his little heart out. It’s just not fair to the dog.”

“I know, I know.” Starsky lamented.

“Then put that thought right out of your mind and let’s not encourage Amelia.”

“Sometimes you can be so cruel, Hutch.”

“Hey, it would be cruel to keep a dog in our situation.”

“I know, I know,” Starsky repeated.

“Well then…” Hutch didn’t say anything further.

They snuggled quietly for another few minutes.

“You know what?” Starsky asked.

“What?”

“I’ve just had an idea.”

“Oh dear,” Hutch muttered.

Starsky ignored him. “You know, I’ve been thinking maybe Amelia and I could go down to the shelter on weekends, volunteering. Taking the dogs for a walk, petting them…”

Hutch turned to Starsky. “Hey, Starsky. Now, that is a really good idea. Amelia might still a bit too young for that, but maybe next summer…”

“Yeah. Might be something to think about.”

“You’re not just a pretty face, my darling.”

Starsky threw him a dirty look through his lashes and snuggled back against him.

On Christmas Day, Starsky and Hutch were woken up early by Amelia bouncing on their bed.

“Santa was here,” she shouted excitedly.

Hutch lifted his head, hair sticking in all directions, squinting at her. “Yeah? How do you know?”

“He left gifts in the living room by the Christmas tree! I saw them!”

“Did you see Santa?” Starsky asked, also lifting his head from the pillow.

“No. But the milk and cookies are gone,” she said thoughtfully.

“Well then, let’s snuggle for a bit and then we’ll have a look,” Hutch suggested.

“Ok,” she agreed readily and climbed between the two men to cuddle up, like they did every Sunday morning.

“Dad, how many cookies can Santa eat before dinner?” Amelia asked, looking at the ceiling.

“Oh, he never eats cookies before dinner,” Hutch answered. “He takes them home to eat later.”

“And the milk?” Amelia enquired.

“Maybe he pours it into a flask,” Hutch suggested.

But Amelia wasn’t convinced. She sat up, turned around at Hutch and shook her index finger at him. “Hutchinson, you are making this up!”

Starsky screamed silently and bit the back of his hand. His eyes were bulging, he was trying so hard not to laugh.

“No one has a flass this big,” she was still shaking her finger at him, mispronouncing flask.

Starsky could no longer hold back. He burst out laughing, curling his body on the mattress, tears streaming out of his eyes.

“Right, Daddy?” she looked at Starsky for confirmation, thinking he was laughing at Hutch.

“Right,” he managed to press out between fits of laughter.

Hutch also began to laugh. He put his big hand over Amelia’s little hand still pointing at him and pulled her close to hug her.

After they had calmed down, Starsky shook his head and asked Hutch behind Amelia’s head, “Where on Earth did she get that from?” and burst into another fit of laughter.

Amelia started bouncing on the bed. “Let’s have a look at what Santa brought.”

“Ok,” Hutch agreed. “Let’s get up. Grandma will be here soon as well.”

Because their bungalow wasn’t big enough for a guest room, they had put Starsky’s mom up in a nearby hotel. She would be coming over for breakfast, so Hutch hurried to put the coffee on while Starsky went with Amelia to inspect the presents under the tree.

“Hey, look at all these presents!” Starsky said in surprise. “This one has a tag which says ‘Amelia’ on it.” He pulled on the tag of the biggest box. There were lots more for her from many of their friends. “This one’s for Grandma,” he pointed at a small flat parcel with a huge bow on it. “And there’s one for Dad.”

“Is there one for you, too, Daddy?”

“Yes, the green one there,” he pointed at a square parcel at the back. Probably another sweater from Hutch, he thought.

“I want to open them now,” Amelia begged.

“Let’s wait for Grandma to arrive. Go and get dressed,” Starsky said. He got up from his knees and went to help Hutch set up the breakfast table.

“Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day,” Hutch said, looking out the window. “Maybe we should go for a walk on the beach while Ma is getting dinner ready.”

“She’ll be all for it. She hates it when people get in her way in the kitchen.”

That moment there was a knock on the door.

“Oops, there she is, and I’m not even dressed yet,” Hutch remarked.

“I’m sure she can handle it, but go get dressed. I’ll let her in,” Starsky ushered him into the bedroom and closed the door, then he went to open the front door.

“Merry Christmas, Ma!”

“Merry Christmas, Davey. Uh… did I wake you up?” She looked him up and down in his boxers and t-shirt.

“No, no. We were just taking things slow, with it being Christmas and all. Come in!” He took various bags and parcels off her and stepped to the side to let her in. “Breakfast is all ready and Hutch will be out in a moment.”

“Granma! Granma!” Amelia stormed out from her room, wearing a cute little pink dress. “Santa was here, and he’s left something for you, too!”

“Good morning, my dear!” She sat on the couch and hugged her little grandchild. “That’s nice of Santa. But let’s have breakfast first, huh? I am starving.”

Starsky came from the kitchen and handed her a cup of coffee, sipping on another one himself.

“And Ken?”

“He can get his own,” Starsky winked and sat down next to her. “Did you sleep all right?”

Before she could answer, Hutch came out of the bedroom. “Ma! Merry Christmas.”

She got up and they hugged. “Merry Christmas, Ken.”

Starsky got up, too, and quickly disappeared to brush his teeth and get dressed. Meanwhile, Hutch charmed Starsky’s mom and started to fry some bacon and pancakes.

When Starsky re-emerged from the bedroom, they moved over to the table to have breakfast. Starsky lifted Amelia onto her chair and sat down next to Hutch.

“Look at you two,” Starsky’s mother marvelled. “My two boys. So domesticated. You’ve built a home and a family. I am so proud of you!”

Starsky took his mother’s hand and squeezed it.

After breakfast they went back into the living room to the Christmas tree so Amelia could finally open her presents. There were a few more parcels now since Starsky’s mother had arrived.

Amelia started with the biggest present. She ripped the paper open to reveal a cardboard box shaped like a dog kennel. Inside sat a fluffy brown toy dog. She shrieked with joy.

“Starsky,” said Hutch and quietly shook his head.

Starsky helped Amelia to get the dog out of the box.

“Ah. It’s not real,” said Amelia with slight disappointment, when she cuddled it in her arms.

“Much better than a real one, sweetheart. It doesn’t need walks or food,” Starsky explained.

“Yeah, much better,” Amelia repeated. Of course, Starsky and Hutch both knew that she had no idea what it really meant to have a real dog.

They all opened more presents. Hutch handed Starsky’s mother the flat box, which revealed a beautiful watch, selected by her son. “I hope you like it,” Starsky said, kissing her on the cheek.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I will always leave it on California time, so I’ll be with you at all times.”

Starsky’s square package, which he thought would contain a sweater, turned out to be a lot heavier than he’d anticipated. When he opened it, he found that it contained a starter train set.

“Hutch!” He was lost for words. He’d always wanted a train set but was too embarrassed to ask if Hutch would make space for one. So he’d just played with the exhibit at the toy store whenever they visited.

Starsky got the last package for Hutch from under the tree. It was big and light and Hutch was wondering what kind of joke present Starsky would have gotten him this year.

He gently peeled the paper back and found a real bonsai tree with trimming tools and care instructions.

“It’s forty years old, and with proper care, it should stay with you for the rest of your life,” Starsky explained.

“Starsky, wow.” Hutch looked at the tree that was as old as him with amazement. “Thank you.” He gave Starsky a quick kiss on the mouth.

Amelia sat among her presents and played with each of them. Starsky started unpacking his present to set it up. After a while, when the train was finally running, Amelia crawled over to him. “Can I play?”

“You’ve got your own presents to play with,” Starsky said without taking his eyes off the train. “You got a puppy and lots of dolls.”

“You can play with them,” Amelia said generously.

“Well, that’s just grand,” Starsky growled and handed Amelia the controls.

When the phone rang Starsky sighed and got up to answer it. “Merry Christmas, Cap! … Yes, that would be fine. … No, I don’t think that’s a problem. … Great, see you later.”

Hutch looked up from his Bonsai care instructions. “Was that Dobey? We were supposed to go round there tomorrow.”

“Something’s come up and he asked if we could drop by today; I said that would be ok.”

Hutch shrugged. “I guess it is. Are you going to come with us, Ma?”

“No, you go. I will stay here and get started on cooking our Christmas dinner while you are out.” She was leafing through a photo album she’d gotten from the Hutchinson-Starsky family. It contained family snapshots and some arty photography by Starsky. “You’ve got a really good eye, Dave. You should have gone into photography.”

“Thanks, Ma,” Starsky smiled, “but I am quite happy with my life choices.”

After a small lunch, Starsky and Hutch gathered the presents for the Dobey family and got dressed in their Sunday best. Starsky informed his mother about their plans for the afternoon and asked again if she wanted to join them.

“No, that’s perfect. Off you go then, and I will see you later when dinner is ready.” She waved at them as she walked to the kitchen and Starsky, Hutch and Amelia got ready to leave the house.