Tag to Starsky’s Lady
Author’s Note: Thanks to MatSir for the suggestions.
A few hours after partaking of Huggy’s “patented” hangover cure, Starsky and I were finally out of the grunting and stumbling stage and began putting the Monopoly game back in its box.
Knowing it would never be a good time to ask this particular question, I did so anyway. “So, Starsk, did you ever ask Terry to marry you?”
He stopped separating the money into piles. “Yeah, I did, right before she was discharged.” He returned to his task, never once looking at me.
“You wanna talk about it, buddy?”
He finally looked at me, shot me his apologetic smile. “Yeah, I do. Sorry I never told you before. Guess I was still kinda… shocked.”
I smiled back with what I hoped was an understanding one. “So, she said no.” Half question, half statement. A ploy on my part to get him to get it off his chest, maybe ease his suffering some.
He didn’t speak for what seemed like an eternity. Just as I opened my mouth to say something that might soothe him, he looked up at me with an unreadable expression on his tired face and said flatly, “She said yes and no.”
I figured she said no because she probably thought he asked out of pity and obligation, but yes, too? I stayed quiet, not knowing how to respond.
He sighed, picked up the pile of 100s, then tossed the bills in the air. “She said yes because I was her best friend and everyone should marry their best friend.” He reached across the board and, with an enigmatic smile, squeezed my knee.
As Starsky’s best friend, I was flabbergasted. All I could do was stare at him.
He chuckled. “She said no because she thought I should marry my best friend and that wasn’t her. Otherwise, we’d be off-balance. Whatever the hell that means. Then she said I was already kinda married to my best friend.”
I gulped. It was then that I knew why Terry gave Ollie to me and not Starsky. “Mmmme.”
Starsky shoved the board to one side and hands-and-kneed it to me. Sitting back on his haunches, he placed his hand on my cheek and it felt like heaven. Then I recognized the look he was giving me when he thinks I’m not paying attention. The look I’ve never seen him give anyone else, not Helen, not even Terry.
I put my hand over his, smiling so big my cheeks ached. What I had suppressed for so long looked like it was gonna happen. Somehow I didn’t shake like an inexperienced teenager when I kissed that rugged palm. His wide, crooked grin sent waves of relief over me.
“Let’s, uh, get comfortable, ‘kay?” he asked.
I worked hard to keep my voice even. “Sofa or, um, bed?”
He laughed and it sounded warm and loving and excited. “Your call, partner.”
I stood then helped him up. “This changes things, ya know.”
He shrugged. “Maybe a little, Blondie. You’ve always been my best friend, my home.”
I swallowed hard so I won’t choke. “You’re my home, too, babe. Have been since we met.”
His grin was nothing short of the happiest I’d ever seen. We bumped noses as we went in for our first kiss (awkward but spectacular). I knew they would only get better.
Later that afternoon as he napped, I whispered, “Thanks, Terry.”
Of course that’s the way it happened! Clever Terry.
Yes, she is that!
“His grin was nothing short of the happiest I’d ever seen…” So sweet!
Thank you.
That whole best friend thing with Terry drives me bananas–so thank you for setting the record straight! I love this story. I love Hutch being taken aback and then realizing just exactly what Starsky (and Terry) meants. Happy smiles here on my end!
Me, too, Babs. I debated with myself for the longest time what her answer was and it was her droning on about best friends that finally had me coming up with this little bit.
Lovely story!
Thanks.
Lovely answer to the part of that episode that always bothered me, too. Thanks for thinking of it and then for writing it so well.
Thanks. Took me a while (years!) to come up with something that made sense.
Very nice!
Thanks!
I loved it! So many explanations to things we wondered about. Love the reason why she gave Ollie to Hutch. I also loved the subtle way Starsky proclaimed his love for Hutch by telling him that Terry said they should marry each other, then he squeezed Hutch’s knee. Thanks for a holiday treat!
Thanks and you’re welcome! Never understood why she gave her “best friend” only a lousy book on winning Monopoly; she should have given him something else in the tag. I finally came to realize she gave him Hutch – at least in my mind.
That was a good ending to the Terry best friend thing. Starsky is going to be with his best friend, forever. Thank you!
Thanks! S+H 4ever!
Lovely story. Hutch is Starsky’s best friend, always has been, and always will be!
Thanks. And I agree—they are forever and best friends.
Oh, sweetpea, this is just lovely.
I was always bothered by the Monopoly book too, so this is a good explanation for giving Ollie to Hutch.
And sometimes, it takes years for a story to work itself out. Terrific that you let this one simmer for so long.
Thanks, darlin’. As for Hutch’s gift, the door in my head finally opened and it’s a relief to settle that issue. Thinking about a sequel that explains why Terry gave Starsky that stupid, insulting book. Gotta simmer, though.
Oh, beautiful! Thank you! X
Thanks, Robin!
This was so good. Terry calling Starsky her “best friend” over and over again always annoyed me and seemed a little weird. Especially since we know who Starsky’s “best friend in the whole world” is. And it sure wasn’t Terry! I like that this story points out that she knew that too., and gave them both a little nudge in the right direction. Thank you for sharing sweet story!
Thanks, Donna. Your comment about her calling Starsky her best friend so many times (he never said that to her; gotta love S’s honesty) got me to wondering if this was written this way as a sort of plea to get Starsky to say it to her.
Aww sweet! Thank you!
Thanks, Nicol!
Such a thoughtful piece filling in episode gaps to make sense of the ‘best friend’ conversations and the proposal and the presents. Thank you!
Thank you!
Very sweet story.
I especially loved this part, “Then I recognized the look he was giving me when he thinks I’m not paying attention. The look I’ve never seen him give anyone else, not Helen, not even Terry.”
Thank you! I just love the special looks they seemed to have just for each other. I like to think this was something they cooked up together when they were developing the characters and their relationship.
“You’re my home, too, babe.” Lovely!
Thanks, Dawn.
I still say this is a perfect fix-it fic! When I read it, it was like ‘click’ and the pieces fit together like – well, like Starsky & Hutch. Thank you letting me have the sneak peek, Cuz.
You are so welcome, and thanks to you for helping me get this and “Stay” to flamingo 🦩