A/N This is set after the end of the series and after my story "Going Back, Moving Forward". You don't have to have read that first but it does explain more about Laura/Mac and Ali. (All you need to know in a nutshell is that Laura Mackenzie – or Mac as Starsky calls her – was the Head Nurse on the cardiac unit when Starsky was in hospital after SR and they became good friends. Ali is Laura's best friend, an art teacher and also ended up teaching Starsky at an adult education art class.) I guess this might become part of a larger future series. I'm a sucker for happy endings so I make no bones of the fact that I want the guys to be happy!

Song "I love a rainy night" by Eddie Rabbit was released in 1975.

COME RAIN OR SHINE

Hutch didn't like rainy Mondays - he couldn't help it, he just didn't – and this Monday, June 30th 1980, had seen constant, heavy, unrelenting rain. The bad weather had started early on Thursday, carried right on through the weekend and was still going. Today the sky was coloured with shades of grey, dark grey and darker grey. The trees were bowing to each other, buffeted by the strength of the wind, and little pieces of debris were rushing past the car in swirling patterns, as the rain kept on falling. How much water was there in the sky anyway?

There'd been a storm hovering off the coast of Santa Barbara for days now and consequently the weather in Bay City had been windy and wet as the tail end of the storm lashed out across the coast from Santa Barbara down to Los Angeles and all points in between. At long last, the weather man on the radio this morning had announced that Hurricane Celia was on her way out, leaving behind rain, lots of rain, but no damage and no casualties. Hutch was glad about that small mercy.

In truth, the hurricane had never really got going nor had it got too close to the land mass of the west coast, a fact for which everyone was very grateful. Maybe once June was over, the usual summer weather associated with Bay City would return but for now, on this last day of June, it was raining and raining hard. Hutch watched the rain bouncing back into the sky from the force with which it was hitting the hood of Starsky's car and sighed.

The voice on the car radio made an announcement and Starsky twiddled the black plastic knob to get more volume as a song started playing:

Well, I love a rainy night
I love a rainy night
I love to hear the thunder
Watch the lightning
When it lights up the sky
You know it makes me feel good

Starsky started jiggling in his seat and humming along while still reading his paper. Hutch couldn't help smiling at the sight of his irrepressible partner chair-dancing. He loved this song and, like the singer, he usually loved watching the rain: but he preferred it when he was sat at home in the dry and could look out of the window and track the raindrops creating pathways down the glass panes of his greenhouse. He didn't like it when he had to work in it.

As he looked out of the window of the car, he sincerely hoped they wouldn't get called to investigate anything now that their shift was nearly over. He'd already got soaked to the skin once today when getting lunch for them both. It was his turn to buy and Starsky had taken great delight in staying in the dry while he squelched his way across the waterlogged car park to the taco stand.

"It's raining cats and dogs out there," Starsky observed, interrupting Hutch's thoughts as the song came to an end and the obligatory adverts started.

Hutch looked at him in a bemused way. His eyebrow inviting explanation.

"Cool phrase, ain't it?" Starsky asked. "Ali heard someone saying it when she was in London last year. I've decided I'm gonna adopt it. It really describes the weather today."

Hutch had to admit, in some weird way, it did describe the intensity of the rain. It was the sort of downpour that was so loud they could hardly hear themselves talking over the drumming on the roof of the Torino. Still, it was the sort of weather that kept low level crimes from being committed, because hardly anyone was lingering on the streets, and that was a bonus in Hutch's opinion.

Hutch thought it was the sort of weather that made people want to hunker down in the warm and dry. Of course, not everybody had that luxury: not if they were homeless…or a junkie looking for that next fix. For some reason, Hutch found his mind wandering back to his experience with Forrest's goons. The overwhelming desire for that next fix, and the associated skin crawling, aching stomach, do-anything-to-get-it feeling, were all shadow memories now but sometimes those feelings still called to him and he had to be careful not to put himself in situations that might trigger an addictive response.

Would there ever be a day when he didn't have to worry about coming across narcotics in the course of their day? Would he ever be able to get rid of that nagging doubt rolling around the back of his mind: that anxiety over what would happen if he was injured and given morphine for the pain of some wound? Would Starsky always be there to say his partner couldn't have it and had to be given something else? That anxiety was actually one of his biggest fears.

The fear of coming into contact with heroin and other drugs had rattled him constantly in the first few months after that dark time of his abduction and enforced drug taking. Starsky was his rock during those first tough months: just as he had been his safe haven and strength when helping him to go through cold turkey and all the associated agonies that followed in the days and weeks afterwards. Gradually, with Starsky's help, he was able to stay in control of his feelings when they assisted in drugs busts. Without making it obvious, Starsky always looked out for him and made sure he wasn't involved in any aspect of the bust that would put back his recovery. Starsky had saved his life and his career. Without ever voicing the decision, Starsky had taken on the role of guardian angel in this area and Hutch was eternally grateful.

Three years later, he had felt that he was in control and wouldn't get those cravings ever again but he was to find out that that wasn't the case. A Tuesday in May made him realise the foolishness of his thought. As he had sat in the hospital by his partner's bedside, finally allowing himself to take in just how broken his partner's body was and how long a recovery would be (if it were even possible), he had craved something to send him into oblivion and away from the agony he was feeling. The only thing that had stopped him from fleeing from his misery, and seeking out something to numb his tortured soul, had been knowing how disappointed Starsky would have been in him.

Instead he'd held his friend's hand and battled the demons alone until they melted away. Hutch had been in the depths of despair that night, and for many nights, that followed. When Starsky started to spend more time awake than asleep, Hutch had hidden his struggle as best he could, so he could help his friend with his recovery, but it had taken a toll on his confidence in himself. Finally, when Starsky's radar started working again, he had confessed his struggles and talked the night through with his best friend: both glad that Starsky was able to once again take on the mantle of guardian angel.

That was all over now: the cravings had slunk back into the hole where they usually hid and the anguish over his partner had subsided as Starsky began to make more and more progress in his recovery. Although it was only just over a year since Starsky had been hospitalised, his partner was back, really truly back by Hutch's side. Maybe the brunet's health wasn't as good as new (he would always have to watch out for illnesses that might affect his badly scarred lung) but it was near enough to it for them to be back on the streets together. Their partnership was as solid as it had ever been and their friendship had been built back up, brick by brick, until it was even stronger than before.

Hutch could honestly say that life was good and the changes and the additions they had both tried to make to their lives had paid off too. He smiled as he thought of Laura. She was almost as loyal as Starsky and certainly took no nonsense from him. Between his partner and his girlfriend he was well covered. Their relationship seemed to be going well and Hutch had found himself opening up to her about things he had only ever talked to Starsky about before…except he still hadn't told her about his time addicted to heroin. He didn't know why. She was a nurse so she would understand about the repercussions. She loved him and she would understand that this was something that had been done to him, not something he had chosen for himself. Maybe it was time to tell her, before their relationship developed any further. He didn't want to feel as if he was keeping anything from her.

"Starsk?"

"Mmm?" Starsky barely raised his head from the sports section of the paper.

"Are you listening? Or just pretending to listen? 'Cos I 've been thinking and I want to talk to you about it."

Starsky put the paper in his lap. "Sorry, pal, yes, I'm listening."

"I think it's time I told Laura about m-my problem…you know my run-in with Monk and…that I was addicted to H."

Starsky raised an eyebrow at him. "To be honest, buddy, I thought you might have told her already. Seems to me you guys are getting pretty serious."

"Yes, I guess we are…I've been thinking about telling her for a while but…Starsk, would you be there? Help me talk about it. I still find it hard."

"'Course! You tell me when and I'll be there. "

"Thanks." Hutch looked at him gratefully. "I'm lucky I've got you as a friend."

Starsky punched his arm. "You're such a big softy, you big lug." He shook his head and picked up his paper again. From behind it, he muttered, "Same goes for me. I'm lucky you're my friend."

"Now, who's a softy?" Hutch asked, with a smile breaking out on his face.

Starsky decided a change of subject was needed. "Whatcha doing tonight? Got any plans with Mac?"

"No, she's working tonight."

"Ali's teaching her evening class. Wanna come round and watch the baseball with me. The Yankees are playing the Red Sox at Fenway. Should be a great game."

"Have you warned your neighbours? You always get noisy when the Yankees play!"

Starsky rolled his eyes at him then carried on as if his partner hadn't spoken. "I'm glad Murcer's back with the Yankees: he's playing well. Bet he gets a home-run tonight."

"You only like him cos he's left-handed."

"All the best people are left-handed."

"It's a right-handed world, Starsk."

It was an old argument and one they'd had many times before and one that made them grin at each other.

"So? You on?" Starsky asked.

"What? For the game?"

"Yes, for the game! What else were we talking about dummy! You bring the beers; I'll provide hot dogs and popcorn."

"All right. Sounds good."

"Great. Shift's nearly done. I'll drop you home and then go to the market for supplies."

Starsky folded his paper neatly and put on the back seat of the car before turning on the Torino's engine. "Bet you ten bucks Murcer makes a home run."

"All right. But I bet you tomorrow's lunch that the Red Sox win."

Starsky shook his head. "You just support the opposite team to annoy me."

"Darn, you finally figured me out," Hutch said, with a laugh. "Took you long enough."

"Well, Blintz, better late than never…By the way, I'll have a meatball sub tomorrow. Just so you're pre-warned!"

"No, I think you'll find we'll be having goat's cheese omelettes at Meg's Diner on Third!"