The guys have to cope with a little bit of anxiety as they try to escape a somewhat uncomfortable situation.

Thanks to Yves for the last wink!

Hope you'll like this one. Thanks for reading and reviews…

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"This is not my idea of a romantic evening, ya know!!"

"Would you rather be stuck here with a gorgeous blonde softly whispering in your ear while caressing your hair? He replied with a mischievous grin."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Better anyway than to be stuck here with you!"

"Stop complaining, will ya? I'm trying to figure a way out of this."

"Well, hurry up. I'm not feeling too good right now. My stomach is upside down and it gives me the creeps being in places like this."

His partner was indeed looking pale and was shivering just a little.

He tried to check out all walls for some weaknesses or holes which he could use to escape from this place. They were stuck in an attic, in an old house, far from the city, and while they had been exploring, some beam had blocked the door behind them and denied any escape route.

"I'm cold!"

"It's OK. It's just because you're nervous. Stop thinking about it and you'll feel better."

"I won't."

"Give me a break, just for a second, OK?"

"Hurry up. I'm cold, I hate this place and I'm starving. We've been stuck here for more than 2 hours now."

"It's your fault in the first place, OK? Oh, I get it! What concerns you most is your stomach, right?"

"And the fact that I hate being trapped in a dark place. Brings back some memories I'd prefer to forget."

His friend was trying to force a wood panel open with a piece of metal he'd found on the floor. The place was getting darker every minute. Night was falling quick. He was a little bit hungry too, but he could wait, he was used to fast from time to time. His angry and unsettled partner was not, obviously!

"I… think… I … got it! He said in an ultimate effort, but the piece of metal broke in his hand as he failed to crack the wood panel open."

"Great! Just peachy!! What now?"

"Hang on, I'll think of something else."

"We've already been trying to yell, but nobody heard us, we're too far from everything."

There seems to be no way to get out of here through the door or the walls.

"Hey… we have not tried the roof yet?"

"I thought you were afraid of heights?"

"Humm, yeah, but I'd rather face this than remain stuck here with you whining all along!"

"And how do we reach up there?"

"We'll have to pile all we can find in here and you can give me a leg up!"

"Why not the other way round?"

"Because you're too heavy, that's why. I don't wanna hurt my back more than it is."

"I can't hardly see a thing, it's really getting dark in here."

"OK, let's start to pile up, before we are forced to wait till morning to see what we do."

Both men started to gather all they could find in the room, empty wooden boxes, an old antique chest, some planks, a plastic chair. After a few minutes, the pile was ready, though it looked rather unstable and a bit shaky to climb safely.

Very cautiously, they made their way up the fragile stacking. More than once, they almost fell back down, but they were both motivated enough to make it to the top, though for different reasons.

"OK, now give me a leg up… Careful, don't rush, this thing isn't solid…"

"You're sure you are heavier than me?"

"Yeah, pretty sure. Come on, help me, will ya?"

As he felt pushed by his partner's hands towards the ceilings, he managed to grab a beam with one hand and to push a couple of tiles with the other.

"Hold me, while I clear the way."

When he thought there was enough space for his body to fit, he slowly pulled himself out and rested for a moment on the roof, breathing deeply and looking at the stars above him.

"Aaaah, feels good!!"

His partner below was getting more and more nervous and impatient.

"Hey, give me a hand now."

"Why? I just need a moment here, to catch my breath."

"You can catch it later, just help me out of here, dammit!"

"What's the rush, partner?"

"I WANNA GET OUT OF HERE, OK?"

He could hear the panic in his partner's voice now. So he put an end to his torment and helped him out on the roof with him. They both sat on the roof and were silent for a moment.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeaaaah, thanks."

"Anytime, Buddy."

They made their way down the roof, using all the balconies and edges on their path. They finally jumped the last five feet and were both happy to have made it safe to the ground.

They dusted their clothes and took a deep breath, happy to be outside, under the stars. It was almost night by now.

A couple of minutes later, they were on the main road and headed for the Torino in silence. Starsky was relieved to see the lights of civilization again.

"Starsk?..."

"Hmmm, what?"

"Next time you wanna visit some old abandoned manor because it's a place you'd like to buy and rehabilitate for when you retire, just make sure you bring a tool kit or a mobile phone along, right?"

"Hutch?"

"Hmmm, what?"

"Shut up!"

When they got to the Torino, Starsky reached in his jacket for the car keys and ... only found a hole in his pocket.

"Hutch?"

"What now?"

"We're stuck!"

"What do you mean "we're stuck" ???"

" ..."

The End.