It was unusually quiet in the squad room and Hutch was grateful for it. He was trying to type his way through a pile unfinished reports and intended to finish them before the day was over. Won't give Dobey a reason to take away our three days off. I just have to find a way to convince Starsky to come along with me on this trip.

"What are you thinking about?" Starsky's voice startled him and he looked up from his typewriter.

"Nothing, just want to get these reports done."

"Could have fooled me."

"Why?"

"You're smiling like crazy and I don't think these reports are that funny."

"I'm thinking of our three days off."

"Now that I can believe. You got any plans?"

"Have you?"

"I thought it's about time to do my spring cleaning."

Hutch missed the 'b' and got his finger stuck between two keys. "Damn, look at what you made me do."

"I didn't do anything, you did it all by yourself. Stop blaming me for your lousy typing."

Hutch chose to ignore that remark. "Why in the hell would you waste your days off cleaning your place? Can't you just hire someone to do that?"

"I could," Starsky nodded, "but I won't."

"Why not?"

"Don't want any nosy lady going through my personal things."

"Hire a guy then."

"Guys are even worse; I once caught one reading my Playboy collection."

"You're kidding me."

Starsky shook his head, "Nope, I really found him doing just that."

Hutch sighed. "That's not what I meant. You really hired a guy to clean up your house?"

Starsky shrugged. "Why not? Besides, I couldn't find a woman to do it."

Hutch shook his head in disbelief and returned to his reports.

"Do you have any plans?"

Repressing another sigh Hutch looked up again. "As a matter of fact, I have."

"Who's the lucky one?"

No better time than the present. "You."

"Huh?" With a thump Starsky's chair landed on its four legs. "What's that?" he asked.

Hutch smiled at him innocently. "You are the lucky one."

Starsky glared at him, suspicion in his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Hutch grinned. "I have plans and you're the lucky one who can come with me."

"You're going go camping?"

"No."

"Mountain climbing?"

"No."

"Hiking?"

"No."

"Can't you give me a clue?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's a surprise."

Another suspicious look was thrown at him. "Will I like this surprise?"

"I sure hope so."

"Hm," Starsky said, "doesn't sound good to me."

Hutch gave up typing. "Okay, I'll give you a hint."

"You will?"

"Yes, it involves a lot of sun and beer."

Interest replaced suspicion. "That's more like it. We're going to Vegas?"

"No."

"Huuutch!"

"Finish your reports," Hutch said, "the sooner we're done the sooner you'll know."

"Now why doesn't that reassure me one bit?"

"Maybe because you've got a suspicious mind?"

"Not without reason." Starsky mumbled scowling at Hutch, "I don't even want to remember the times you took me camping and the nasty things that happened then."

"We're not going camping."

"We, we, we. You keep saying 'we' but I don't know if I wanna go with you doing whatever you planned to do."

"Ah Starsk, that would be a shame. I promise you that you're gonna like it."

"Yeah? I'm not so sure about that."

"Finish your reports and we're out of here. Then I'll tell you all about it."

"Hm, okay then, but if I don't like your plans I'm not going with you."

"Sounds fair to me." Hutch grinned and started typing again. Starsky watched him work, shrugged and started working on the reports too.

They worked in silence for fifteen minutes and Hutch was wondering if Starsky really had stopped questioning him about the trip or if he was brooding on a question that would force Hutch to give away more than he wanted to right now. That question was answered at the same moment.

"Hey Hutch, do I need to take my swimming trunks with me?"

"Um, yes you could do that."

"Or a dinner jacket?"

"Sure, why not."

"Not a suit?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh good. I hate wearing suits."

"I know, I'm not fond of them either."

"We're going to stay in a hotel?"

"No, but we'll bathe in luxury."

"We will?"

"Yep."

"Come on Hutch, you can't keep me guessing all day."

"When we're finished I'll tell you all about it."

"But that's gonna take hours!"

"Not if you start typing now and keep on going."

"Where am I? At school?"

"Sometimes, Starsk, you do act like a schoolboy."

"Does that make you the teacher?"

"Feels like it sometimes."

Starsky mumbled an obscenity and started typing furiously. Hutch grinned and concentrated on his typing again.

Ten minutes later Dobey entered the squad room; surprised at the long silence that was totally unusual when his two best detectives were there. Especially as Starsky wasn't often quiet for more than ten minutes at the most. Curious he looked at Hutch, but Hutch just shook his head and kept typing. Starsky didn't even look up but kept hammering the keys of the typewriter vigorously as if his life depended on it.

Dobey shrugged and without saying a word he disappeared in his office again.

Starsky tried to control his curiosity but his mind kept wandering off to Hutch's plans. He didn't trust his friend in this one and tried to figure out a way to lure Hutch out of being so tight lipped. Maybe a bribe will do the trick.

He got up from his chair and went over to the coffee pot, emptied it because the coffee was stale after standing there for hours and made some fresh. While the coffee filled the pot he went to the candy machine, kicked it like he mostly did and collected two candy bars. Satisfied with his catch he returned to the coffee maker and filled two cups with the fresh brew. With a coffee cup and a candy bar in each hand he arrived at their shared desks.

"Here you are partner," he said cheerfully and put the cup down next to Hutch's typewriter. The candy bar landed on Hutch's lap who caught it when it threatened to fall on the floor.

"Well, thank you partner. You must have read my mind; I was just thinking of taking a coffee break."

"I knew that," Starsky beamed, "I was dying for a cup of coffee too."

"And a candy bar! What did I do to deserve that?"

"Ah you know, you're my best friend and sometimes you have to treat a friend to something nice…for no reason."

"For no reason uh? That's very kind of you Starsk, even though, as you damn well know, I don't eat this stuff."

"Yeah well, this candy machine doesn't contain anything you eat and I wouldn't want you to be hungry or faint."

"I think the coffee will do."

"Okay, if you say so. Do you mind me eating your candy bar?

"No, go ahead. Stuff yourself a little more."

"How much longer do you think we're stuck here with these dumb reports?" Starsky wanted to know between two bites of his candy bar.

"The way you're handling your part it could very well be midnight before we're done."

"Hey, that's not true! I've been working on them for at least two hours in a row."

"Thirty minutes you mean and I think not even that long. Can't you just sit down and finish the damn things?"

"Not if you're not telling me where we're going. I can't concentrate on reports when you have secrets plans and won't tell me about it. I'm in them too you know."

"Starsk, if I tell you now you'll be in no state to concentrate on anything else but our trip. I don't want to give Dobey an excuse to keep us here any longer than absolutely necessary."

"Did somebody call me?" Dobey's booming voice startled them both.

"Hm, no sir, no we didn't call you. Did you call the Cap, Starsk?"

Starsky looked around the almost empty squad room. "No, I didn't. Did you call the Cap, Babcock?"

Babcock and his partner had just entered the squad room and both shook their head. "Nope, didn't say a word."

"Starsky! Quit this nonsense and finish those reports. I've been waiting for a week for you to finish them. How much longer Hutchinson?"

"Not long Cap, we're almost done."

"You better be." After that statement Dobey closed his door with a bang.

"Let's get rid of the reports and leave Starsk."

"Yeah, okay."

They worked in silence and one hour, three cups of coffee, two more candy bars and three trips to the john by Starsky later they were finished with the hated paperwork.

"Thank God," Starsky said, shoving the last of the reports in the out basket, "Let's hit the streets before everybody out there thinks we're on vacation."

Hutch stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Yeah, two more hours to show our faces and that's it."

They grabbed their jackets and left the precinct. It was Hutch's turn to drive that morning so they got in the old Chevy and Hutch drove the car into traffic.

The two hours left of their shift were filled with one disturbance of the peace, one pickpocket, two bar fights, one visit to Huggy and one lost little girl who had her name and address written on her bracelet.

Starsky signed them out just ten minutes after their shift was over.

He looked at Hutch, who pretended not to notice, sighed and asked, "Now tell me what our plans are for the next three days."

"Not in the car."

"Huuutch! If you don't tell me now I'm going to strangle you until you say where we're going."

"I can't talk when you strangle me buddy."

"At least you got a reason to keep your mouth shut then."

"Well, when you put it like that…I'll tell you what I had in mind."

"Finally. Well, what is it?"

"We're going fishing."

"Fishing?"

"Yep."

"At the pier you mean?"

"No, not at the pier."

"Then where?"

"At sea."

"At sea?"

"At sea."

"How do we get there?"

"By boat."

"You mean we're going fishing on a boat?"

"Yeah. Doesn't that sound relaxing? Sun, water, beer and a fishing pole in hand."

"Fishing is boring."

"No it's not. It's relaxing and we won't have to take much food with us. We're gonna catch our own meals."

"It's boring. Besides, what if we don't catch anything? We'd be starving."

"Don't worry, I always catch something. Have I ever told you I was a fishing champion at High School?"

"No, you never did. But I hate fishing; it's boring and it's at sea!"

"You can't catch fish in your bathtub."

"I hate water when it's not in my bathtub. What if I fall over board?"

"You can swim and I'd save you anyhow."

"Yes, but what if there are sharks?"

"We won't come near sharks, Starsk. I've made sure of that."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Because I have asked around when I rented the boat."

"You rented a boat? Is it big?"

"It's a real yacht buddy. You'll feel like a film star on vacation."

"Hm, that doesn't sound too bad. But I still hate fishing and being at sea."

"You'll forget all about being at sea as soon as you set foot on board."

"That I don't believe Hutch. After all, we'll be surrounded by water." Starsky shuddered at the thought.

Hutch parked the car in front of Starsky's apartment. "I'll pick you up at six in the morning."

"At six?" Starsky almost yelled, "but that's in the middle of the night!"

"It'll be worth it Starsk, I promise."

"Nothing is worth getting up in the middle of the night," Starsky mumbled and opened the door.

"This is," Hutch answered, "you're gonna love this trip."

"Don't be so sure of that." Starsky shoved the car door closed but it bounced back and hit him at the knee.

"One of these days you're lousy taste in cars will be the end of me." Starsky rubbed his knee and slammed the door. This time it really closed and Hutch grinned at his friend. "Don't forget Starsk, six o'clock sharp."

The next morning at five forty five Hutch bounced up Starsky's stairs and opened the door with his spare key. He went inside calling his friend's name. "Hey Starsk, are you ready to go?"

Silence answered him and grinning he opened the bedroom door. "Starsky! Get up you lazy bum; it's time to hoist the sails."

He turned on the light to chase away the lingering dark from the room. "Rise and shine buddy, the ocean awaits us."

"Shut up," Starsky's muffled voice demanded, "It's not even day yet."

"When you open your eyes and look around you, you'll see it's already day Starsk. The sun is shining and the fish are begging to be caught."

Starsky's sleepy face appeared and he squinted against the harsh light of the lamp. "So far I can only see my damn bedroom light burning. It's still night."

He disappeared under the covers again and pretended to be asleep. Hutch laughed. "Oh no pal, you're not getting away with that. We agreed on six o'clock so six o'clock it'll be."

He stepped closer to the bed and pulled away the covers. "Shit Hutch! I'm still asleep. Can't you just give me another hour or so?"

"Nope, it's time to get up my friend. Go take a shower then I'll fix us coffee, okay?"

"It's not okay but all right then."

"Atta boy."

"Shut up."

Hutch went to the kitchen and whistling he started the coffee maker. He heard Starsky go to the bathroom mumbling something like 'idiot' and turn on the shower.

Chuckling he put bread in the toaster and set the table. When the coffee was ready Starsky turned off the shower and ten minutes later they drank their coffee in silence. Finishing his first cup of the day Starsky asked, "How come you are so damn cheerful in the morning?"

"I'm a morning person Starsk. Always have been. I love to get up early and see the sun come up."

"It's not normal."

"Have another coffee and eat your toast. I bet you'll feel better by then."

Two cups of coffee later Starsky started to wake up. He stretched his arms and back and seemed ready for the day.

"Did you pack your things yesterday?" Hutch asked, knowing that most of the times they were going away Starsky always waited until the last minute to get his stuff packed. But this time Starsky was ready. "Yep, packed it all last night. It's on the couch."

Hutch looked and started laughing. "We'll only be away for three days Starsk. What did you do? Pack your entire closet?"

"I like to be prepared. You never know at sea. It could be raining, storming, be cold, be hot. I hate it when I get cold, you know that."

"Starsky, this beauty has heating and hot water, even a shower. You won't get cold, I promise."

"Is there a TV on board?"

"No but there's a radio."

"Sure there is. You need a radio to call for help when we get caught in a tornado."

"No storms are expected for the coming days, so don't worry."

"Is there radar on board?"

"No."

"Then how do you know where we're going?"

"Just using my eyes and common sense."

"I don't think I wanna come with you."

"Come on Starsk, it's gonna be fun. Let's get your stuff in the car and go."

"Well…okay then but I have a bad feeling about this trip."

"You'll see that we're gonna have a great time."

"As long as there's enough beer."

"More than enough," Hutch reassured him, "I even bought popcorn for you."

"Popcorn? I thought you said you were gonna catch enough fish to feed us all day long."

"I will, I will but I know how much you like popcorn and I want to keep you happy on board."

Starsky looked at Hutch as if he'd grown a second head, shrugged and went to the couch to pick up his duffel bag, a backpack and a small suitcase. Hutch stared at him. "Are you really gonna take all that with you?"

"Yep, I wanna be sure I have everything for any situation possible."

"Starsk, we're going fishing…on a boat…at sea…what could you possibly need besides a sweater, your toothbrush and clean underwear?"

"My swimming trunks, my cut-offs, socks, two pair of jeans, more sweaters, beer, food and books."

"Food? We're gonna eat nothing more than fresh fish."

"Oh…and bandages."

"Why is that?"

"Fishing is dangerous. You'll see I'll get the hook in my leg or finger or cheek or, god forbid, my eye. We'll need bandages then or I'll bleed to death."

"What…"

"Come on Blondie, the fish are waiting to be caught."

TBC