David walked away from the bathroom door and he looked around the apartment. It was sparse, and furnished through flea markets and yard sales, but it reflected the personality of the woman that lived there.

He was drawn to a wall with photographs. There was a picture of her parents wedding, one of her mother holding her as a baby, one of a little girl on Hutch?s shoulders, one of his parents' wedding, one of her about three years old and holding him as a baby, and the last one was two of them he was about grade school age dressed as police officers, holding Halloween treat buckets.

"I can't believe you still have that picture." David said. He had almost forgotten about that.

She was out of the bathroom by this time and fully dressed. Her hair hung loose over her shoulders and it curled in a nice way. Angel swallowed two aspirins. "Yeah, it's my favorite of the two of us." She leaned over his shoulder to look at the picture with him.

"What happened to those kids?" David asked her.

"We grew up." She stood up, put on her holster and checked her gun. ?So does the fact that I called off and decided to drink away the rest of the afternoon mean nothing to you?" She said, placing the weapon in the holster.

"No, consider it a punishment." he said as she grabbed her jacket. "And by the way, we're taking my car. Because I didn't see that beast of yours anywhere."

"When Huggy dragged me out of the bar he took my keys. I have to hunt him down to reclaim them."

"Now you can see what a twenty-first century car is like." He pushed a button on the key chain and the doors unlocked automatically.

"Show-off." She decided to have a bit of fun at David's expense. ?Next thing you'll know, they'll put air conditioning in them." She said sarcastically, as they got in the car.

The drive to the crime scene was pretty quick, David made a mental note to drive around in his spare time to re-acquaint himself with the city. He only spotted the school only because of the black and white police cars as well as the coroners van at the back of the building.

Surrounded by all the chaos was a young white boy, about sixteen years old. There was the standard chalk outline around him and the crime scene unit was combing the area for evidence.

Angel asked the details from one of the officers that was on scene. David had not seen many of these types of shootings. The west coast seemed to have more than back east.

"Any witnesses? Anyone call it in?" he asked.

"No, routine patrol and the body was in place. Kid was only discovered to be dead after attempt to move him. We thought he was homeless."

"Homeless and sleeping in a schoolyard?" Angel asked.

"No witnesses, no shots reported." she motioned to David and they turned away from the uniforms.

David looked at the boy again. "He seems pretty clean and well nourished. He's slept in a bed last night." he said.

Angel nodded. "The kid was killed someplace else, and dumped here." She said.

"That's what I was thinking. The crime scene unit doesn't seem to be finding any shell casings."

"So we see if he has any identification, find out where he lives......and talk to the family." David finished.

"I know she was having a hard day, but she doesn't drink." Ken said, wondering at her behavior over the last few months. Was she trying to lose her job? More than one cop?s career had been lost because of the bottle. ?She?s not going to again. The hangover she?s going to have is enough of a punishment. I gave her a talking to.? Huggy said. ?I think I got through. What are you going to say to that girl?? ?Thanks for her keys. I?ll give them to her when her next shift starts.? Hutch seemed distracted for a minute and evaded the question. ?Want to stop by for dinner? Sarah won?t mind.? ?That?s ok, I have plans of my own tonight.? Huggy said and winked at his friend. ?Just go easy on her.? ?As her captain, I will. As her uncle she?s getting yelled at.? He said. ?That?s the spirit, man.? Huggy replied. As Huggy Bear and Hutchinson were having their talk, David and Angel walked out of the home of the dead boy in the schoolyard. In his wallet was a learner?s permit with his address on it. After talking to the family and talking with the boy?s friends, it turned out that the boy and his friends were fooling around with a gun another boy had. The shot was accidental, but the kids panicked and dumped the body to make it look like a drive by. Angel took down the names and made enough notes to fill out the report. The hardest part had been going back to the parents and explaining the circumstances of death. ?I don?t think I?ll ever get used to doing that.? David said as he opened the car door for her. ?I hope I never do.? Angel replied as David got in the driver?s seat. As he started the car there was the noise of a stomach growling. ?Was that you or me?? he asked. ?Probably me. I haven?t eaten since breakfast.? She said, heart not in the conversation. ?Let?s call it a night. There?s enough information, we can fill out the report tomorrow morning.? He drove away from the home. ?I have cold pizza and Chinese food at home.? ?Sounds good.? She turned to him. ?Besides I can check out your place and after that we can hunt down my car.? ?I thought you?d be glad to get rid of it.? He said. ?Loser.? She said as he drove towards the beach. When they set foot inside the building, David?s apartment could be summed up in one word: Mess. It was obvious that he had just moved in. There were boxes all over the place, furniture scattered about. His whole life was in those boxes. ?I hope you go reimbursed for moving expenses.? Angel said, shifting a box away from the couch and she flopped down and put her head back. It was a long day. David made his way into the kitchen. ?Just the boxes. The furniture was from the previous tenants, by the way. It was all part of the transfer process. It pays to graduate the police academy with honors. What do you want first, pizza or egg fu young?? ?Just put the egg fu on the pizza and microwave it. I am not picky. Probably going to throw up anyway. Remind me never to drink anything stronger than soda.? ?No problem.? David asked. ?Are you excluding beer in that statement?? ?Yeah, I never liked the taste.? She replied. ?I?m not much of a drinker normally. Today it seemed like a good thing to do, however.? ?So does this mean you want to be partners?? David asked. He brought over two paper plates of the food. ?Even though I almost drove you to becoming a raging alcoholic?? he joked. ?Not like I have a choice you know, but if it means that I can reserve the right to yell at you, sure.? He sat next to her. She put her head on his shoulder, she was tired, and it had been a long day. It was always understood that when either needed comfort, the other would provide a shoulder to lean on. David remembered the other times they sat up like this. One was the night before he left for NYU, they sat up all night watching rented horror moving and pigging out. Another night was the night after Rosey died. The cancer struck without warning and quickly. She was only a little girl at the time. Not wanting to stay another night in their house after Rosey died, Starsky packed Angel up and they showed up at Hutch?s home. While Hutch and his wife dealt with Starsky, David had provided a much needed friend for her. He saw that she was half asleep. So he let her stay there. ?It broke my heart when you left.? She muttered before sleep finally took over. ?I?m not going anywhere, Angel.? He said. Nothing else to do, he decided to put his head back and sleep as well. Food was forgotten. << In the dream she was trying to get her gun to fire, there was something wrong with the clip and she looked up when she heard the shot fired. The next feeling was one of being pulled down and then a thud as she saw Starsky fall on the ground. ?Dad!? she screamed and went over to him, forgetting about the dealers that could be getting away. She felt for a pulse on his neck. There was none. She picked up his gun. Everything seemed to go in slow motion for her as she shot the kid who fired the gun three times in the chest. After he fell down another tried to run and she shot him in the leg. ?None of you MOVE! or you?ll end up on the floor.? She said, hearing the sirens of the back-up headed her way. She was not aware that she had been crying until a uniform cop tried to pry the gun out of her hands.>> Angel woke up with a start, facedown on a couch. She wiped the tears away from her face. She couldn?t remember at first where she was, then she realized it was David?s apartment. He had put a blanket on her sometime during the night when he got up and went to bed. It took snooping around the apartment for a bit to find his bedroom. He was sleeping in his clothes on top of the bed. She scribbled a note of thanks for being able to crash for the night on one of the boxes with her pen and left the apartment quietly. She was able to hail a taxi and went to the bar where she left the Torino. Surprisingly it was still there. Digging in her jacket pocket she found her spare keys, got in and went home long enough to shower and change, and even though she sped the whole way to Metro she was still late for work. Angel had just reached her desk and was beginning to type up the report from the shooting last night, when her keys flew across the desk and landed near the keyboard. ?If you ever call out with such irresponsibility again I will not only suspend you for a month, but I?ll transfer you to another division.? Hutchinson said to her, firmly. ?...but, I? Angel began. The other detective in the room were starting to stare at her. ?No, ?buts?. Cut the attitude or you?ll be writing parking tickets or chasing skateboarders out of parking lots.? That over, he stormed back into his office. She let out her breath slowly. She had no desire to be a parking meter commando. She turned to the other detectives that had been staring. ?WHAT?? She shouted and they eventually went back to work. She was just finishing up the report when David walked in. He wore a clean suit and in his hands there was a drink carrier with two cups, and he had a bag of something in his mouth. ?Sorry I?m late. Breakfast?? David asked, putting down the drink carrier and took the bag out of his mouth. ?What is it?? Angel asked, she was suddenly hungry. ?Two expensive coffees that took a week to make, and doughnuts.? He replied. ?Doughnuts? Are you TRYING to perpetuate the whole cop/doughnut thing? Why would you lampoon yourself?? She said as David opened the bag to show her something. ?It?s just silly....ooh, you got Boston creams!? and she dove in the bag. ?What about the cop/doughnut thing?? was the smug reply. ?Far be it from me to mess with tradition.? She grabbed one of the coffees. After taking a sip she handed him a stack of papers. ?Sign these.? ?What is it?? ?Some of those reports you did for me yesterday. And one of those is from that shooting last night.? ?I keep forgetting that ninety percent of this job is paperwork.? David took a sip of his coffee. ?What?s on the docket for today?? ?Take your pick.? She said, holding up the files as she named them. ?Burglary that I?ve been trying to work on since yesterday; a break-in at a warehouse, probably an inside job; several unsolved homicides.....? ?I?ll take burglary for 200, Alex.? David said. She gave him a dirty look. Trying to get her to smile anymore was a chore. She tossed the file at him. They began to go over the statement given by the victim, a list of what was stolen, along with photos of the crime scene. David was in the middle of composing an inventory list to send to pawn shops when Ken came out of his office and called them both in. ?I have an undercover assignment for you.? He said. ?Are you familiar with ?raves??? Hutchinson asked them ?All night partying.? David said. ?Usually accompanied by underage drinking and drug use. Usually ecstasy. Sometimes something harder. ? Angel put in. ?A 17-year old kid died at one of those parties two days ago.? It was no secret that Hutch had zero tolerance for drug dealers, having once had an experience of being hooked onto heroin by some people that were looking for a girl he was protecting. The scars from the needle marks could still be seen on his arms. ?You two are young enough to get into one of these things. Go in, find out who?s dealing what and bust up the party.? Hutch looked at Angel. ?I?ve been led to understand that you know people who are into these things.? ?Yeah, I did, that was ages ago.? She replied. ?See what you can do? Hutch said. ?What are you waiting for?? and they were dismissed. They left the building, thankful to be outside. ?What was that about?? David asked as they got in the Torino. ?Misspent youth. This happened after you left. I would go to these parties with some people and I?d end up talking with other people that knew about these raves. I got invited all the time, and I used to go.? ?Ever do anything?? David asked. ?You got the same anti-drug talk I did. Of course not.? Angel sounded offended that he would think she would take anything illegal. She guided him over towards the Torino and unlocked the doors. ?Where are we going?? David asked, getting in. ?To talk to someone I know.? She said and took off at her usual high speeds. ?We need to talk to you about your driving...? They ended up in front of a tattoo parlor. The place was called Second Skin Tattooing and Piercing. ?You know someone here?? was the amazed question. ?Yeah, Let?s go.? The shop was all tiles and stainless steel. It was exceedingly clean. There was a strange looking woman behind the counter with numerous piercing in her face and a devil tattooed on her arm. She moved a lock of pink hair out of her eyes when she heard the door open. ?Angel! How?s the belly ring? Who?s the hottie?? ?You have your belly button pierced?? David asked. She ignored David?s question. ?This isn?t a hottie, Tina. This is my partner.? Angel took off her sunglasses. ?I'm here on official business.? ?When did you get that pierced?? David said, not letting it drop. ?When I graduated the police academy.? Angel said, and snapped her finger in his face. ?C?mon, we have to earn our pay here.? ?Do you know when the next party?s going to be?? David asked Tina. She looked at him and turned to Angel. ?If you told me I?d ever be attracted to a cop.....Why should I tell you so a bunch of pigs can bust it up.? ?The state cares about the partying, I don?t, but we all DO care about a kid dying on E, or something cut with something it shouldn?t be cut with. All we?re going to do is go in, bust a dealer, and get out.? David made eye contact with her. ?What can it hurt you just mentioning a party?? ?Only because I think you?re cute.? She said to David. ?It?s going to be in a busted up old hotel in the mountains. And you didn?t hear this from me.? ?Thanks.? said and grabbing David?s arm she took him out of the shop. ?Can I see?? David asked. ?What?.....oh, no.? Angel said. ?Well, Pal. What do you think.? ?Possibilities. I never did much vice work in New York.? ?I did some before I became detective.? She said. It was a nice day and instead of getting in her car right a way she sat on the hood. Periodically the police radio would sound off, but none of the calls were for them. David sat next to her. He was starting to sweat badly in his suit. ?What does one do at a rave?? ?Basically you do a lot of drugs and dance to techno. They usually end when daylight appears.? ?Did you mean what you said about just busting the dealer?? ?Yeah. You know what else?? ?What?? ?You can?t get in wearing a suit.? she said, and they got back in the car. They had agreed to meet up at the rave at different times. Because it was going to be a late night for both of them, they split up in order to get their disguises ready for the evening. David was dressed pretty conservatively for a raver. His jeans were fitting properly, but had so many holes in them that they were almost shorts. He had on a backwards baseball cap and a fifties style bowling shirt. The trip to the salvation army had been a successful one. He adjusted his wrap-around sunglasses and left the men's room to try and see if he could hunt down his partner. He had seen the Torino parked with the other cars. The abandoned hotel was stuffed full of people and between the lights, loud music, and all the bodies frantically moving on the ?dance floor? it was hard to tell what was going on. He took a sip from the bottle of water that he was carrying with him when something among the dancers caught his eye. She had a long blue wig on, and a pair of white angel wings were strapped to her back. She was dressed in a pair of blue baggy pants with straps hanging off the sides and a white baby-tee style shirt. The word ?sweetie? was surrounded in glitter across her chest. He watched as she made her way over to him. He was about to wolf-whistle when he realized it was his partner. The make-up threw him. He didn?t ever remember her ever wearing any, and here she was all prettied up with glitter across her face. ?Angel?? ?Like my get up?? She said and attached a glowing neon necklace around his neck. ?I?ve been here for hours waiting for you. Was this the best you could do?? ?Got me in the door.? He said. The whole thing reminded him of a surreal Halloween party They went outside to get some air and he noted that the straps on her wings were like armor. ?Any sign of anyone dealing? David asked. ?Lot of pot smoke, maybe some speed freaks. Nothing I would concern myself with.? She said. ?At least I haven?t been approached.? ?Why don?t we bust the potheads?? She sighed as if he didn?t understand anything. ?We bust a few weed freaks, and the others will go running at the mouth to the dealers about cops being here. I want to go after the harder stuff.? They went back inside and made their way around the party. It was hot and noisy. David was beginning to think this all was a waste of time, when Angel suddenly turned to him and put her arms around his neck as if she was hugging him. He was surprised until he heard her whisper in his ear. ?Over by the back. I saw something passed between those two by the door.? And she broke the embrace. They followed the one that had been the one receiving. The guy thought he found a quiet place near the side of the hotel. He took out the envelope with the pills and was about to dry swallow all three when a hand stopped him. Suddenly there was a woman with blue hair and an uncomfortable looking guy standing on either side of him. The guy with the sunglasses then pinned his arms back and the woman began questioning him. ?Now, you weren?t about to swallow these were you?? She asked, politely. ?Aspirin. I got a headache. What is it to you?? he said. The two pulled badges out of their pockets. ?You two are cops? THERE?S COPS HERE!? He began to shout and Angel clamped her hand over his mouth. ?Listen up. We?re just here to bust a dealer, not the party. Of course we could bust you instead, Couldn?t we Dave?? ?Hmmm, possession, purchasing illegal substances...I think we got enough paperwork to do, so we arrest you now, and if you testify I?m sure the district attorney would be more than happy to arrange something for you.? David suggested to the guy. ?Deal? Sure.? he said not enthusiastic. Being busted wasn?t fun either way. David took his handcuffs out of one of his baggy pockets and the handcuffed the guy and left him in the backseat of the Torino. Angel slipped off her wings so they wouldn?t get in the way. They spotted the guy that was selling hanging around a bunch of cars and they approached him. Angel reached behind her back and pulled her gun out of the back of her pants, David had his gun concealed the same way. ?Freeze! Police!? David identified themselves. The guy pulled a gun and fired then ran. David pursued and it took a shot to the guy?s leg to get him to stop. That was when he noticed that Angel was not with him. With the dealer screaming about his leg, he dragged the guy back to where he ran from and that was when he saw Angel getting off the ground with a bullet hole in her shirt . David tied the guy?s bandana over the wound and put the suspect in the back of the Torino with the other guy and called for an ambulance and back up. He ran back to where she was now sitting on the ground. When she pulled her gun the dealer fired first and hit her. David checked her pulse, and there was no blood coming from the bullet hole. He touched her chest and he felt something hard and metal. ?Trying to cop a feel?? She asked. ?What the hell are they using for bullets now?? She was out of breath from the impact. ?What?s going on?? David asked. They could here faint sounds of sirens and people suddenly began leaving the party after word got out that shots were fired and there were cops around. She pulled down the neck line of her shirt and David saw the top of a bullet proof vest. That explained why it looked like she was wearing armor. ?Since Dad was killed, I wear one when I go into situations like this by myself.? ?You idiot.? He said. ?You?re not by yourself. You got me.? David said angrily. ?You shoot as bad as you drive.? ?But I?m alive.? she said. They looked at each other and began laughing. That was how the paramedics and the uniformed officers found them, leaning on each other and laughing, and the two suspects locked in the Torino. *one week later* It was too nice of a day to be in a cemetery. There weren?t many people on the grounds, and Angel liked it that way. She had just finished planting the white rose bushes on her parents? graves. ?I?m sorry I haven?t been by in a while. I?ve just been busy. I hope you like these.? She leaned back and looked at the inscriptions. ?I have to let you go, Dad. I hope you don?t mind too much.? She got up and brushed off the dirt. She put a hand on her mother?s grave. ?Take care of him momma. I love you too. I miss you both.? She picked up, then tossed her jacket over her shoulder and walked out of the cemetery. David was sitting on the roof of the Torino, he had decided to give her private time with her folks. ?How did it go?? ?Good. The roses look nice, but I don?t think I?ll be back here for a long time, though.? She said. ?We got work to do, anyway.? David said as he slid into the drivers seat and she got in the passenger side, rolled down the window and watched as the cemetery got smaller as they rode away. She turned around to look at where they were going, not where they had been. ***tag*** Kenneth Hutchinson was looking out his office window when he saw the red Torino drive into the lot. He got a strange feeling of deja vu as the dark-haired cop and the blonde one got out and made their way into the building. The way they had their arms around each other it reminded him of something. He went back to his desk to look at the few pictures there and he picked up one. It was of him and Starsky. Huggy had taken the picture when he was fooling around with a camera. They were obviously relaxed and posed with pool cues a la the painting ?American Gothic?. ?Well, turkey, looks like the kids are doing good. You?d be proud.? Hutchinson walked out of the office and then proceeded to yell at them about the lack of professionalism over that bust.