Author: Belladonna
Story Title: Backup
Gen or Slash: Gen
Rating: G
Complete or WIP: complete
Category: snippet, AU
series: Silent Partner
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me, I'm just using them to create a story for fun. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: When you've got a partner, you always expect him to have your back, protect you every time. And David Starsky's partner is very good at his job, he has to be.


Backup
by Belladonna


When I first was assigned to him, well I admit, I did have some mixed feelings about that. And when we've then met in person I really didn't know what to think of him.
David Starsky wasn't what I'd expected, not at all.

Well, to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what I had expected in the first place, but this surely wasn't. David is the complete opposite of everything I'd imagined him to be, he's hot-headed, has a certain street-smartness to him, can be pretty reckless at times (well, okay, at all times) and most definitely he gets a lot of times into hairy situations that I then have to get him out of. And those situations have a way too high appearance rate for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I really like the guy...now, but at first he knew how to keep me on my toes, still does to be honest and I'm not quite sure he didn't do some of the stuff on purpose.

Oh, here I am bitching to you and I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ken and I have been his partner ever since he's gotten enrolled at the academy to become a police officer. Just like his father had been, just with the important difference that he has me for his partner. And I most definitely wanted to make that difference work in his favor.

Let's forget about the fact that I didn't even know why exactly I'd been assigned him as his partner. I've taken that particular challenge, risen to it and upon closer looks I've discovered that beyond all his ruffy demeanor he did have a good heart. You just had to put some work into getting to know him better and you'll get the first prize.
A lot of people were quickly discouraged by his attitude, it sure doesn't make it easier for people to actually get closer to him and they let themselves be driven away. He didn't make it easy for me either, still I didn't want to give up that easily. I never had and I damn well wasn't going to start now.

During our training it wasn't easy for me to have his back. Every time he's gotten himself into trouble was mostly because of his attitude . No, easy it truly wasn't.
But contrary to the others I knew why he's reacted that way, why he had to adopt this persona he's shown everyone on the outside.
He's never had it easy in his life, he's seen too many bad things that taught him not to show any weakness, not to become vulnerable or that weakness will be exploited. I think both his time on the streets of New York shortly after his father’s death and maybe even his short stint with the army in the jungle have made him this tough and angry. His mother did the right thing by sending him here before he got into any real trouble back then and he knows that. Deep down in his heart he knew that she had sent him away because she had been afraid for him and had loved him so much to do this for him. No matter how hard it had been for herself. And he has accepted it for a long time now. Still, old habits die hard I guess.

But now he has friends that stand by his side to keep him out of the worst troubles.
Yes, despite everything and all efforts he'd put into being this rough guy, he's gotten himself some real friends, other people besides me who have weathered his angry attitude and dared to explore the man behind all that.
Come to think about it, all of this has mellowed him out a bit. Or at least I've come to think so. Anyways, his friends are there to bail him out of all the stuff he gets into, me included and it's been a great relief for me. It made my job so much easier.

Because I really had my work cut out for me already and I knew right then that I would be getting a lot of work in the years to come. It's really not easy to back him up, to protect him and some days I wonder if my assignment hadn't been a blessing for him but instead punishment for me.
But I'm probably getting ahead of myself.

Let's take this week for example. For now David's doing his time as a patrol officer in a black and white with his partner. And one should think that with a seasoned officer there to teach him, show him the ropes so to speak, he should be learning to keep his head low and not get into any unnecessary troubles.
Usually that system works pretty well for everybody, no wait... make that everybody else.

I really could've needed that little break. Let somebody else have his back for a while. But unfortunately it just wasn't meant for me to be this lucky. With him, I should have known better.
So far I've had to step in more times than I can count on the fingers of my hands and the week is still running.

Take Monday, when he thought it a good idea to taunt a guy twice his size and bizeps. Granted, that jerk had been a pimp who'd roughed up some of his girls but did Starsky really have to make that jab about his girlfriend Dolly and her shiny new wool coat? I had been so dumbfounded I barely managed to deflect the knife that guy suddenly pulled out and attacked David with in time.

So yesterday, he had to put himself between an armed robber and a store clerk. David was trying to talk the man into surrendering the gun but apparently the bad guy disagreed with that. In fact he disagreed that strongly with Starsky that he started shooting inside the small store. Luckily nobody got hurt except for some poor canned soups. That sure could've gotten bad for him, but I think his damn stubbornness struck again. Maybe he thinks he's invincible or something.

Or maybe I'm doing my job a bit too good.

Then we've had today. With him being the rookie cop, he had been chosen to chase some small time drug dealer by foot while his partner drove the car. And of course, with Starsky's luck – or mine, I'm not so sure – he had to chase him not over one but two streets during the early morning rush hour. That was after he had already given the perp a pretty good chase over three blocks and some back alleys. He could've gotten run over at least four times, the last time he managed to roll over the hood of the car that I had gotten to slow down just in the nick of time.
I still think it was one of the most idiotic things he'd done so far and that tells you something. How the other guy he'd been chasing managed to not get killed by all the cars just beats me.

I've had all my hands full to keep him alive today. But thanks to yours truly he only has gotten himself some bruises and should be pretty sore tonight from his gymnastics of not hitting all of the cars earlier. And I think he deserves that.
Maybe it'll be some form of learning experience for him so he'll be more careful in the future. But who am I kidding. I've known him from the Academy and since then he hasn't changed much on that account.
And strangely enough, I don't want him to.

Still, sometimes I have the strong suspicion that he makes my life so hard on purpose as his backup.

Who I am you might ask? Like I said, I'm Ken. I'm his partner.

His guardian angel.