Partners (Starsky and Hutch story)

Fanfiction
Title:	Partners
Author(s):	Beth Hillemann
Date(s):	1995
Length:
Genre(s):	gen
Fandom(s):	Starsky and Hutch/Quantum Leap
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	online here part one; part two; part three; part four It is also in 11 parts here.
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Partners is a gen Starsky and Hutch/Quantum Leap story by Beth Hillemann.

Written in 1994, it was posted to alt.tv.quantum-leap.creative in April 1995 with the summary:

Sam leaps into a police detective in 1977 Los Angeles and is assigned to partner a possibly suicidal detective named Ken Hutchinson. NOTES: I imagine this taking place between the first and second seasons of "Quantum Leap". And, for those of you who are interested, between the second and third seasons of "Starsky and Hutch".

It was posted in 1998 to Starsky & Hutch Archive. It is also at Archive of Our Own.

Author's Comments

This was the first story I ever wrote for fandom. It was when I re-discovered Starsky and Hutch, but was still deeply into QL, and had just discovered fandom through the old Usenet newsgroups.

It was a labor of love, mixing two of my favorite shows. I wrote it for a QL usenet newsgroup that shared stories, but I had just rediscovered S&H when they were (finally!) showing it in reruns on TBS. I had not seen S&H since the original run, in those evil days before VCRs and easy access to old shows! *g*. So, I think I poured out all that I had ever thought and loved about S&H, and the meaning of friendship, in this story.

Reactions and Reviews

1998

A crossover between Starsky and Hutch and QL. Oh, memories.... This is very well written indeed. I could 'see' it being performed/acted in my mind. Sam leaps into a cop called Michael Jennings and has to deal with a grief-stricken and reckless Hutch after the apparent murder of Starsky. (Howls of protest - you can't kill Starsky off, he's my favourite!! Oh, dear God....Paul Michael Glaser....a truly nice man who had more sorrow thrown at him than anyone should have to deal with. I can't tell you how deeply his tragedy affected me and how proud I felt that he somehow got through it and has found happiness again. God knows how he did it.)

Anyway, personal tribute aside; this is extremely well written and takes in the local 'mafia' boss, a woman cop trying to get her promotion and Huggy Bear. Al LOVES his choice of clothes (figures....especially those hats). Sam has a tough time getting through Hutch's grief, apart from anything else it makes him re-asses his relationship with Al who can only stand and watch while Sam enters dangerous situations. Sam's gentle and persuasive tactics start to help Hutch quite a lot. Sam eventually finds various missing pieces that all slowly lead to the mafia boss who is out for revenge against Hutch AND drug dealing into the bargain. And a nasty big cover-up of the truth..... But what DID happen to the red tomato with the white stripe? You can't have the partnership without that car!! 10 out of 10 for plot, characterisation and emotion.

Wish the rights would allow this one to be filmed.

2012

You can’t even imagine how much I love this story!

I read it every time I feel lousy and it always cheers me up :) I like reading about my favorite boys from outside POV, and the fact that I also like QL is making it even more delicious.

2013

I love this story so much and have read it over and over again ever since the first time I discovered it!

And no matter how many times I've already seen it I still spend most of the way through aching in simpathy for their pain.

One thing that had always been a cold fist in my gut with Quantum Leap was how Al and Sam at most could only see and hear eachother but otherwise remained unbreachabaly seperated.

And history's original 'fate' for Hutch and Starsky! That always makes me cry. Even though it wasn't 'shown' in the story your writing made it very easy to see the likely events of how they died....and the images of their very real ghosts haunting the site of that oh so unexceptable wrong( though I could not bear to even think of imagining their ghosts being kept still apart from eachother)! Thank God you're 'Comfort' and 'Happy Ending' are wonderfully strong enough to make it All Better!

This was brilliant and wonderful and made me very very happy. :D I love how well Sam fits in this universe. I guessed early on that Starsky wasn't really dead (mostly from the tone of the story--you wouldn't DO that to Hutch in a fic like this!) but I loved seeing it all play out. And OMG, of *course* Al would love Huggy's sense of style. :D Hee! This fic makes me want to watch more QL and S&H, immediately.

Wonderful work. <3

2018

I read this story with some trepidation. I have issues with Quantum Leap, a kind of love and hate thing *g* mostly due to how they ended it. But I have to say I loved the premise and how you handled it and the two shows blended perfectly.

I loved your vision of Hutch without Starsky and how he was handling or not handling loosing his partner. I could so see a grieving Hutch caught up in guilt and loss but trying to cope.

Were they there to save Hutch from himself or save him from some hidden threat. I loved Al and Sam disagreeing over different elements as they got more involved. Reminded me why I liked Quantum Leap.

I really was caught up on everyone's take on how Hutch was doing and how Sam's and Al's preceptions changed as they watched Hutch.

Hutch being wary of his new partner and taking all the risks himself is SO something I could see Hutch doing. It was also great how you had both Al's and Sam's different take on Hutch's actions. It also added to the mystery of why they were there was it to reign in a suicidal cop, a loose cannon, or was it to solve something more sinister.

Sam growing realisation that Hutch's relationship with Starsky and the meaning of the word partnership was what he and Al were to each other and how that affected both of them was brilliantly done. Also made me angry all over again at how that show ended. So glad we had a happier ending for our S & H boys both in the story and on the screen.

And the reunion, god I could so see Sam trying to stop Hutch from beating on Cameron, but Hutch far to gone to listen, thinking he had lost Starsky not once but twice, then Starsky's voice stopping him dead. That whole scene and the by play between the two was perfect and beautiful it just played out in my head like a scene from the show in fact the whole story did.

The final scene in the squad room was also spot on it had me grinning like an idiot.

I really enjoyed this. Sorry I may have rambled on a bit :)

2021

Okay, I admit it, you have me at such a complete loss of words over this fic that I can't express how utterly wonderful it is and how much I love the Truth you've written into it. You really get Starsky and Hutch and the nature of true friendship. Thank you for writing and sharing this, I've got it book marked for rereading and will be reccing the story to friends.

2022

   I am one of the lucky people who originally read this story soon after it was written and I love, love, love it still! I am so happy I stumbled upon it again today, and I'm in the process of reading and enjoying it all over again. It's amazing to me how well this story stands up to today's storytelling. Then again, it shouldn't surprise anyone because friendship and love... and partners... never go out of style.

   Massive kudos to the author! Thanks for giving such a gift to the fans of both shows!

   P.S. this story lead a friend of mine to a newsletter, called Black Bean Soup, oh about a hundred years ago. Thanks to you, I have had an amazing friend for over 25 years! }}