Four Ways Starsky Lost Terry and One Way He Didn't by Verlaine (Mature)

[hardboiledbaby]

Fandom: Starsky and Hutch
Pairing: Starsky/Terry, Starsky/Hutch, [highlight for possible spoiler:         Hutch/Terry        ]
Length: 10,662 words
Author on LJ: loyseofverlaine
Author Website: Verlaine at AO3
Why this must be read:

OMG, this fic. "Five times" stories are a favorite of mine, and as far as I'm concerned, Verlaine's fic should be held up as a shining example of how to do it right.

The summary reads: A bullet to the head isn't the only way to lose the person you love. Indeed, what if Terry didn't die in "Starsky's Lady"? What if

Starsky and Terry got married two months after Terry got a clean bill of health from the doctors. Starsky had pushed to do it sooner than that, but Terry insisted they wait until every test was normal. She wanted it to be a real marriage, she said, not just something he did to make it up to her for getting shot.

That's one of the 'ways' Verlaine explores. They are all very different, but each one rings true to the characters and they all deliver serious emotional heat. I was fortunate enough to have had an early peek as beta reader and I was gut-punched and gob-smacked in turns, then saved from irredeemable heartbreak by the happy-yet-sad pitch-perfect ending. Re-reading it still moves me.

I'd love to quote you more, but the best bits would be spoilery, and you don't want to be spoiled, believe me. You'll simply have to trust me on this one. Like I said, Verlaine does it right, and I'm not merely talking about this fic or this trope. If you haven't already, be sure to check out her other excellent stories.

But read this one first ;)

Four Ways Starsky Lost Terry and One Way He Didn't

Comments

[dawnebeth.livejournal.com]

A great fic--some of the five ways are achingly sad.

[hardboiledbaby]

*nods* Very much so.

[igbc.livejournal.com]

This is a great rec. Verlaine might be my favorite SH writer. Her stories are so imaginative and so different from the norm. There's always a twist or a turn of phrase in them that just amazes me. :-)

[hardboiledbaby]

I totally agree. V writes in several fandoms I love, and she nails it, every time.