Title: Alone
Author: Daydreamer
Fandom: Starsky and Hutch
Pairing: Gen
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Angst
Length: Epic
Warnings: Psychological torture
Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: Daydreamer’s Den

Author’s Summary: When Hutch disappears, it brings huge changes for both men.

Review:
Okay, so this is my offering for Dark Themes Week that I think everyone can enjoy even if not a fan of dark stories in general. Why? Because although the story deals with torture (hence: dark, at least to me) it’s actually a very hopeful story and a majority of time is devoted to the recovery process (and the comfort part of hurt/comfort).

Daydreamer treats the subject of Hutch’s experience very realistically (as far as I can tell): the torture is primarily psychological in the form of long-term isolation and confinement and you can literally watch Hutch’s deterioration bit by bit. The physical manifestations are also dealt with very bluntly and believably: there are serious physical repercussions but thankfully Daydreamer doesn’t go over-the-top to the point of ridiculousness as too often torture fics tend to do.

As I mentioned, the majority of the story is actually spent on the recovery and it’s frankly wonderful to read the flipside of Hutch’s slow deterioration as he steadily builds himself back up. The process is gradual and there are setbacks, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think that makes it all the more believable. You wouldn’t expect a person to bounce back immediately from something so traumatic – and Hutch definitely does not bounce back right away – but he does recover.

All in all, Alone is one of the best and definitely the least sensationalized torture fics I’ve ever read. Painful and hopeful all in one package

Alone (Just scroll down past all the awards to get to the table of contents)