A/N Thanks to Briroch for checking this story over for me.

Disclaimer

I do not profit from the characters from "The Streets Of San Francisco" I am not the creator of the series, that is Quinn Martin.

It Wasn't Me, Not This Year

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On a fine spring morning Mike Stone was on his way to his office. He walked through the bull pen and saw his office door closed. Not seeing anyone in there and knowing he had left it open when he had gone home late the night before, he opened it not expecting any trouble.

His yell when a bucket of water poured over him as he opened his door, brought everyone running. To add insult to injury a sign on a string dangled down from the top of the door, it read April Fool's...

Mike was in an uproar and made sure the whole squad room knew about it

"Where is he?! Just wait until I see that young man, I will have him washing black and whites." Mike shouted loudly.

"He hasn't been in Mike. Not since you two left last night." Bill Tanner said tactfully.

"Oh yeah, he has been here this is just like Steve. He made sure to do this when none of you saw him." Mike exclaimed sharply.

Just then the subject of the discussion came strolling into the squad room without a care in the world. He stopped short as he saw Mike drenched and wondered what in the world his partner had got himself into this time.

"Mike, what happened to you?" Steve asked curiously.

"As if you did not know, boy wonder." Mike fixed him with his steely glare.

"What? Mike I just got here how would I know why you are standing there dripping all over the floor?" Steve exclaimed innocently.

"I came in and opened my door and this water just happened to fall out of the sky and was dumped all over me and there was a sign saying April Fool's. Now are you going to stand there and tell me you are not the one who did this?" Mike asked heatedly.

"Yes sir I am saying just that." Steve answered honestly.

Mike stalked out leaving Steve and the others wondering what Mike was going to do when he returned with a mop and shoved it into Steve's hands.

"Mop up your mess. I am going home to change." Mike ordered gruffly.

Mike left the squad room with Steve staring after him. While he was at home to change into dry clothes Steve obediently cleaned up the water and wondered why Mike would think he would pull April Fool's jokes on him- or anyone for that matter- after he promised never again after last year. His thoughts returned to the previous year's joke that he honestly thought had gone too far when Jeannie had a bad scare when a smoke bomb he put in her tail pipe detonated without warning. As he was cleaning up the spill, Dan Healey came in spluttering and looking as red as a rooster and headed right for Steve.

"Very funny Steve! What is the big idea of rigging the coffee machine where hot chocolate would spew out everywhere when I try to get some!" Healey asked blatantly.

"Dan, I don't know what you are talking about!" Steve protested vehemently.

"I was told you were seen by the machine right before you came in here. You promised there would be no more April Fool's jokes after last year or have you forgotten so soon?!" Healey demanded to know.

"I was there, yes to get a cup of coffee but it only took my money so I came in here! And no, I have not forgotten what happened and I meant that, I am not doing any jokes this year." Steve insisted.

"Now, I have to go home and change. Steve I swear if you did this you best fess up now. I will be back." Healey stomped out.

Steve shook his head and thought what next? He went and put the mop and bucket away. When Mike returned he and Steve went up to Captain Olsen's office to take the reports they finished up last night. When they got there Olsen offered them something to drink. They both declined and the two of them were discussing the reports with him, when he lifted his water pitcher to pour a glass of water. Steve and Mike were both shocked and wide eyed, when it looked like the entire bottom of his water pitcher had just fallen out and Olsen ended up with a lapful of water.

"KELLER!" Olsen shouted angrily. "Mike, you better do something about this boy of yours!"

"Sir, I didn't...It wasn't me I promise." Steve stammered anxiously, then looked at Mike. When he saw "The Glare", he knew he was in trouble. "Mike, honest I did not do any of this. I promised last year no more and I meant that!"

Steve realized explaining was futile and hurried to get some paper towels as Mike was trying to help Olsen. He came back and started mopping up the spilled water. Olsen's secretary told him that Mike drove Olsen home to change. He finished cleaning up the water spill, then left to go back to the squad room, feeling a bit dejected. He got himself some coffee and looked over a forensics report that was just delivered while he and Mike were gone. Mike came back and called Steve into his office. Mike had just sat down to deliver the dressing down, when they heard a yell from the squad room. Steve darted over to see what was wrong and found Bill Tanner struggling to get off his chair.

"Steve, look I appreciate a good joke but the others are right, you promised. Now you went and super glued my chair!" Bill Tanner exclaimed.

Steve tried to help free him from the chair, protesting it was not him, when they heard Mike shouting as well. Everyone free went to see what was going on with Mike and found that he too had been super glued. He was making every threat under the sun against Steve. Steve denied everything vehemently and protested loudly, but everybody finally started to believe that he was guilty of pulling all the pranks. Mike, still fuming, sent him to go to his house to get him another pair of trousers, as well as to run by Tanner's house to pick up some for him that his wife would have ready for him.

He quickly went on his errand, glad to get away from the awkward situation and all the wrong accusations, but hurried back in as fast as possible. He was afraid to take his time, in case Mike's ire would be raised even higher than it already was. After the two men had managed to get into the changes of trousers that Steve had retrieved for them, all stayed as far away from Steve as possible.

Later that evening everybody had vacated the squad room for various reasons, when once again the phantom decided to strike. Entering and seeing nobody there, the phantom made his way towards Steve's desk. Just as he got there, the door opened quietly and Mike sneaked in, watching as the phantom put something in Steve's desk drawer. He moved very quietly up behind the person and just as the phantom prankster turned to go, he met Mike Stone's steely gaze. Mike reached into Steve's desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of fake ink that looked like it had spilled over the drawer.

Mike couldn't believe his eyes and hooted with laughter.

"Rudy, it was you?" All this time we thought Steve was pulling these jokes and you were the one?" Mike laughed.

"Guilty as charged." I had every one going though, didn't I?" Olsen smirked. "And wasn't it a stroke of genius to use the joke pitcher on myself?"

"You certainly fooled me." Mike admitted. "Come on, put that fake ink stain on the report Steve spent ages typing!" he suggested then. "I want to see the face…"

"That's the spirit, Mike! That will give the men new food for thought and maybe in a while we tell them who really was behind all the jokes!" Rudy agreed heartily.