A/N Thank you to Meixel for beta reading my work for me. It is deeply appreciated.

Thank you to Tanith2011 for title and summary suggestions.

Disclaimer: I make no profit off of anything related to "Streets of San Francisco" or the characters. I am not the creator of the series.

THE BITTER TASTE OF LAMENT

Mike Stone was scoping out the situation. He had two worries now. One was to figure out a way to come up on the area without any harm to all parties involved particularly himself and his partner. The other worry was how to deactivate the temper of his former partner who was like a son to him without causing anymore hurt to his pride. He knew Steve missed the force and regretted his lapse in judgment that caused him to be the victim of Barbara Ross.

Both had much pain from that night yet to be resolved. Mike got the call that a man was at Fort Point threatening to take out anyone that came near. When Mike and his partner responded to the call he was astonished and grief stricken to see Steve was the armed man and being that he knew Fort Point from the times they had been there, he knew where to hide and where to be open and from the looks of it he was very well armed.

"Go around back," Mike ordered as he signaled his partner. Drawing his weapon, he further advised, "but be careful. This guy has nothing left to lose."

He knew it would take his partner longer to get around behind Steve's current position and he wanted a chance to get right in front of Steve and try to talk to him. "Steve, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you, Mike. You and your new buddy boy need to leave. I don't want to hurt you."

"He's not my buddy boy. You will always be that to me whether you are here with me or not."

Steve heard noise behind him and turned. Mike tried to advance on him to take him down without gunfire but his foot brushes a bottle on the pavement. Steve turned, rapidly pulling the trigger. Mike went down realizing Steve really was out of his mind and fires. He saw Steve fall. He rushed to his former partner and pulled him up against him.

Mike's current partner reached them and saw that Mike had to shoot and kill the only person to ever really get close to him at all besides his daughter, Jeannie. He heard Mike saying stuff to Steve that he felt was private and backed off to give him time alone with his surrogate son.

When the others appeared, he held them back so Mike could have enough time before they took Steve away. Finally, Mike released Steve and laid down his best friend and son and the responders arrived to remove his body.

It saddened Mike that for all the heroic actions Steve did while a cop and almost losing his life, what he would be remembered for is this one act of bitterness and temper that was exhibited here today. He watched the coroner's wagon drive away as his partner heard him lamenting Steve and how sorry he was that he had to shoot him...

Mike felt someone shaking him and got his bearings. He saw he was in his office at his desk and heard a very familiar voice. "Hey, Mike, you all right?"

He saw Steve standing there beside him and began wondering how he got there. "Steve? Is that really you?"

"Who else would it be? Mike, did you hit your head or something?"

"You're alive? You're still a cop?"

Steve looked at Mike like he had lost his mind and picked up the phone. "Mike, just take it easy it is going to be okay, really. I'll get Lenny up here and you can tell him whatever is bothering you"

"No, I don't need Lenny I just guess I was dreaming. Steve what date is this?"

Steve told him and Mike did some calculations. "You are still a cop."

"Yes and married to your daughter and you have grandchildren. Are you sure you don't want to talk to Lenny?"

Just then Lenny walked in. "My ears were burning. Who is the patient today?"