AN: This is a story I had written as a one-shot for a challenge some time ago (I don't even remember what the challenge is anymore). I have decided (with the help of some nudges) to expand on the story. To do that I made a few changes and this will be a follow-up of sorts to my stories: "Seeing is Believing" and "Revelations". There are important references made to both stories included in this one so while it isn't absolutely necessary to read the other two stories first, it would help to understand the AU romance I have created for Jeannie and Steve. I'm happy to explain in a PM should you prefer a quick run through :-)

My muse was inspired by the following songs: "Let Her Go" by Passenger, "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran, "In Love Again" by Colbie Caillat and "Wasted Time" by The Eagles.

Also wanted to let my readers know, this story won't be updated regularly as it is a difficult one to write but due to the nature of the subject, the plot will move slow enough that each chapter could be read as a one shot. Not sure if that makes sense but I'll see how I go. I will try my best to write as much as I can.

Tanith

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters, locations or canon information depicted in the series "The Streets of San Francisco". I'm just borrowing them for my pleasure and hopefully the enjoyment of others.

Well you see her when you fall asleep
But never to touch and never to keep
Cause you loved her too much and you dived too deep

Only know you love her when you let her go

- Passenger "Let Her Go"

Pacing the living room floor, Jeannie tried to come up with the most appropriate way to break the news of her engagement to her audience. "I have an announcement to make," she said in a rush as she looked bravely at the two men to whom she was closest.

Mike and Steve exchanged a bemused look before Mike turned to face his beaming daughter. "Sweetheart, whatever it is, you have us on the edge of our seats!"

Jeannie bit her lower lip then took a deep breath but Steve cut in.

"Don't tell me. You bought a new car?" Steve pretended to be shocked and disappointed. "I thought you liked the one we got for your birthday!"

Jeannie crossed her arms and shook her head, still smiling, then when she felt she would burst at the seams if she held back a moment longer, she held out her hand.

Mike and Steve stared open mouthed at what appeared to be an engagement ring wrapped around Jeannie's finger. The solitaire diamond almost blinded Mike with its brilliance as he continued to study the jewel while Steve tore his eyes off it and stood up in all seriousness.

"Who…who…is it Holden?" Mike stammered, taking his daughter's hands in his as he too rose to his feet.

Jeannie nodded anxiously. "He proposed to me last night!"

"Isn't this a little fast? I mean you've only known the guy, what? A month?" Steve blurted out, nervously, before he could stop himself.

A little taken aback by Steve's reaction, Jeannie turned to face him. "Steve, we knew each other in high school. I know we've only been dating for a little over a month but it's not like I'm about to marry a complete stranger. Besides, I thought you'd be happy for me?" Pouting, Jeannie searched Steve's face, trying to read his thoughts but found he had closed himself off to her. She turned to her father and for a moment she caught his partner's expression mirrored on his features but then a smile broke out and she breathed out a sigh of relief.

While Mike had to agree with Steve, he decided to break the awkward moment and act the part of a happy father, at least for now. After all, Jeannie was not his little girl any more. He knew that there may come a day when someone would ask for her hand in marriage. But that didn't mean he stopped caring for her and the choices she made or with whom she made these choices with. Right now, though, his Jeannie needed his support. He could see it in her eyes that now was not the time for that father and daughter talk that he could see forthcoming. Drawing a deep breath, Mike gushed, "Sweetheart…congratulations! This calls for a celebration. How about dinner tonight, someplace a little fancier than Benny's Burgers?" He leaned forward and gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"That would be lovely, Mike," Jeannie replied, grinning once again. Breaking away from her father's embrace, she faced Steve and almost pleaded, "Steve, you will join us, won't you?"

Not wanting to hurt Jeannie's feelings, Steve forced a smile. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Congratulations." He kissed Jeannie tenderly on the cheek and swallowed the painful lump that had settled in the back of his throat. "I just want you to be happy," he whispered in her ear before pulling away.

"I know, Steve," Jeannie said quietly. The way Steve looked at her as he said those words made her heart ache with a profound sadness she couldn't quite explain. While she had her suspicions over his sudden change in spirits, she couldn't quite understand why. It had been two years since they shared a remotely romantic moment when she had witnessed a horrible crime and Steve had been assigned to protect her. They had agreed at the hospital that they weren't going to go down that road. A relationship was just going to be too hard and at the time she didn't really believe either of them were ready to commit to one another, particularly if it meant a long distance realtionship. For the first few months when she returned to college, Steve had called two or three times a week and they'd talk about random things and things that made them both laugh. The calls became a monthly check-in then nothing at all. Jeannie had been admittedly disappointed at heart and there were a number of occasions when she had had a bad week and she realized she really missed talking to Steve but he never answered her calls or he would say he was about to head out and brushed her off. She had cried herself to sleep because she felt she had lost a good friend. Then a year ago during a surprise birthday party that Mike had thrown for her with Steve Irene and the guys from SFPD's homicide department, she thought she had seen the Steve she missed so dearly. The next day, he avoided her like the plague. What is it with men?

Jeannie realized she had been silent for far too long. She cleared her throat and started to say how much Steve's support meant to her when he reached out and gently squeezed her arm, silencing her.

"I have to go," Steve quickly cut in before Jeannie had a chance to say anything else. "I'll see you at dinner tonight. Call me and let me know where you'll be dining." He gave the college girl a smile that was meant to be a smirk but he couldn't pull it off this time.

"I will," Jeannie promised, returning the smile genuinely even though she noted that Steve's fell short of reaching his eyes.

Mike shifted his gaze to his partner and wondered what was bothering him. Something had triggered a change in Steve's mood and Mike planned to find out what it was the next time he was alone with him. "You better dig out your best suit for tonight, Buddy Boy." Giving Steve a friendly swat on the arm, Mike watched his partner walk out of the house with his shoulders slumped.

Jeannie eyed Steve as he closed the front door, disappointed with his reaction. She had expected him to be happy for her but instead he seemed distant and it hurt her more than she thought it would.

"Everything alright, Sweetheart?" Mike asked casually. He laid his hands on her shoulders and peered into her face.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm just…" Jeannie started then changed course, "So, where do you propose we have dinner tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking…"

Steve stood with his back pressed against the door of Mike's house and leaned his head against the wood. The world spun and adrenaline pounded through his veins as emotions he hadn't expected to surface threatened to overwhelm him in ways he never experienced before. Closing his eyes, he drew a long, deep breath and tried to accept Jeannie's announcement with good grace but he found himself fighting the urge to wheel around and punch a hole through the door. To him, Jeannie's engagement marked a sad goodbye to what could've been as she forged a new beginning with Whitney Holden, leaving him feeling hollow inside. Exhaling heavily, Steve tore himself away from the door and quickly walked down the stairs. Shakily, he climbed into his Porsche, gunned the engine and drove away, not wanting to linger a moment longer at the Stone residence. As he drove toward his home, he almost laughed out loud when he thought about the time he had wasted going out with girls who had very little interest in spending their future with him, just because he had been too afraid to commit himself to the one person whom he cared about the most. The one person he never wanted to hurt. The only person he wanted to share his heart and soul with. He hated himself for not making a move sooner. He always thought that there was plenty of time to reveal how he felt. Thinking a little time wasted might make it easier to commit himself to a relationship. Well, Buddy Boy, you've certainly wasted enough time. It's too late now. You loved her and you let her go. Irene Martin was right. He still recalled her words from a year ago, "don't wait too long." Why didn't he listen? Was it because he was afraid what Mike would think? While Mike had made it know he was hesitant about a whirlwind romance between his partner and his daughter, why hadn't he tried harder to prove to Mike him that he really loved Jeannie? That he was ready to commit if she was? Or maybe he was afraid Jeannie would turn him down.

Maybe that's it. After all, she did move on and she did commit. Just not with me.