Ugh. Not sure how much more I will get to post over the next day. Gotta put one of my kitties down tomorrow. Had her for 15 years. That's a long life for any kitty. Just wish it would make things easier.

With his partner still painfully absent even after his meeting with John ended, and no note indicating when Steve was expecting to return to the office for the stern conversation awaiting him; Mike had decided to head over to the cemetery for a few minutes, hoping to come to terms with the grief and anger Jeremy Hendrick's death still caused in his heart.

The stiff breeze coming off the bay on this early December day was chilling him to the bone, a welcome sensation he hoped would allow for him to regain a certain level-headedness in the chaos surrounding the late police officer's death and all the repercussions that followed in its wake.

Part of his discussion with John had involved the increase in racial tensions since the shooting, leading up to several confrontations between the public and patrol officers in the past couple of weeks. It was no surprise that the media was feeding on it like flies on a fresh pile of-

Mike grunted in anger, a silent tear running down his cheek from all the pent-up frustration and pain for the loss of a good man, and a tarnished legacy so readily accepted by the public.

In front of him, the red roses, surrounded by pink and white carnations had begun to wilt along the edges, some of the silk banners showing slight rips and tears from the continuous breeze cutting through the cemetery.

Far too many of his old friends and colleagues were buried here, their lifetime of public service ending in the most dramatic way of all. And each grave adding to the somber collection ate away a little more of Mike's unwavering optimism, making him second-guess his choice between becoming a cop, instead of a priest.

Voices not too far behind made him snap back out of his brooding.

Glancing over to where he'd parked the Galaxy, Mike saw a group of young African-American males approach, their uniform dress code and neon-green headbands suggesting gang affiliation. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they'd strolled the neighborhood looking for trouble, and found it at one of the most prominent law enforcement cemeteries in the area.

"Look at that. One pig mourning about another pig.", the presumed leader hissed with a broad smile, his oversized jacket zipped only halfway up, exposing a dirty tank top below.

Knowing that he was too far out of reach to call for backup, and that a confrontation against an angry mob wouldn't be an option, Mike had to rely on his diplomatic skills.

"You ehm…you guys live around here?"

His question caused the four young men to hesitate briefly, as their leader stepped toward Mike, stopping just a few inches short of his face.

"Sure do, pig. What's it to you? We've got ears and eyes. We see that you started a war against our kind. So, what are you doing in our neighborhood then?"

With a boastful slap on his chest, the man who stood a head taller than Mike, growled, before looking at his friends as they began to surround the Lieutenant.

"Nobody has started a war against anybody."

A war.

Mike couldn't help but smile at the irony of the term being used by somebody who'd clearly never spend any extended period of time on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, much less fought a war for their country.

"Oh yeah? Then what about that punk that called Darius Johnson the N-word, hm?"

Realizing that the atmosphere was growing increasingly heated, Mike pursed his lips, forcing a smile in hopes to offset the hostility he was faced with.

"There are no witness testimonies that can prove that this ever happened. We only have Darius Johnson's words. The words of a criminal. And I don't care which color he is, whether he is white, or black, or yellow or any shade in between…he tried to steal what didn't belong to him, and took the life of a good man along the way."

"Is that so?", the leader whispered menacingly, then pushed Mike backward, nearly causing him to trip over the flowers on Jeremy's grave, "Well how about we show you our side of the story then, pig!"