There's Always A Chance
A Psych fanfic
By Missmissa85
Shawn Spencer's dad was rambling on about something that he obviously thought was vitally important. But Shawn had no idea what he was talking about, so it couldn't have been that earth-shattering. He opened the front door to leave, but someone was already standing in the doorway.
"Jules?" he asked.
She looked quite different from the way she had looked that morning at the police department. Her long, blonde hair was in a messy ponytail, she was wearing running shorts (they were bright pink and Shawn absent-mindedly wondered if they were left over from her sorority sting), and a tank-top over her sports bra. Her face was red, but not from exercise. She had been crying.
"What did you mean when you said I'd had my chance?" she asked shakily.
His brain searched frantically for the moment to which Jules was referring. Oh, God, he thought to himself, I did say that.
"Jules," he began timidly, "look, I was just-"
"Just what, Shawn?" she asked moving toward him angrily.
Shawn took three steps back into his father's house to avoid Juliet's wrath, but she stayed right with him.
"Look, Sophie is-"
"Sophie's what, Shawn? Smarter than me? Prettier than me?"
"Shawn?" his father's voice asked warningly. Shawn wasn't sure whether it was in his head or whether it was really happening.
"Sophie's willing," he blurted out. He instantly regretted the words.
"Willing?" Juliet's voice dripped with anger. "What do you mean willing?' You mean like that murderer you slept with?"
"I didn't know she was a murderer at the time!" Shawn protested.
"Shawn," his father's voice rang out again.
"But you knew I'd find out," Juliet yelled back.
"No, I didn't!" he retorted. "I thought you were too busy mooning over the Lou-Diamond-Philips-look-alike FBI agent who couldn't keep his freaking shirt on!"
"I didn't sleep with him!"
"But you wanted to!"
A woman had never slapped him quite so hard as Juliet did at that moment.
"Ow!" was all he could manage to say.
Tears streamed freely down Juliet's face. "You know what, Shawn? I thought-I thought with all of your looks, and comments, and close talking that-that maybe...but I was wrong. I'm a detective, and I know a fraud when I see one. You're a fraud, Shawn Spencer."
She turned away from him.
"You're right, Jules."
She stopped in the doorway. "What?"
"You're right, Jules, I'm a fraud."
"Shawn," his father warned.
Shawn ignored him. "I have lied and faked my way through my entire life," he said. "Hell, I'm probably the biggest fraud in the greater Santa Barbara area."
Juliet turned around. Shawn was only a foot away from her. Tears were welling in his eyes. It was so unexpected, she almost wanted to laugh.
"There's just one thing I can't fake," he said.
In a voice that barely registered as a whisper, she said, "What?"
Shawn put a hand on her face and pulled her to him. She resisted at first, but, to his great relief, she kissed him back. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her form close to his. He felt Jules' fingers in his hair.
"Shawn?"
That soft and caring voice did not belong to his father.
Hastily, he broke off the kiss and looked over Jules' shoulder to his father's front porch.
"Mom?"