Juliet sat in the back of the car with her mouth agape, barely registering the sounds of Shawn and Gus arguing as they fought for custody over the steering wheel of the broken down student driver car. That is, the stolen student driver car, but that little detail didn't matter in the least right now.
Shawn had proposed to her. He actually proposed! It was the best thing that had happened so far in her journey with Shawn as they worked to repair their broken relationship; the time was right for them to be together again, and like so many times in the past where Shawn was the first to notice something, this moment was no exception. But this time he didn't need his hyper observant skills to see that. It was a moment that should have been uninterrupted, pure, and joyous. Well, the joy was there, but lack of interruptions was not. Who steals an engagement ring in the middle of a proposal? Who does that? What kind of a person acts like that!
Maybe, she thought, it this was meant to happen so that fate could make a statement. One that said that no matter how much she loved Shawn and wanted to have a life with him, and no matter how much she would want to keep that part of her life shielded from the dangers of police work, the two worlds could very easily collide and become intertwined. Being married to Shawn would change her life, for the better, Juliet knew, but also in ways she knew she wouldn't be able to anticipate, for no walk of life can truly be seen in its entirety.
None of that fazes her, though. She accepts Shawn's proposal, and she's going to marry him. Maybe after she and Shawn have their wedding plans arranged, she'll invite Carlton last minute and tell him to RSVP ASAP just to drive him nuts. First order of business, though, is to make the engagement official. And that's why she sits in a stolen car chasing a thief who is speeding away with Shawn's grandmother's ring in his possession.
"Dude, I'm telling you he went right!" Shawn insisted as he tried to turn the steering wheel right.
"No, Shawn!" replied his oldest and blackest friend. "I saw where he's going, I'm driving, and I am managing the steering!" Gus made another sharp left turn on the road and almost bumped into an innocent driver's blue Toyota Echo, causing both he and Shawn to release high-pitched, girly squeals.
"Gus, how did you manage to ever get your driver's license in high school?"
"Shut up, Shawn!"
"Will you two just shut up and drive!" Juliet insisted.
"I already told that to Shawn, and technically, only one person can drive, which I'm doing," Gus corrected.
Juliet raised her hands in frustration before pulling her gun out from behind her. "I don't care, Gus! Just, just, follow that car! I want my engagement ring! And be careful of other drivers. I've lost count of how many driving laws we've broken already!"
Suddenly, the car they were pursuing made a right turn and swerved into a restricted area, which, fortunately, meant there were no other cars on the road, giving Juliet a golden opportunity to put an end to this ridiculous chase.
"Turn right Gus!" She insisted as she positioned her fingers around the trigger of her gun and opened the car window. Her stomach lurched from the force of Gus' sudden change in direction, but once she recovered, she poked her head out the window and trained her eye on the wheels of the car in front of them, before delivering a perfect shot that caused the car in front of them to skid to a halt.
Satisfied, Juliet smiled as Gus swiftly brought the car in front of the thief's before shifting his weight on the breaks. As quickly as she could, she hurried out of vehicle and trained her gun on the car where the thief and his driver sat.
"Come out of the car, slowly, with your hands up!" She demanded as Gus and Shawn stepped out of the car and watched her take lead.
Slowly, the back door opened, and out stepped a shaking young man whose hands were raised above his head and slightly trembling. "Please, please don't shoot me. I didn't mean any harm. I was only doing what I was asked."
"Uh huh," she replied, unconvinced. What kind of man tasks another to steal a woman's engagement ring just as she's being proposed to?"
The young man shrugged. "I swear it wasn't my idea. I was told I would get paid to take the ring, and it was up to him," he gestured his head toward the driver's seat, "to make a clean break."
Suddenly Shawn stepped next to Juliet. "Okay, sweetheart, before you arrest this man for grand theft, there's one thing I want to say to him first." Shawn stepped up, and narrowed his eyes as he took in the appearance of the thief until he spotted it: a square-shaped bulge in the man's coat pocket where he must have stuffed the ring. He stepped closer and retrieved it. "Mine."
Gus chuckled and gave Shawn a fist bump. "That's what I'm talking about, dude."
...
Juliet turned her attention back to the car and demanded for the driver to come out. From where she stood, she could see the other man sigh in defeat before he slowly opened the door and revealed himself without hesitation. Juliet's stomach dropped when she recognized the face of the man. It was a face that she knew all too well. "No."
"I should have known better than to pull a stunt like this. My daughter is too well-trained."
Juliet was speechless, her mind in a million different places. Why was her father in San Francisco? Why did he try to ruin her engagement? Frank O'Hara had conned her out of enjoying a lot of important moments in her life, from birthdays to graduations, simply because he wasn't there. She never thought she would live the see the day he pulled something on her this extreme.
"Why?" was the only word her mouth could form. She could only focus on her father. Shawn, Gus, and the thief suddenly became part of the background.
Frank O'Hara sighed and put his hands down, knowing his daughter may not take his response the right way. "I-I don't think you should marry Shawn, Juliet. I know you're a grown woman and you can make your own decisions, but I don't think saying 'yes' to him is a good one."
"Burn, dude." Gus whispered to Shawn, who was standing behind Juliet.
"You take that back," Shawn replied before he stepped up to Frank. "Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute! I'm confused, Mr. O'Hara...Dad... Frank, why do you think that it's a bad idea for me to marry Juliet? You know I love her. I told you once that I was planning to propose to her."
"Yeah, what is this about, Dad?" Juliet interjected. Figuring there was no need for her weapon anymore, she tucked it behind her and folded her arms back in front of her. "As much as I hate to say it, I don't think you know me as well as you think. I don't understand how you could you do this to me?"
"Juliet, I know I haven't always been there for you like a father should be. But even so, I do love you and want what's best for you. I don't want to hurt you, Juliet, but I would prefer you marry someone honest. I watch over you when I can, and when I noticed Shawn had an engagement ring, I had to act fast."
"What do you mean you noticed? Where have you been lurking?" Shawn asked.
"You're not the only one with hyper-observant skills, kid."
"Is that what this is about!" Juliet nearly screamed. "You think I don't know that Shawn isn't psychic? That he's lying to me still?"
"You mean you know?"
Juliet scoffed. "Yes! I found out a long time ago. We've worked things out since then."
Frank looked unconvinced and turned to face Shawn. "You told her?"
"No, sir. She found out on her own." He winced when he realized saying that didn't help his case.
"And she threw a glass of wine in his face," Gus added.
"Gus!"
"Sorry, Shawn."
"Sir," Shawn began his sincere plea. "I admit I was wrong in not telling Juliet the truth about my investigative methods. But once the it came out, I fully realized how much Juliet meant to me, how painful it was to be without her. And because of her, being honest has never been so important to me. I swear, I have changed since we last met. My Psych business is done, and all I want is to be with Jules. And that is the truth."
Frank O'Hara considered his words, and looked to his daughter, whose nod confirmed his belief that Shawn's words were heartfelt and genuine. "Son, you have my blessing. Juliet, be happy." Juliet wiped a few tears from her cheeks and hugged her father. Then Shawn, soon to be family joined in the hug, and later Gus joined in, just for the heck of it.
The young man who was tasked to take the ring was convinced his presence had been forgotten. Ahem. Everyone turned in his direction. "So, Mr. O'Hara. Is there anything else you need me to do?"
"Oh, no you can go now, Billy," the older man replied.
"Umm," he started reluctantly. "You are going to pay me, right?"
Frank nodded. He'd almost forgotten the deal he made with Billy. "Here Billy, take this as your payment, he said as he passed him his car keys."
"The car? You're giving me the car?"
"Yes. It's the only way I can think to pay you right now."
"Sweet!" Billy replied. It wasn't long before he popped the keys in the ignition and took off.
"Dad," Juliet asked, "you just gave him a car?" And then she made a face as if something had dawned on her and rolled her eyes. "Please don't tell me it's stolen?"
"Oh no, it's not. But the money I earned from it might have been profit from a con job." The relief in Juliet's face soon turned into a frown again at her father's response. This was typical of her father, she thought. She should report it, but she knew she wouldn't. She loved him too much to do that.
Shawn called her name to get her attention again. When Juliet turned to him, he already had the ring box open. "Juliet O'Hara, will you be engaged to me again? Will you marry and let me show you how wonderful our lives will be?"
"Yes, Shawn Spencer, yes I will marry you! Now give me the ring before someone else tries to swipe it." She couldn't contain the smile on her face as he complied. The ring was a perfect fit. It was official. She and Shawn were engaged. Gus was there for Shawn, and this time, her father was present for one of the most important moments in her life. The moment of Shawn's first proposal, which occurred not more than thirty minutes ago, was wonderful. But this moment, with her father here to witness, this was even better.