DISCLAIMER:I'm not associated with Psych in anyway shape or form and only own my ideas.

Now that that's out of the way...

Hi! Here is my 3rd completed story! I had a lot of fun writing (most of) this story. It starts a whole series that will have at least 3 stories, possibly a forth in the form of a crossover with a QL series I'm writing. But I'm getting way ahead of myself since I haven't even completed the 2nd story of this series and am only on 1 of 4 of the other one!

So, this is a Lassie-centric story that started as a tag for Ep 5x16. There are quiet a few episode references, so it would be best if you've seen all of seasons 1-5. I wrote this in February, posted it on Psychfic in May and have finally gotten around to fixing grammar/spelling as best I could and posted it here.

This was suppose to be a story of Carlton "getting the girl" but I apparently can't write short, simple stories. The girl was suppose to be me 8-10 years older, but like the story in whole, it snowballed and she's maybe 30-40% me.

All names are randomly picked, so no offense to anyone. I picked my main character's name by typing Beth into Wikipedia and seeing what came up.

I have no expertise in medicine, the justice system, alcohol, really anything, so just roll with it.

I figured that Ep 5x16 took place in January since in the end of 5x15 the Chief told Shawn not to come back until the new year, or something. Also I figured Carlton got a new house since Ep 3x11 Lassie did a bad bad thing. This starts about 12ish hours after when Ep5x16 left off, with Carlton stopping at the gun range right beforehand.

Super-sensitive material, rated M for a reason, so proceed with caution.

Let me know if I need to change anything. Reviews of any sort are welcomed.

ENJOY!

CHAPTER 1

The Pub was sort of busy for a Wednesday. Even though it was barely 7pm, and therefore the dinner crowd, it was still unusual for a weeknight. But Carlton Lassiter didn't seem to notice as he walked to the bar in a daze.

"Hey Lassiter, the usual?" The bar tender asked as Carlton took a seat.

"Yeah, thanks Dave."

"Are you okay?" Dave asked as he put a glass of scotch in front of Carlton.

"Let's just say that it's been one hell of a couple days." Carlton chugged the whole thing back.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Shaking his head, Carlton said "Can I get another one?"

"Sure," Refilling the glass, he continued. "You know, there's been quite a few officers in here, as well as that Shawn Spencer fellow. He mentioned something about Yin no longer being a threat. Is that true?"

Nodding his head Carlton stared at his glass. "Yep. I shouldn't be telling you this, but Yin reappeared and managed to get a hold of Spencer and his sidekick. Believe it or not, Yang exactly saved them by killing Yin. Apparently, Yang is Yin's daughter and Yin was training a replacement. Talk about family problems." He drained the glass while Dave went to fill someone else's order.

"Did you want anything to eat before you fill up on alcohol?" Dave asked as he returned.

Shrugging, Carlton said, "Why not. Something simple, like fries and chicken strips. I'll take one more scotch and then I'll switch to whatever's on tap."

Carlton sipped his third drink as he looked around the place. It was a bit crowded with the dinner crowd and he recognized a few officers.

As Dave placed a glass of beer in front of him, Carlton asked, "When was Spencer here?"

"Oh, a couple hours ago? His friend was going home to sleep but he wasn't ready yet, so he decided to wait around here until his girlfriend got off work."

*Scoff* "Girlfriend," Carlton shook his head as he took a drink.

"You don't like his girlfriend?"

"Oh, I like her as a person, a lot more than I like Spencer. I just can't believe that the two of them are dating. I mean really? Shawn Spencer, the boy who won't grow up? And they've been dating for a while now, I just accidentally found out today. They don't even know that I know. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier! I should report them since they aren't suppose to be working together if they're . . . together." Carlton took another big gulp as Dave walked away to check on his other patrons.

Once his food arrived, Dave left him alone. Carlton didn't mind since he had barely eaten anything all day and was hungry. Around the time he was finishing, a light voice spoke up from behind him.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Barely giving the lady a glance, Carlton mumbled, "Nope." as he reached for his beer.

"Thanks," she smiled as she sat down next to him.

Dave was quick to spot her and hurried over. "What can I do for you today, Miss?"

"Can I get an Apple Martini, and do you have a menu I can look at?"

"Sure do." Dave handed her one before rushing off to make her drink.

"Do you have any suggestions?" She asked.

When no one answered her, Carlton turned to see her looking at him. The first thing he noticed was her bright green eyes. They seem to sparkle even in the low lighting of the bar. He also took note of her long strawberry-blond hair, and that she had to be at least 10 years younger than him. She had a pleasant smile that she barely accented with make-up.

Realizing that she was waiting for an answer, Carlton quickly looked down at the menu in front of her. "Oh, the burgers are good. As well as the um, the pasta."

Smiling a bit brighter at his nervousness, or drunkenness depending at how you saw it, she looked back down at the menu. "Well, I had pasta for dinner last night so I guess I'll have a burger. Thanks for your help."

"No problem," Carlton responded as he turned back to his drink. Noticing it was almost gone, he waved it towards Dave as he came back with the lady's drink.

The next couple of minutes passed quietly while the lady checked her phone for messages. As she was putting it back in her purse, she accidentally bumped the guy on her other side. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

The guy turned to her and gave her a once over. Out of the corner of his eye, Carlton saw her shift nervously under his scrutiny. "That's okay sweetie. You can touch me as often as you want."

"No thank you." She replied as she turned forward.

"Why not? You're a pretty young thing and I'm a very open older guy. I thought that women liked older guys?"

"You're just not my type." She nervously fidgeted with her drink as she avoided eye contact.

"Oh yeah, and what exactly is your type." He reached over and stroked her hair causing her to flinch.

"Don't touch me." She tried to growl as she moved closer to Carlton.

"Aw, why not?"

Having heard enough, Carlton leaned forward and glared at the other man. "I believe the lady has asked you to leave her alone."

"Or what? Who are you anyways? Her shiny white knight? Have you come to defend her honor?" He chuckled at his own joke.

"I am an officer of the law and if you don't back off, possibly going as far as leaving the premises, I will have your ass arrested for harassment, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace."

Realizing that there might be something behind Carlton's threat, the guy drained his glass as he threw a 20 down. "That's okay, this place was getting a bit stuffy anyways. Bye Sweetie." Puckering his lips, he got up and left.

Sitting back in his seat, Carlton watch the lady shakily take a large gulp of her drink. "Are you okay?"

Nodding, she turned and faced him. "Yeah thanks." Her smile wasn't as bright as it was earlier and he could see a bit of terror on her face.

"Are you sure? I could have an officer escort you home, just in case."

Laughing shakily, she replied, "That's sweet, but I'll be fine. Just a few bad memories."

Dave came over at that point with her meal. Setting it down with a smile, he turned to Carlton. "Is everything alright?"

Nodding, Carlton took a sip of his beer. "Just another drunken idiot."

Shaking his head, Dave cleared the now vacant setting. "You'd think that they would learn not to come into a cop bar. Can I get you another drink?"

"Sure, I'm not driving tonight."

"Okay, and how about you, Miss?"

Looking at Carlton's glass, she replied, "I'll have what he's having. And can you put his next couple of refills on my tab?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that Miss." Carlton said as he turned towards her.

Smiling, she said, "I want to. As thanks."

"It's part of the job." He was trying hard not to blush.

"Maybe so, but you're not on duty right now." Pushing her hair behind her ear, she stuck out her hand. "I'm Beth March."

"Like in Little Women?" Carlton replied automatically as he took her hand.

Smiling, Beth nodded, "Yeah, it's my mother's favorite book. All of her children are named from it. Most people don't get that reference since I usually introduce myself with my given name of Elizabeth."

"Well, lucky for me I guess." Carlton replied as he took another drink.

"And you are?"

"Head Detective Carlton Lassiter, SBPD." He ducked his head at her smirk and poorly concealed chuckle. "Sorry, force of habit."

"That's okay. At least I know what you do. I work in childcare, but I am a women of many hats. I like to do a lot of things."

"Like going to bars by yourself?"

"Well, a year ago, the answer would have been no." She started playing with her food and not looking at him. "I'm actually on a year-long sabbatical. You know, exploring the country while I'm still young."

"Sounds nice."

"Yeah. I've visited plenty of friends and family, but every so often I'll stop randomly in a city for a few weeks and explore on my own."

"How do you like Santa Barbara?"

Looking back at Carlton, she smiled. "Well, this is only my second day, but I'm liking it very much."

Turning back to his drink, Carlton tried to hide his smile. As he was lowering his glass, he spotted something in the mirror that changed his mood instantly. "You've got to be kidding me!" Carlton mumbled as he tried to duck his face.

"What?" Beth asked just as a young man a few years older than her squished between them and wrapped his arm around Carlton's shoulder.

"Hey Lassie, how's it going?" The young man asked.

Carlton growled as he tried to dislodge the arm. "I was fine before you showed up Spencer."

"Aw, come on Lassie. Show some love! You know, I almost died last night." he tried to whispered dramatically.

"Yes, Spencer, I was there."

"Nope," Shawn shook his head. "You were right outside while I was upstairs, strapped to a chair."

"Spencer," Carlton sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "You are probably the last person that I want to see right now."

"Well, too bad, Lassafrass! I'm your designated driver for the evening."

"What?" Carlton snapped his head around. Trying to shake off the sudden dizziness, he saw Beth quietly eating her food, trying to stay out of the conversation. "But who called you?"

Shawn pointed to Dave. "He did. Technically, he called Jules, but she's trying to sleep, so she called me. Aren't you so lucky?"

"Spencer, in case you have forgotten, you own a motorcycle. There's no way in hell that I'm getting on the back of that thing, no matter how drunk I am."

"Oh Lassie, don't be ridiculous! I didn't bring my bike, I borrowed my dad's truck."

"Does he know you stole it?" Carlton asked as he took a drink.

"For your information, I never steal vehicles, I borrow them. And yes he knows. I was at his house when Jules called. I'm suppose to help clean out the attic in return, but it's worth it to do Jules a favor and to take you home."

Shawn reached forward take a sip from Carlton's glass, only to be slapped away. "Don't tempt me Spencer, I still have my gun! Just because I'm too drunk to drive doesn't mean that my reflexes aren't still good."

"Fine! But can we go! The Cake Boss is on in a half hour and I don't want to miss it!" Shawn started to tug on his arm.

"I told you that I'm not going with you! Now will you let me go or I swear to God I will punch you in the face!"

Shawn let go and pouted, "Then how else are you going to get home?"

"I'll make sure that he gets home alright." A quiet voice replied.

Shawn looked puzzled for a minute, before turning to face Beth and asking politely. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Smiling, Beth nervously brushed her fingers through her hair before looking at Carlton. "I said that I'll make sure that Carlton gets home alright."

Shawn turned back to Carlton and mouthed 'Carlton?' before turning back around. "I'm so sorry, that was very rude of me. I should have realized earlier that you two were talking." Shawn smiled widely as he offered her his hand. "I'm Shawn Spencer by the way, head psychic for the Santa Barbara Police Department. I've worked with Carly here plenty of times."

Carlton rolled his eyes as Beth laughed and shook hands. "Elizabeth March, preschool teacher. Funny, Carlton hasn't mentioned a Shawn Spencer or even working with a psychic."

Turning towards Carlton with a hurt expression, Shawn replied, "We've been working together for 5 years, and I don't even get the slightest mention?"

Carlton shook his head as he waved his near empty glass at the bar tender. "Nope."

Shawn turned back to Beth, "Well, that's a real moral booster. Now, let's see what the spirits have to say about Miss Elizabeth March."

Carlton groaned and he looked over to see the amused expression on Beth's face.

Closing his eyes and putting a hand to his head, Shawn began, "I'm sensing that you go by something shorter. Friends call you Liz? Betsy? Beth? Beth! And that you're not from around here, you just got into town a day or two ago from Los Angeles? No, although you did pass through. You just spent some time in Phoenix, Arizona. Hmm, interesting. But you're originally from the Midwest, more specifically, Ohio? Near the lake. You own a motorcycle? Awesome! And you have 3 sisters, 2 cats and a dog back in Ohio."

Bringing his hand down, Shawn whispered exhaustedly, "How did I do?"

Smiling, Beth took another bite of her burger as she thought. Finally, she turned to the two expectant faces in front of her. "Pretty close. I have 3 sisters, but one lives in Illinois. I also have a brother who lives in Ohio. And while I do own a motorcycle, I didn't bring it with me, mainly because it was in the shop when I left."

"I'm also sensing that you like to sing and play guitar, sometimes performing at bars. You brought your guitar with you and hope to get a few opportunities to perform in each city."

Nodding, she whispered, "You forgot that I also play piano."

"Well, the spirits don't tell me everything, I have to find out some things on my own."

"That explains a lot," Carlton mumbled around his next refill.

"Please excuse Carly here, he was never a believer." Shawn patted Carlton's arm only to get smacked again.

"I'm not a big believer either. I mean, part of me wants to believe, but some things are just harder to be convinced of than others."

"Unlike your faith. You've been a believer for most of your life."

Smiling, Beth pulled out her cross necklace that was resting under her blouse. "My family started going to church when I was in 4th grade but I didn't start truly believing until 8th and I've been very active in my church since high school."

"And part of your traveling is to help strengthen your faith after a very bad and devastating relationship." Shawn gently cupped Beth's hand with both of his.

"Yeah," She looked down before looking at Carlton. "That relationship had been a big test on my faith and I'm afraid that I didn't do too well."

Finally speaking up, Carlton said, "Well, it's like the story of the prodigal son, He'll always be waiting for you to come back with open arms."

"Yeah," Beth nodded as she let go of Shawn's hands to wipe a stray tear off her face. "Anyways, Mr. Psychic, I thought that you had a show you wanted to watch in," she looked at her watch. "18 minutes."

Shawn flipped his hand, "Oh, it's a repeat and I'll catch it again later."

"Yeah Spencer, why don't you go watch your TV show," Carlton said as he drained most of his glass.

"But I promised Jules that I'll make sure that you get home alright!" Shawn practically whined.

"And I will. Beth will take care of me, right?" At the two smirks, Carlton groaned, "That came out wrong, didn't it?"

"Yep! I can safely say that you are drunk, Lassiekins."

Carlton shook his head as he called Dave over and handed him his credit card. "Make sure that you put Beth's tab on as well."

"Hey! I was totally going to pay for my own food as well as two of your drinks!" Beth cried as she pushed her plate away.

"Think of it as a thank you for not leaving me stuck in a vehicle with Spencer," Carlton said as he watched Shawn picked a few left over fries from Beth's plate.

Taking a couple steps back, Shawn lifted up his hands peacefully. "Hey, I can take a hint. I know when I'm not wanted."

"Really? Then why are you always hanging around the station." Carlton replied as he signed the receipt.

"Carly!" Shawn huffed. "They love me over there! I'm the highlight of everybody's day!"

"Whatever." Carlton got off the stool and yawned. "By the way, have you even slept today Spencer?"

"Yes, I took an hour long nap this morning at the Psych office."

"And yet you're this hyper?" Carlton wondered as they started making their way through the bar.

"Yeah, I am a naturally hyper person."

Beth laughed at this comment. "You sound like my younger sister, Amy. She is such the life of the party. But she is also the most dedicated of the 5 of us."

"The only thing that Spencer is dedicated to is being a pain in the ass."

"Hey!" Shawn protested loudly as he opened the door for his two companions. "I'll have you know that I am dedicated to a lot of things! Like my friendship with Gus, Psych, annoying you, annoying my dad, annoying Gus, annoying. . . ."

Beth laughed as she placed a hand over his month. "We get it. You can be very dedicated to things, especially if it involves annoying people."

Taking her hand off his mouth, Shawn said "I annoy because I care," before kissing the back of her hand.

As Beth blushed, Carlton mumbled, "Sometimes I wish you would care less."

Stepping in before they started at it again, Beth took Carlton's arm. "I think this is the part of the evening where we bid you goodnight Mr. Spencer."

"Alright, but don't call me Mr. Spencer. I hate being compared to my father."

"Get some real sleep Spencer." Carlton called as they started off in different directions.

"Awww, you like me Lassie! You really like me!"

"Goodnight, Shawn," Beth laughed as she steered Carlton down the street.

After a few yards, she turned around and asked, "So, where can we catch a bus to your place."

Carlton stopped walking to stare at her. "I thought that you have a car?"

Nodding, Beth said, "I do, but I walked here from the motel. It's about a mile away and I figured you don't want to walk that far in your condition. Besides, you're the one that wanted to get rid of Shawn."

"That's very considerate of you, but I'm fine with walking." Carlton started forward as the world got a little tipsy.

Beth rushed forward to make sure that he didn't fall. "Yeah, you're definitely capable of walking that far."

"It's just the alcohol starting to affect me. I should be fine for the next hour."

"Okay, then let's hurry."

After about five minutes of quiet walking, Carlton asked, "So, what else can you tell me about yourself that Spencer didn't 'divine' or whatever."

Laughing, Beth took Carlton's arm to help steady him. "Well, I'm actually the middle child and with Amy less than a year younger than me, we were almost always grouped together, like we were twins. She always seemed to outshine me in academics, sports and relationships, so I had to find a way to make myself stand out. I fell in love with music, was even in a few special choirs in elementary and middle school. My grandmother had a keyboard at her house and I would be on it almost every time we were over. I eventually taught myself the basics and then took piano when it was offered in high school. Since my parents couldn't afford a good keyboard, they bought me a guitar when I was in 10th grade and I was able to pick up on it pretty quickly. My grandma was a huge influence on me and when she died a few months before graduation, I lost some of my passion."

They walked in silence for a few seconds before Carlton spoke up. "I was close to my grandfather. My dad was hardly ever around so there were a few places that my mom would drop me off at, one being at my grandparents. He taught me some of the finer points of fishing."

"I never had a good relationship with my parents. They are a bit free-spirited and hippy-like."

"I hate hippies." Carlton growled as they stopped at a light.

"Yeah," She smiled and ducked her head. "I mean, it seemed alright when we were younger, not having a lot of rules, doing almost anything that we wanted. But when I was in high school, I realized how much it messed me up. I don't have a strong work ethic, I'm not really comfortable with PDA or talking about feelings and I rebel in the smallest ways, like not doing homework. I used to think that my grandma was just a mean old bitty who didn't want us to have any fun. But when I was in high school, I realized that she was just trying to give us some structure."

Beth sighed as they started walking again, "I ended up not going to college and just floated from a few part time jobs, nothing substantial. When I turned 21, I realized how sad my life had become. Most of my classmates were a year away from graduating, Amy was pretty close to establishing a major, my brother Bobby was about to graduate from high school and become a mechanic. And me, well all I had was a bunch of short term jobs, a semester of college credit and still living at home. It took me over a year to finally get on track. I saved up enough money to move out and started taking classes online. My best friend's mom had a child care center, so I would help out there during the day and take classes at night. Eventually I got my associate degree and have worked there full time ever since."

Beth got quiet all of a sudden. "Are you okay?" Carlton asked.

Turning towards him, she sighed. "Yeah. It's just, it all seemed to be going so good for a few years. When I was 26, I met one of the kid's uncles. He seemed really sweet and was good with kids. He went to a neighboring church, different denomination, but I thought that it was okay since he went regularly. Anyways, to make a long story short, he hurt me really bad and destroyed my trust in him in one stupid night of drinking. Part of me feels like it was my fault, but then I remember that it was his choice, a stupid one, but his none the less. The important thing is that I was able to get away."

Sighing, she shook her head, "I'm sorry, you didn't need to hear all that. I tend to ramble when I'm nervous."

"No, it's, it's fine," Carlton mumbled.

They walked in silence for the next few minutes until they reached her motel. Crossing the parking lot, Beth said, "I left my car keys in my room. Why don't you wait here and I'll be right back?"

Nodding, Carlton sat down on a bench and listened to her walk away. But by the time she came back, he was fast asleep.