A two chapter story (so far) in which a hostage situation occurs, someone is wounded, and bad things happen. Both Shules and Lassiet are indulged in this little mini-fic. Read on and enjoy.

For Loafer, because of...well...everything.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

PsychPsychPsychPsych

"Please."

It was a simple enough word, so softly spoken, but in that moment it was a plea. A desperate request whispered in a moment of blind panic by Detective Juliet O'Hara.

Please.

Juliet looked down at the man cradled in her arms. Carlton Lassiter's face was pale as his jacket was held tightly against the wound in his abdomen. He had lost a frightening amount of blood, and how he was even still alive was beyond her. It was a testament to his character and will to stay alive that he was still breathing.

Next to Juliet and Lassiter, a woman in her late thirties was on her knees and keeping the pressure on Lassiter's abdomen. She was scared out of her mind, but keeping her hands busy helped keep her mind off of the gun pointed at them.

Once more, Juliet tried to reason with the man standing over them, a gun clutched in his shaking hand. "Please, let my partner go. He needs help." Her gaze flickered briefly to Lassiter's face, then back to the man holding them hostage. "I'll stay here, but if you don't let me get help for him, he's going to die." And she couldn't let that happen. Not after everything they had been through together.

The man shook his head, and Juliet's breath caught in her throat as he aimed the gun at her head. Instinctively she held Lassiter tighter and shielded his head with her hand.

"Please."

"O'Hara."

Juliet O'Hara looked up from the mountain of paperwork in front of her. It was Monday morning, and somehow the week was already off to a bad start. Her car had broken down on the way into work, she had spilled her coffee all over herself on the way in, and when she was finally at her desk, she couldn't help but notice that her partner was in an exceptionally foul mood. She wanted to ask him why, but that would not have gone over well and she knew it. So she kept her head down and kept her questions to herself.

Carlton Lassiter gave her a disapproving scowl. "Your boyfriend is here." He said that with such distaste, she couldn't help but be slightly perturbed. Yes, Shawn was her boyfriend, and Lassiter had made it very clear how he felt about that fact. And Shawn's constant name-calling and annoyances did not help the situation. Still…

"No need for introductions, Lassie-frass!" Shawn claimed, sweeping in with his usual fanfare. "I'm here to take my lovely lady to lunch."

Juliet hesitated. "Shawn, that's sweet, but…"

"No buts, my dear." He stopped beside her desk and held out a hand, beaming ridiculously.

Scowling, Lassiter stood up and took a menacing step toward Shawn. "We don't have time for this." He looked past Shawn, at Juliet. "We should get going."

Juliet grabbed onto his proverbial lifeline and grabbed her purse. "You're right, Carlton. We're late."

Shawn pouted. "What exactly are you late for?"

"Actual police work, Spencer." He gave Juliet another look.

Juliet sidestepped Shawn, but not without giving him an apologetic look. "I'll call you later, Shawn." She kissed his cheek and followed her partner.

Shawn watched her go, noting with sadness that she hadn't kissed him in a long time.

Once they were outside, Juliet looked at her partner, who suddenly couldn't seem to meet her eyes. "Are you okay, Carlton?"

"Fine," he answered gruffly.

With a sigh, she looked at her watch. It was almost one. "I need to make a quick stop, and then we can go get some lunch."

He grunted, which she took as consent, and they climbed into his car. Then they drove down the road, a wall of silence between them.

They arrived at Juliet's bank fifteen minutes later. Juliet was surprised when Lassiter got out of the car as well, but she didn't say anything. Things had been somewhat strained between them for the past few weeks, ever since his romance with Marlowe ended and her relationship with Shawn progressed. She hated that they were becoming strangers, but what could she do? Carlton was her best friend, but she loved Shawn and was going to spend the rest of her life with him. Wasn't she?

She frowned at the thought. Where did that come from? Of course she was going to be with Shawn. She loved him, and he loved her, even if he was an immature idiot at times. He was a good man. But so was Lassiter. In fact, Lassiter was a great man.

She stole a brief glance at him as they walked into her bank. Shawn teased her for not going paperless already, but she was a social person and she enjoyed walking into her bank and dealing with those she had come to regard as friends. It was something she looked forward to on a regular basis.

Her flow of thoughts was interrupted as they stepped into the lobby of the bank. They were both trained police officers, and they could tell when something just wasn't right. She looked around, her hand instinctively moving to the gun that rested in her shoulder holster.

By the time they fully grasped the reality of the situation, it was too late. Terrified people sat along the far wall, silently pleading for help.

Beside her, Juliet heard her partner mutter, "Oh, hell." Then there was the familiar rustling of clothing as he retrieved his gun.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," an unnervingly cold voice stated. Juliet hesitated.

A man walked around them until they were face to face. He wasn't wearing a mask, which instantly troubled Juliet. If he wasn't concerned about hiding his identity, he had no plans of leaving anyone alive who could identify him. He had a gun in his hand, along with several others and countless bullets attached to his body. Lassiter dully reflected that he resembled Rambo. No, this was not going to be good.

The man motioned to the guns Juliet and Lassiter held. "Drop them, now."

Juliet glanced at her partner, who nodded ever so slightly. They had both been trained in these types of situations, and right now the lives of the civilians had to take precedent. So they reluctantly laid their guns on the floor.

"Good. Now kick them over here."

They obeyed and nudged the guns across the floor. Once they were within reach, the man leaned down and picked them both up then tucked them away.

Juliet took that moment to speak. "Look, we want to help. What do you want?"

Despite his anger, Lassiter was proud of Juliet. She was trying to keep a clear head and talk their way out of this. That was his partner, always determined to bring resolution without bloodshed. And he adored her for it.

The man let out a cold chuckle. "What I want is for both of you to go over there and shut the hell up."

The three stood there briefly, eyes locked, until he aimed his gun at Juliet's head. "Now."

Unwilling to take a chance with his partner's life, Lassiter laid a hand on her back and gently guided her toward the wall where a dozen or so people were sitting. They all looked terrified as Juliet and Lassiter sat down with them. Once they were sitting, Juliet looked at Lassiter. His jaw was clenched and his cerulean eyes were filled with rage. On instinct, she reached out and grabbed his hand in hers.

His reaction was immediate. He swung his gaze toward her, and his hand reflexively squeezed hers. It was obvious to him that she was afraid, even if she maintained a cool and calm façade. He knew her better than he knew anyone, even himself. And she was terrified.

Reassured by the mutual contact, Juliet began to take stock of the situation. She could hear voices coming from the direction of the shooter, so he wasn't alone. He had accomplices. Turning her head, she looked at the terrified group of hostages. By her count, there was roughly a dozen people, including a young child and one woman who looked like she was about to give birth any minute. Leaning closer to Lassiter, she whispered, "Do you have a plan?"

"I'm working on it."

Holding his gun tightly, Jesse looked over at the large safe, where Roy and Johnny were working to open it. "Come on, guys!"

"Shut up, Jess," Roy hissed. "We're working on it."

"Then work faster!" He was already on edge and shaky. They had been planning this out for months, but what they hadn't planned for was the number of people in the bank. Roy had promised that it would be empty except for the bank tellers. The security guards were tied up behind the counter, relieved of their guns and all kinds of communication. They had searched the customers for phones and any other electronic devices before lining them up along the wall. What they hadn't planned for were the two people who showed up with guns. They had to be some kind of law enforcement, and that was not going to go over well. If they were cops and he shot them, it would be the same as putting the needle in his arms himself. Hopefully they wouldn't do anything stupid, and he could get out of here and make a run for the border.

Finally the safe opened with a loud whoosh, and Jesse grinned at the hostages. "It looks like we might be getting out of here faster than expected."

Lassiter scowled at him, but Juliet kept her firm grip on his hand, steadying him. He was too angry to really enjoy the sensation of Juliet holding onto his hand like a lifeline. They had been partners for seven years, but they rarely touched beyond undercover work or the occasional accidental brush of a hand against skin in passing. Of course they had hugged once or twice in a moment of extreme emotional duress, but that was all. Why? Because he was too damn afraid of getting close to someone again, of letting someone care about him. Spencer was irrelevant. He knew, sooner or later, Juliet would come to her senses or Spencer would break her heart, and it would be over. He would be there to pick up the pieces, even if he could never have Juliet for his own.

Juliet started to breathe a sigh of relief, but what happened in the following moments, she would never know exactly. The pregnant woman a few feet away let out a terrified scream of pain, which caused the small child nearby to cry out as well.

The man with the gun spun toward the sounds, and Lassiter took advantage of his momentary distraction to grab the gun that was holstered at his ankle.

Juliet saw this, and she tried to grab Lassiter's arm. But as her fingers connected with his skin, the gunman spun around again. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight of Lassiter's gun.

"Hey!"

Roy had been walking over to Jesse, and when he saw the man's gun, he didn't hesitate. Pulling out his own gun, he aimed it and pulled the trigger.

Lassiter felt pressure long before he felt pain, and it knocked the wind out of him. He slumped back against the wall, his hands instinctively covering the open wound in his abdomen.

"Carlton!" Twisting toward her partner, she reached out and pressed her hands firmly against his. The warm, sticky blood quickly stained her hands, churning her stomach. He had been shot before, but it was a graze and even then she had been terrified. Now she could barely breathe.

"I'm okay," he ground out, but they both knew he was lying.

"Sure." Moving her hands away, she quickly removed her jacket and folded it up, leaving her in a tank top. Then she gently pushed his hands away and held her jacket against his abdomen.

Swearing, Jesse grabbed Roy's arm and dragged him back to the safe. "What the hell did you just do?" he snarled.

Roy shrugged. "He was going for a gun."

"You know the plan! Nobody gets hurt!"

"Plans change." Roy tucked his gun away and walked over to the safe, where Johnny was loading cash into gym bags.

Jesse swore and looked over at the hostages, who all looked terrified, except for the blond. She was bouncing between fury and concern, and when she caught Jesse looking at her, she gave him a scathing look.

Damn it.

Chief Karen Vick was getting ready for lunch when her phone rang, and she contemplated not answering it. But she knew that she couldn't get away with that, so she reluctantly picked up the phone.

"Vick."

Outside of the chief's office, McNab was handing out coffee when the chief's door flew open. She was holstering her gun.

"Okay, everybody, we have a hostage situation at the Bank of Santa Barbara. Locals are already down there, but the mayor wants us on this one." She had been trying to get ahold of Lassiter and O'Hara, but neither was answering their phones. She would just have to deal with them later.

Buzz set the coffee down and eagerly followed the chief. Today was shaping up to be a good day.

Juliet felt her phone buzz at her hip, but she didn't pay attention to it. She was too focused on keeping her partner from bleeding out.

The small group of hostages watched the scene with paralyzing fear, but only one, a woman in her mid to late thirties, moved closer to Juliet and Lassiter.

Juliet watched the woman somewhat suspiciously. Normally she was a cop above all else, but at the moment, she was a woman desperate to protect her best friend. Lassiter's eyes were closed, but he was breathing.

The woman gave Juliet a reassuring smile. "I'm a nurse," she whispered. "My name is Tracy."

Reluctantly, Juliet allowed Tracy to come closer to her injured partner. But when Tracy reached out, Juliet grabbed her wrist and held it tightly.

"It's okay," Tracy soothed. "I have to see the wound."

Slowly Juliet released her wrist, watching intently as Tracy moved the jacket aside and probed the wound.

The pain brought Lassiter back to awareness. He growled and shifted his hips. "Get…get off of me."

"Carlton." Juliet moved to his head and rested her hand lightly against his cheek. "Hey…"

He instinctively leaned into her hand, his handsome features contorted in pain.

"The bullet didn't exit his body," Tracy muttered as she studied the wound. "He's losing blood too fast."

"Aw, how sweet," a chilling voice said, and both Juliet and Tracy looked up.

Roy smiled at the women. If he got his way, they would all be dead. No witnesses meant no ID's, and they would get away scot-free. He liked that idea.

Moving slowly, Juliet raised Lassiter's upper body off of the floor. Then she settled him in her arms, all the while silently daring the man in front of her to do something about it. If Carlton hadn't been hurt, she might have been more concerned about the other hostages. But as it was, Carlton was her main focus, and her responsibility. "Look," she started softly. "My name is Juliet O'Hara. This is my partner, Carlton Lassiter. As you can see, he's badly hurt and he needs to get to a hospital."

"Don't worry about that, Ms. O'Hara."

Something in his voice sent a chill through Juliet, and she looked down at Lassiter.

She had to get him out of there.

By the time Vick got to the bank, neither Lassiter nor O'Hara had answered their phones, and a bad feeling was forming in the pit of her gut. She got out of her car in time to see Guster and Spencer jump out of Guster's car.

Shawn jogged up to Vick. "Chief, is Juliet with you?" His handsome face was tinged with worry.

"No, Mr. Spencer, she's not." Vick looked at the bank.

"I'm not sure where she is."

Inside of the bank, a phone rang suddenly. The hostages flinched, but Juliet kept her firm hold on her partner. Tracy was now holding pressure against Lassiter's abdomen, and she looked deeply worried, something that did not escape Juliet's notice.

Swearing, Roy looked around until he found the source of the ringing, a phone on the nearby desk of a teller.

Finally Juliet spoke, but she didn't take her eyes from her partner. "That's probably my boss, Chief Karen Vick. The entire Santa Barbara Police Department is outside."

Roy turned red. How the hell did this happen? They were supposed to be in and out, get the money and go. Now there was an entire police department outside?

"They want to know what you want," Juliet said softly.

With a growl, Roy grabbed the phone. "What?"

"This is Karen Vick-"

"I know who you are," Roy snarled. "What do you want?"

"Actually, this is about what you want. What can we get for you?"

"How about a car so we can get the hell out of here?" he sneered.

"We can do that," Vick assured him as she motioned to McNab. "But first we need a sign of good faith."

"Like what?"

"How about you let someone go?"

Jesse and Johnny were standing behind him now, and Roy looked at them. Their eyes were wide. "Are you serious about that car?"

"Yes, I am."

"Fine." Hanging up the phone, Roy pointed to the group of hostages, specifically at the pregnant woman. "You!"

The pregnant woman cowered. "Wh-what?"

"Get up."

Her expression changed to one of sheer terror. "Please, don't hurt me," she begged as she struggled to her feet. Her arms went protectively around her belly.

Roy crossed the floor and roughly grabbed her arm. Then he dragged her to the doors that led outside. Sure enough, there were dozens of cop cars and an ambulance. Muttering under his breath, he shoved her toward the door. "Get out."

Dazed, the woman stumbled outside, into the warm sun. Immediately she was descended upon by several officers.

Vick made her way to the front and gently took the woman's arm. "What is your name?"

"Carrie," the woman sobbed.

"Carrie. Okay, I need to ask you some questions. Do you know how many hostages are inside?"

"Thirteen or fifteen," she managed. "And one was hurt."

"Hurt how?"

"He was shot."

Reaching into the folder she'd tucked under her arm, Vick held up two pictures, one of O'Hara and the other of Lassiter. "Were they in there with you?"

Carrie stared at the pictures and nodded. "He was the one who was shot."

Damn it… Gently squeezing Carrie's shoulder, Vick called for a paramedic. "Thank you, Carrie. You've been a big help."

As Carrie was led away, Shawn jogged up to the chief. "What's going on?"

"Lassiter and O'Hara are inside."

Shawn's stomach dropped to the ground. "Juliet's in there?" The words felt foreign on his tongue, but the moment he realized the severity of the situation, he was rushing toward the bank. McNab had to grab him and hold him to prevent him from running inside.

"Mr. Spencer! You can't just charge in there…"

"Jules is in there, Chief!"

"I know she is, and we have procedures for this kind of thing. We'll get her out."

She only hoped that she sounded more confident than she actually felt.

"You have to let him go."

Roy stared at Juliet, one eyebrow raised at her bold declaration. "What?"

"You let that woman go." She looked down at Lassiter, who had slipped back into unconsciousness. "My partner is really hurt." She could hear the commotion and sirens outside, but she knew that things could get even worse before help ever arrived. She had to get Lassiter out of the bank and fast.

"Please."

The hostage negotiator finally showed up at the scene, and Vick quickly apprised him of the situation.

"There are roughly ten to fourteen hostages inside, including two of my own detectives, and one of them is injured. We aren't sure how bad the injury is, though."

The negotiator nodded and took the phone that Vick offered.

"Don't worry, Chief. We're going to get everyone out of there."

Juliet closed her eyes, waiting for Roy to pull the trigger. But she kept her hand over Lassiter's head and hoped that the gunshot would force Vick and the entire department to flood the building and save Lassiter.

Roy held the gun on her for several moments before finally lowering it. His expression was indefinable as he spun around and stalked away from the group of hostages.

Once he was gone, Juliet let out an unsteady breath.

Tracy looked at Juliet. "I think he's waking up again."

Immediately everything else faded away as Juliet watched Lassiter's face intently. Sure enough, his long eyelashes fluttered and he moved slightly in her arms. "Hey…" She gently smoothed his damp hair away from his forehead.

Lassiter groaned and tried to sit up, but Juliet easily held him in place. "What…?"

"Take it easy," she soothed. "You were shot."

"Oh…" Weakened from blood loss, his normal barriers were all completely gone. He pressed himself closer to Juliet, reveling in the feel of being so close to her.

Tracy firmly pressed her hands against his abdomen. The jacket was already saturated with his blood. "He needs a hospital."

"I know!" Juliet snapped.

"Juliet…"

His use of her first name sent a chill down her spine. "What is it, Carlton?" she murmured, any trace of anger or frustration instantly eradicated.

"Gotta…get the civilians out…"

"Shh. I'm working on it," she assured him. Leave it to Carlton Lassiter to be severely wounded and more concerned about others. It was one of the many qualities that she adored in him.

He forced his eyes open and looked at her through the haze of pain. "You have to…get out…"

"I'm not leaving you, Carlton," she said swiftly. There was no way in hell she was going to leave him alone and wounded.

"O'Hara."

Roy reappeared, gun in hand. The other two men were still out of sight. He pointed the gun at the only child of the group. The child's mother quickly grabbed her and held her tight. "You two, get out."

Stunned but compliant, the mother pulled her child up and quickly rushed out of the bank.

Juliet stared at the gunman. "I can see that you're a reasonable man," she murmured. "You're letting women and children go." She looked down at Lassiter, who had lost consciousness again, and her heart raced. "Please, let me take my partner out of here."

Tracy turned her head and looked at the man. "Sir, I'm a nurse, and this man is in bad shape. He's lost a dangerous amount of blood, there's a lot of damage, and he could be bleeding internally."

Roy just watched them, his expression cold, and Juliet realized that it would take a miracle to get her partner to safety.

By the time the second and third hostages were released, Vick had several snipers lined up around the bank. Instinct had gotten her to where she was today, and instinct told her that the man on the phone had no intention of releasing Lassiter and O'Hara. In fact, she was certain that the three hostages that had been released would be the only ones he let go. And after talking with the second woman, she knew that Carlton didn't have much time left. As much as she hated it, they needed the sniper to take him out the first chance he got.

A few feet away, Shawn Spencer was pacing anxiously. His girlfriend was in that bank, and for the first time in a long time, he felt completely helpless.

He couldn't be helpless.

Vick was talking to the negotiator when she saw a blur of blue and gray rush past her, and she looked in time to see Shawn run into the bank.

"Spencer!"

Juliet's ears perked up when the bank doors opened, but she couldn't bring herself to look. In her arms, Lassiter had started shivering and sweating, which she could tell worried Tracy. It worried her, too.

In fact, she didn't look up until a very familiar voice began to speak.

"Hey, man. What's going on?"

Immediately Roy aimed his gun at the man who had strolled into the bank. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Shawn Spencer, psychic for the Santa Barbara Police Department." Shawn held two fingers up to his forehead. "I can tell that you're a decent guy. You've already released three people."

Roy scowled. "I don't believe in psychics." He leveled his gun at Shawn's forehead.

"Hey, that's okay." Shawn motioned to the group of hostages, and his eyes briefly met Juliet's. He could see that Lassiter was in rough shape, and Juliet was terrified. "Look, you don't have to believe that I'm psychic. But believe this. There are at least three snipers around this building just waiting to shoot you. The entire SBPD is outside, too, and you have two of their detectives. The best thing you can do is let everyone go and surrender yourself before things get worse."

"Maybe he's right," Jesse spoke softly from behind Roy.

Roy spun around, his eyes ablaze. "Shut up!" he snarled.

"This has gotten out of control, Roy. We should just take the money and get the hell out of-"

Before he could complete the sentence, Roy pulled the trigger. Jesse's eyes widened as he crumpled to the floor.

Juliet gasped and covered Lassiter's head with her free hand. Tracy leaned over Lassiter as well in an attempt to shield the wounded man.

Roy turned back to Shawn, this time with a look of utter insanity. His gun hand was trembling slightly, but he aimed it at Shawn again.

Shawn held his hands up in a non-threatening manner.

"Now…"

Juliet jumped when another gun went off. Oh, God, Shawn…

Shawn closed his eyes, fully expecting for the bullet to hit him. It never did. Instead warm blood sprayed over him. He forced his eyes open and realized that Roy was sprawled out on the ground, a ragged hole in his chest. Shawn looked around and saw a third man standing with a gun in his hand.

"He shot my brother," Johnny whispered.

Sensing that the threat was gone, Shawn rushed over to Juliet and Lassiter. "Are you okay, Jules?" he demanded, his hands moving over her arms.

Juliet shook her head. "Go get help, Shawn. Now!"

Immediately Shawn got up again and rushed out of the bank. Moments later, paramedics and officers swarmed the bank. The uninjured hostages were led outside, but Juliet refused to move from Lassiter's side. It was with a deep reluctance that she even allowed the paramedics to lift him out of her arms and onto a stretcher. He was still unconscious, even after being jostled. Juliet was terrified.

Shawn fought his way through the group and grabbed Juliet. "Hey, hey, hey…" He pulled her against his chest and held her tight. She was okay. Thank God.

When the paramedics were finally ready to move Lassiter, Juliet broke away from Shawn. "I'm going with him."

"You can't-"

Years of being Carlton's partner had taught her a few things, including how to intimidate a person to get what she wanted. She never deployed it, but in that moment she did. "That is my partner, and I will be going with him."

The head medic finally nodded. "Fine, but stay out of the way."

"I will." Juliet glanced at Shawn before trotting after Lassiter's stretcher. She saw the unhappy look on Shawn's face, and she couldn't deny that she understood. But in that moment, all she cared about was going with Carlton and making sure that he would be okay. So she waited for the medics to load Carlton's stretcher into the back of the bus. Then she climbed in as well, quickly finding a seat close to Carlton's head. He was so pale, so still that she suddenly couldn't breathe. Knowing that he would never know, she leaned over and gently touched his cheek. Then she lightly kissed his forehead.

"Everything is going to be okay, Carlton," she whispered, her thumb lightly stroking his damp skin. The engine of the bus roared to life, and they lurched toward the road. Juliet remained by Lassiter's head, her blue-green eyes focused solely on him. He was going to be okay. He had to be. He just had to be. Sniffling, she moved her hand to the base of his neck. "Do you hear me? Everything is going to be okay."

The paramedics moved all around, but Juliet paid them no attention. They were saving Carlton's life. She had to let them work, to trust that they would do everything humanly possible to save her partner and best friend.

But halfway to the hospital, Lassiter stopped breathing.

To Be Continued...

A/N: *ducks and hides* Please review!