I do not own Psych or any of its characters. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

I'm generally not the biggest fan of Valentine's Day but I couldn't resist writing about my favorite Psych couple on the holiday of love. This story ended up longer than I thought it would be, so I'm splitting it into three parts. I'll be posting the whole thing this weekend; Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

This story is dedicated to all of us who spend Valentine's Day alone. I hope this helps make the holiday more enjoyable.

To those of you spending it with someone, I hope you know how lucky you are and wish you a wonderful time.

Happy Valentine's Day!


Gus walked into the Psych office and stopped short at the sight that met his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Shawn looked up at Gus. "Shopping."

Gus looked around the office, then back at Shawn. "Why are you lying on the floor with your feet propped up on the couch?"

"It helps me think."

Gus sighed and shook his head. He carefully walked over the magazines, catalogs, and flyers scattered over the floor as he made his way to his desk. "Find anything good?" he asked once he was safely in his chair.

Shawn picked up the catalog he had been looking at before Gus came in. "What about a gun cleaning kit?"

"You don't even own a gun."

Shawn rolled his eyes and partially sat up to get a better look at his friend. "Not for me, dude, for Lassie. I still need to get him something for Valentine's Day."

"That's less than a week away," Gus pointed out.

"I know." He read over the description of the kit. "This one contains four slotted tips, whatever that means."

"They're used for cleaning the barrel of the gun."

Shawn raised an eyebrow. "How is it I'm the one with the gunophile boyfriend yet you know what those slot thingys are?"

"The correct term is gun enthusiast," Gus corrected him, "and your dad taught both of us proper gun care when we were kids before my mom put a stop to it. It's not my fault you didn't pay attention."

"Whatever," Shawn said. "The point is Lassie needs a new one, especially with the amount of time he's been spending at the range lately." Since coming out at work, his boyfriend had started to have problems with a few of the other officers. Most of it was snide comments about their relationship but a couple of the confrontations had turned physical, necessitating the Chief's involvement. Luckily there had been multiple witnesses both times and Carlton made sure not to be the one to throw the first punch. Still, all the added stress had him stopping at the gun range three to four times a week, usually straight from work.

"It doesn't seem very romantic," Gus said doubtfully.

Shawn sighed and tossed the catalog next to him on the floor. "I know but I'm starting to run out of ideas of what to get him." With the problems Carlton had been having at work, he wanted to get his boyfriend something really good. He glanced over at Gus. There was one thing he knew Carlton would love, but he didn't have the money for it. He could just borrow Gus's credit card again, but maybe instead he could convince his friend to help him out.

"There is one thing. . ," Shawn said slowly. He shook his head. "It's probably a stupid idea."

"Knowing you, it probably is," Gus agreed. Shawn glared at him, but he could see his friend was curious. He waited a few seconds, silently counting down in his head. "Are you going to tell me what it is?" Gus asked, right on cue.

"You really want to know?"

"That's why I asked, Shawn."

"It doesn't matter; I can't afford it." Shawn sighed heavily. "It's too bad. It was the perfect gift too."

Gus shook his head. "It's not going to work Shawn."

"I'm not doing anything," Shawn protested. "I just think it's a shame Lassie will have to settle for a mediocre gift."

"And how much does it cost?" Gus asked warily, narrowing his eyes.

"Four hundred dollars." Shawn braced himself for the outburst.

"What the hell could you want to get him that costs that much?" Gus exclaimed.

"I'll show you." Shawn pulled his legs off the couch and sat up. He started shifting through the papers scattered over the floor. "I know it's here somewhere," he muttered. Finally spotting it under the edge of his desk, he grabbed the flyer and thrust it into Gus's face triumphantly. "Got it!"

Gus looked it over. "The National Civil War and Antique Arms Show?"

"Lassie's a history geek, especially about the Civil War," Shawn explained. "All those old weapons? He'll love it."

Gus continued reading the flyer. "This show isn't for another few months," Gus said and slowly looked up at him. "Do you really think you'll still be together then?"

"Yes, I do," Shawn said firmly. "I'm in it for the long haul this time."

"Well, I'm proud of you Shawn," Gus said. "I'm glad to see you finally getting serious about someone."

"It's not like we're that serious," Shawn said quickly. "He hasn't even said 'it' yet."

"What?"

"You know." Shawn rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "The 'L' word."

Gus still looked puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Shawn sighed. "You see, Gus, when a man and another man have feelings for each other – "

"Don't you dare say another word," Gus warned. "We talked about this."

"I'm just answering your question." Shawn smiled innocently at his friend.

"You know the rules Shawn. I do not want to know what you and Lassiter do behind closed doors," Gus said firmly.

"Who says they're closed. Who says there are doors?"

"Shawn!"

"Jeez. All right," Shawn said, holding up his hands placatingly.

Gus crossed his arms and looked at Shawn. "By the 'L' word, do you mean love?"

Shawn flinched. "I prefer calling it the 'L' word. It sounds less threatening."

"You guys haven't been dating that long. Do you really think he feels that strongly about you?" Gus asked.

Shawn shrugged helplessly. "That's the problem. I'm not sure." He frowned as he thought back over the last few weeks. "There have been times where I would swear he was about to say it but stopped himself. Maybe it's just some weird reflex left over from when he was married and not about me at all."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?" Gus asked.

Shawn snorted. "Of course not. We may be gay but we're still guys."

"Talking is part of every serious relationship. You can't avoid it," Gus said.

"I think we've been doing pretty well so far," Shawn said. He started gathering the magazines and papers littering the floor, dumping them in a messy pile on his desk. He could feel Gus watching him as he did, knowing there was more to this than what he had already said. He turned back to look at his friend. "What do I do if he does say it?"

Gus crossed his arms and studied Shawn. "That depends on how you feel about him."

"Well, I definitely like him," Shawn said. "Especially when we're in bed and he does this great thing with his tongue – "

"Shawn! What did we just talk about?" Gus yelled, cutting him off. "I don't want to know."

"All right," Shawn said with a grin. It was just too easy to mess with his friend. He tilted his head thoughtfully as thought about his feelings for Carlton. "I think about him most of the time and not always in naughty ways. There's a lot more to him than meets the eye. Did you know he's really good at skee ball? You should see the prize he won me when we went to the carnival last weekend." The giant stuffed pineapple currently had a place of honor in the corner of his bedroom. "I'm just happier being around him. He probably feels the same; we've barely spent a night apart since New Year's."

"So we've established that you like him," Gus said. "Do you love him?"

"I don't know." Shawn stuck his hands in his pockets, looking down at the floor. "I might. I mean, I've never felt this strongly about someone before. It's kind of new territory for me."

"It sounds like it could be love to me," Gus said with a satisfied smirk.

"What if I can't say it back?" Shawn asked. "What if he tells me he loves me and I can't answer him?"

"If he really loves you, he'll understand." Gus shrugged. "He knows you don't do feelings well. He'll wait until you can say it back."

"I hope so." He suddenly grinned at Gus. "Did you ever think we'd be having this conversation."

"Not about you; at least not for another twenty years," Gus said. He looked down at the flyer still clutched in his hand and sighed. "I'll lend you the money for the tickets."

"Good, because we can get a discount on the hotel room if we book ahead of time, and we can use your miles to pay for the plane tickets to Richmond," Shawn said. "Don't worry; I'll totally pay you back for everything."

"Sure you will," Gus said doubtfully.

Shawn went over to his desk and opened his computer. He better have Gus pay for everything now, before he changed his mind. The browser was open already, displaying the website of a place that would deliver chocolates and flowers to your loved one on V-Day. You could even send a personalized message. Carlton wasn't really the flower type, but he did have a sweet tooth, so Shawn had browsed the site earlier while he was trying to come up with gift ideas.

He grinned as an idea struck him. It would take some work, and a bit of luck, but if he pulled it off his friend wouldn't be spending Valentine's Day alone this year. He just needed to keep it secret from Gus until it was too late for his friend to back out.

Gus had helped him with his love life; it was only fair if Shawn returned the favor.


Part two will be up tomorrow.

Let me know what you think.