"May I speak with my son?" Henry Spencer barged into the chief's office looking furious.
"Henry, this is a closed-door meeting."
"I would like to speak with my son."
"Henry... Fine, only for a few minutes." Henry grabbed his Shawn by the arm and pulled him into the hallway. He led him into one of the interrogation rooms.
"Sit." Shawn obeyed.
The chief stared at the retreating backs. She exchanged looks with her two best detectives.
"I'm following them." She decided.
"Chief?" Juliet asked.
"I just want to make sure Henry doesn't do something he might regret." She walked briskly down the hallway behind them. Juliet and Lassiter followed in her wake.
They reached the viewing room and stared through the one-sided mirror. Henry and Shawn didn't know they were there.
"Why would you take this case?" Henry yelled. Shawn looked uncharacteristically scared.
"We need cases Dad. We're broke."
"You mean your broke. Gus has a real job."
"Dad, we've been doing Psych for almost 5 months."
"IT'S NOT A REAL JOB! It's a stupid little job you made up, because you can't find and actual one." Hurt flashed in Shawn's eyes. In the viewing room the chief exchanged looks with the two detectives.
"I'm good at it!"
"No, you're not. You're good at lying. That's the only thing you'll ever be good at!" Henry barked. Shawn flinched. He eyes were suspiciously bright. The Chief, Juliet and Lassiter were shocked, they knew the two Spencers had a rocky relationship, but this was crossing the line. The older Spencer seemed to have lost his temper. "YOU SHOULD HAVE BECOME A COP!" Henry yelled.
"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DIVORCED MOM! OR ARRESTED ME!" The words came spilling out of Shawn's mouth before he could stop them. Henry's eyes glinted.
"DON'T BRING YOUR MOTHER INTO THIS. AND IF YOU HAD EVER LISTENED TO ME I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO ARREST YOU!" Henry yelled. Shawn's green eyes hardened. He spoke in a voice of deadly calm.
"Look I'm sorry my life didn't go the way you planned." The chief's eyes widened. She turned to look at her two detectives who wore similar expressions.
"Life...didn't go the way you planned..." Juliet said weakly.
"I trained you to become a cop. Every day, your entire childhood. You failed. You're a disappointment." Henry spat. At this point he wasn't exactly aware of the words coming out is mouth. Shawn stood up. He turned away from his dad so that he was facing the one-sided mirror, unaware that his colleagues were staring directly at him. Tears splashed down his face.
"Do you know why I made Psych?" Shawn's voice was soft. Henry didn't respond. "I didn't make it because I wanted glory and attention." Henry scoffed. "I didn't even do it because it's fun and I like it. I did it because I wanted to make you proud. I will never become a cop, we both know that. So I did it to try and make you proud. To use the skills you gave me. All I ever wanted was to make you proud." Shawn's voice cracked.
"Well that's just one more thing you failed at." Henry said. He spun around and stormed out of the room. The Chief and her two detectives made no move to stop him. They watched as Shawn stared after his father. The brunet man sunk onto the floor against the wall and curled into a ball, breaking down completely. The Chief, Lassiter and Juliet starred. They had never seen Shawn cry. Or knew his relationship his father and his childhood was that bad. Juliet watched Shawn's frame shake with heaving sobs. The sympathy shone in her eyes. She had some daddy issues too, but they were nothing like this. Her feet seemed to carry her toward the door. She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"O'Hara. Where are you going?"
"He looks so... I just think he needs someone to comfort him. I can't stand here and watch him hurt. I know he would do the same for anyone." She said softly. To her surprise both the Chief and Lassiter nodded. She strode over to the door to the interrogation room. She paused and took in a breath, then let herself in. If Shawn heard the door he didn't react. Juliet approached him.
"This really isn't the best time detective. I wish you weren't seeing me like this. Can we try this again where this is my apartment, and I'm sipping a pineapple smoothie, and looking sexy in just my boxers?" His was trying to sound teasing but the shaking in his voice ruined the effect. Slightly. Lassiter and the Chief rolled their eyes on the other side of the mirror. Juliet shook her head in exasperation and acted as if she hadn't heard that part of the comment, then slid onto the floor beside Shawn.
"Shawn you don't have to bottle up your emotions and hide them behind jokes all the time. No one is going to think you're weak for feeling things."
"Except Lassiter. And my dad."
"Since when do you care what Lassiter thinks?" Juliet giggled. A small smile graced Shawn's lips.
"My dad always said showing your emotions gives people something to use against you."
"Screw it." Juliet said. She was feeling bubbling anger at the older Spencer. The next moment, against his better judgement, Shawn found himself crying into Juliet's shoulder.