This is my first Psych fanfiction. The rest of the chapters will be told from different characters' POVs, but this one is told in the third person.
Did you know that shooting stars aren't really stars at all? They're just rocks that enter the atmosphere and catch fire under friction. So when we wish on one…we're really only wishing on a trail of debris. Broken pieces of something that had once been whole, and was now burning beyond repair.
This is what a lonely young girl was thinking when she tossed the match at an abandoned warehouse. She watched the flames engulf the building, and she marveled at how it was just as empty as her.
That's when she heard the sirens.
Shawn Spencer woke up on a perfectly normal Tuesday after passing out while suffering from a severe sugar crash at 3 am.
Yawning, he reached across the sofa and grabbed the remote, flicked the T.V. on, and saw something that made him want to hurl.
Lassie's smiling face.
"Yes," Lassie began in an entirely too pleased tone. "My partner and I apprehended the arsonist ourselves this morning."
Shawn immediately leapt off the couch and shot out the door, leaving the T.V. blaring behind him.
"Gus," Shawn demanded as he sat on a bench at the police station. "How is it that Lassie managed to catch this firebug before us?"
"Let me think," Gus began, irritated. "I showed you the police reports yesterday, to which you responded, 'Why, Guster, I already know who did it.' And then you followed a homeless man for three hours before demanding we go to Friendly's for a break."
"Gus. They have those delectable straws that change colors when you drink."
"That is not what the word delectable means, Shawn."
"Agree to disagree."
"Spencer!" Lassiter waltzed out of the Chief's office, a smug smile on his face.
"Lassie, if you're here to tell me how you caught the arsonist, then I've got to say that I'm getting some weird vibes about this whole thing, and I really think I should get in there to interrogate the guy."
"Oh, Spencer. I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life."
A confused look crossed Shawn's face.
"Please, Lassie," Shawn said. "You're sickening me. I'm sickened."
"Maybe you should come visit our little arsonist, how 'bout that?" Lassie suggested, a sick smile on his lips.
He guided them down the steps into the interrogation room.
"After you," he said sweetly, holding the door open for Gus and Shawn.
Lassie did a little skip into the room and slid into the chair across from a short, blonde girl.
"Ms. Spencer," Lassie began.
"Now you're calling me a woman?" Shawn asked. "Really? That's low, Lassie. Even for you."
"I'm not talking to you, Spencer."
Shawn glanced around the room.
"I'm talking to her." Lassie finished.
Shawn stared at the girl for a long moment. He and Gus exchanged a glance.
"If you'll excuse me, my partner and I have to discuss something in private," Gus said calmly.
They quickly exited the interrogation room and made a mad dash to the bench at the front of the police station.
Shawn sank to the bench. He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Oh, God, Gus," Shawn moaned. "Oh, God. This is just like that movie."
"The one with Julie Andrews?" Gus asked.
"No, the old lady, from that musical."
"…You mean Julie Andrews?"
"No, Gus. The nun. From that movie."
"Julie Roberts?"
"I can't do this with you right now."
"So, Spencer," Lassie shouted from down the hall, as he pulled the girl forward, handcuffed. "You figure it out?"
"Yes. I'm supposed to teach this troubled orphan something, Lassie, I understand that much. And I'm very sorry to disappoint, but my habit is being dry-cleaned at the moment."
"Those are two different movies, Shawn!" Gus hissed.
Lassiter laughed.
"No, Spencer. See, she's not an orphan."
"A troubled youth from the projects, huh?"
"A hardened criminal. An arsonist. Actually, she's exactly what I would've expected, considering who her father is."
Shawn's eyes widened.
"Oh, Lassie," he said. "Don't beat yourself up. You work a lot. You can't be held responsible for her criminal record."
Lassie laughed again. A cold, heartless laugh.
"Oh, no, Spencer. She's all yours."
Lassie shoved the girl forward and walked away.
"Well, I hardly think I'm qualified to babysit," Shawn called after him.
"Shawn," Gus said slowly.
"Yes, Gus?" Shawn asked calmly.
"What are we gonna do?"
"I'm gonna give her back," Shawn said calmly, completely serious.
Gus smacked Shawn on the head.
"You can't just return her, Shawn!" he said angrily.
"Then what am I supposed to do with her?"
Gus glared at him.
"Excuse me, what's your name, little girl?" Gus asked the girl kindly.
"Elise," she said roughly. "Elise Spencer. And I'm not a little girl. I'm fourteen."
Shawn coughed loudly, and promptly began to choke on air. Gus pounded his back, with a little more force than was necessary, it seemed.
"Shawn!" Gus shouted as he punched Shawn's back. "She's fourteen!"
"That's not possible!" Shawn coughed out. "That would make me…how old would I have been? Gus, come on, help me out here, buddy!"
"Count it out on your fingers!"
"Subtract 14...29, 28, 27, 26, 24…how many has it been, Gus? I can't keep track of all this!"
"Shawn! I'm calling your father right now!"
"NO! Gus…no matter what you do…no matter what happens…my dad can never, ever…find out about this."
Shawn glanced around the police station, then grabbed Elise and dragged her out the front door and stuffed her in his car.
Elise immediately slid to the other side and tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Let me out. Let me out now. I'll scream!" she threatened. "HELPmphhh!"
Shawn threw his hand over her mouth, muffling her cries for help.
"Gus!" Shawn shouted. "Drive! Drive like there's no tomorrow!"
"NO!" Gus shouted. "I will not help you break out a known criminal!"
"…FINE," Shawn said with a sigh. "Next case we get…you get to hit on the hot woman first." He mumbled this last part unwillingly.
"No, Shawn! It's illegal, and I'm not doin' it!"
Just then, Juliet, Lassiter and Chief Vick came running out of the police station.
"Way to go, Gus!" Shawn hissed, stepping out of the car.
"Attention, everyone!" Shawn shouted loudly, throwing his arms out to his sides dramatically. "I'M HAVING A VISION!"
"Here we go again," Lassiter mumbled.
Shawn began pawing at the air and growling softly.
"Smokey the bear!" Shawn shouted.
"Smokey the bear," Gus repeated, playing along. "Forest fires!"
"YES! Only you can prevent forest fires!" Shawn pointed dramatically to Elise, still sitting in the car.
"I'm seeing…" Shawn grabbed a man in the parking lot and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a lighter.
"Mr. Spencer!" Chief Vick shouted angrily.
"I'm seeing fire!" Shawn shouted, flicking the lighter over and over. "And lots of it!"
Shawn tossed the lighter on the ground, then grabbed his arm in horror.
"No! Yes! No! Yes! No!" Shawn shouted, flipping his head from side to side.
He looked at the people assembled on the stairs.
"There was a fight!" he shouted, a revelation. "The girl….she was trying to stop someone from starting the fires…but she couldn't…OH, GOD!"
Shawn stared at his body in horror.
"I'm burning! I'm MELTING!" he sunk to the ground, squinting his eyes towards the sun. "There was someone in the building! She was trying to help him get out, and that's when you two showed up!" he pointed to Juliet and Lassiter.
Shawn collapsed on the floor, placing his hand over his heart.
"She's innocent," he breathed. "You've got the wrong kid."
"Mr. Spencer," Chief Vick said, approaching Shawn from the stairs. "The evidence against this child is undeniable. She started the fires."
"Chief…please…" Shawn said softly from the ground. "Just give us a chance. Gus and I can prove she's innocent. Please."
"Nice try, Spencer," Lassie said, starting down the steps. "But you know she did it. You're only trying to help her because she's your-"
"Neighbor!" Shawn shouted. "Yes, Lassie, that's correct. And maybe I am being a little biased, but the spirits of the psychic realm are not!"
"There's no way she didn't commit those crimes, Mr. Spencer!" Chief Vick said, exasperated.
"Chief, please," Shawn said again. "Gus and I can prove she didn't do it. All we need is a little time. Doesn't our track record speak for itself?"
The Chief saw a desperate pleading in his eyes, and knew that, for whatever reason, this case was extremely important to Shawn.
"Fine," she said softly. "You have three days. But the girl stays here."
"We can't conduct this investigation without her. Reception to the psychic realm is spotty, at best. I need a connection, a key, if you will, in order to do this properly. I won't be able to get a good, clear vision without the wrongfully accused standing next to me."
"Mr. Spencer, I cannot let you take-"
"I'll never let her out of my sight."
"I have to charge her with the crime and return her to her legal guardians, you know that."
"Actually, Chief, her legal guardian would be-"
"Fine!" Shawn shouted. "Take her away!" he dramatically fell to the floor again, throwing a hand over his eyes in disgust.
Lassiter led Elise out of the car, and then approached Chief Vick once more.
"Chief, I think you should know that-"
"That there's a sale on piña coladas at the mall today," Shawn interrupted, getting to his feet. "Thank you, Lassie.''
The Chief stared at Shawn quizzically, before following Juliet back into the building.
"What is wrong with you, Spencer?" Lassiter asked in annoyance.
"Please, Lassie," Shawn begged. "I've never asked you for anything before."
"Yes you have-"
"That was the wrong approach, wasn't it?" Shawn asked Gus.
"Definitely," Gus responded.
"Look, Lassiter," Shawn began again. "I need you to keep this undercover…just for a little bit. No one can find out about it. Please."
"It's my duty to tell the Chief-"
"There is no law stating that you have to tell the Chief who the kid's father is," Shawn interrupted. "If she doesn't ask, you don't have to tell her."
"Spencer, I have to-"
"I just need a little time. If we can't prove she's innocent, then fine. You can shout it from the rooftops, Lassie. I just need a few days to prove she didn't do it. And if I can...then no one needs to know who she is."
"If you want my advice, Spencer, forget about it. She did it, there's no way around it. I caught her with the-"
"Thank you for that, Dear Abby. Three days. That's all I'm asking."
Lassiter stared at Spencer. He wouldn't necessarily be breaching protocol, so that made it alright, didn't it?
"Three days," Lassiter said finally. "But that's it."
"Oh, Lassie, I could just kiss you!" Shawn said, beaming.
Lassiter gave him a disgusted look and led Elise back into the station.
"Shawn…" Gus said slowly. "This is bad."
"This is very bad," Shawn agreed.