Chapter 1: Shawn

I watched my dad walk away from the bar and shook my head a little. I couldn't remember the last time we'd had a heart to heart like that, or if we'd really had one so meaningful in all of my thirty-six years. 'Too soon' I thought, trying to put the Family Ties moment behind me. I ordered two wines from the bar and took a sip from one, knowing in an instant that I wasn't going to finish. "No" I said to no one in particular, shaking my head at the sharp taste of the wine. I put mine down, and quickly made my way back to the table to a waiting Juliette. I handed her the other glass and couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked in my jacket, her fork full of cake. God I loved this women. "Where's yours?" Juliette asked innocently, taking the glass and noticing my now empty hands. "I took a shot of absinth at the bar" I answered smoothly, not sure why I felt the need to lie about not liking the wine. A familiar song began in the background, and I welcomed the chance to end the conversation. "Do you want to Wang Chung with me my dear?" I asked holding out my hand, but instead of getting up, she pulled back, a look of concern on her face. "Shawn I need to ask you something," Juliette said, nervously setting the wine glass on the table. "I don't know if it is me just over thinking things but I have to know the truth. Yesterday you were at the hotel, you saw the halls, and know the layout." She said stated, anxiously entangling her fingers together. "Guilty as charged," I quipped trying to lighten the suddenly serious tone of her voice. "Well you said you had this spectacular vision where Marlow was covered in garbage, but couldn't you have just remembered that there was a trash shoot on every floor, and just taken a guess?" I stood there a few feet away, watching as Juliette started to slowly put the pieces together. Not seeing a way out, I reluctantly answered "I guess, but that would've been a pretty wild guess, don't you think?" She answered quickly, "Absolutely! And I probably wouldn't have given it any more thought, but then I found this." Juliette slowly put her hand in the pocket of the jacket I had given her earlier. In that moment I knew what she was going to show me, the recite for the Michael Damion concert that I had shoved in my pocket earlier for safe keeping. "And I am sure there is an explanation, but you know me, I won't be able to stop thinking about it, and I certainly won't be able to Wang Chung until we get this cleared up," she said gaining confidence in her words. "Lassiter said that you had a vision, but you had this recite. So you knew that Herb would be there, right?" Juliette asked with her face full of hurt. For a moment I just stood there, hoping the right words would come to me, but when they didn't I let myself get distracted by the party that was going on around us. Marlow and Lassie were dancing lovingly, Chief Vicke was laughing, and Gus was on the balcony talking to Rachel, looking happier than I had seen him in years. And then suddenly the party melted away and my thoughts went to Juliette, and all of the great moments we'd shared over the last seven years. The first time we met at that small diner, during her first assignment with the SBPD. The first time we had almost kissed, our faces so close I could smell the spearmint on her breath. The first time she told me she was ready to date me after the Yin investigation. And of course there was the time we did finally kiss almost two years later. "Maybe the best things, the richest things, are the ones that don't come easy," Juliette's words rang in my ears as I pictured her in all those moments, forever imprinted in my memory. "Shawn, are you even listening to me?" Said Juliette sharply, bringing me back to the present. "Falling in love with you was never part of the plan, OK?" I retorted defensively. "This whole thing started started because my ass was on the line. Self-preservation Jules, you have to understand that! I didn't have a choice. And then we sort of found a grove, and by the time you showed up, it was so much fun! We've put away over a hundred criminals, most of them murderers. I am good at what I do, and what I do is good. Isn't it?" I asked, feeling exhausted by this whole conversation. "Are you telling me this is a lie?" Jules retorted, the tears starting to fall freely down her face. The anger quickly being replaced by anguish. Taking a breath I chose my next words much more carefully than I had the first. "Please don't make me answer that," I said softly, letting the pain I was feeling wash over me. Hoping that a small part of her would forgive me. "I, I feel so stupid." Juliet said sounding defeated. "No, sweat heart this is all me." I said taking a step towards her to put my hand on hers. Trying desperately to preserve any chance I may have to save us from drowning in the web of lies I had concocted over the years. Trying to remind her that I was still here to console her when she was feeling hurt. Even if it was me doing the hurting this time. Juliette pulled away and in one fluid motion went for the forgotten wine glass resting by her on the table, and threw the contents on me. She then quickly got up and left the table, leaving me standing there alone. Looking up at the balcony, I made eye contact with Gus, who had panic and confusion on his face. All I could do in response was collapse in the now empty chair and bury my head in my arms, defeated. 'What have I done?' I thought, as the tears I didn't know were there began to fall silently down my cheeks.