A/N: This is a response to Pineapple Smoothie's challenge Roses are red, violets are blue... challenge over on PsychFic.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
He saw her sitting on a bench on the pier, the ocean air swirling her hair around her face. He couldn't kid himself; she looked gorgeous. Then again, she always did, good days and bad. He'd never really noticed it before, but now, he saw it clearly.
He drew in a deep breath and started walking towards her, the bouquet of lilies shaking nervously in his hands.
"Uh, these are for you," he said shyly, extending the flowers.
"That's... very thoughtful of you, Buzz," she responded, giving him a questioning glance.
With crimson creeping into his cheeks, he abruptly turned on his heel and rushed away from her.
Juliet stared at the lilies for a minute, absently wondering how Buzz knew her favorite flower, before she saw the card.
"To whom it may (or may not) concern," she started, already interested. "You and/or Gus owe Buzz five dollars. I would've paid him myself, but Gus is refusing to let me hold onto my own money. Again. Read next card."
She paused briefly, not realizing a smile had crept onto her face. She picked up the second card and continued.
"It's been exactly six months since I figured out I couldn't let you spend your life with Declan, even though he's filthy rich and knows Curt Smith. Happy (almost) Anniversary. I think you're really swell."
She put the card down, smelled the lilies and closed her eyes, wondering how she was lucky enough to end up with someone like Shawn, someone who made her smile just by being himself, goofy and sweet and childish.
"Thinking about how lucky you are?"
The words caught her off guard, and her hand was halfway to her holster when she recognized Shawn's voice.
"Thinking about how lucky you are," she corrected, reaching for his hand. "You can get shot sneaking up on people like that."
"You know that's right."
Shawn and Juliet's eyes both snapped up to glare at Gus.
"Dude, I though I made it clear that you were gonna stay in the car."
"For starters, it's my car."
"It's a company car."
"Secondly," he continued, refusing to acknowledge Shawn's comment, "you left something in there."
"My Michael Vick jersey? Al Pacino bobble-head? How To Train Lemurs For Dummies?"
"A lot smaller, and more important than all of those."
"My Bacon of the Month membership card!"
"Shawn, let me talk to you for a second. Excuse us, Juliet."
"No problem," she said, absently wondering if he really had a Bacon of the Month subscription. Knowing Shawn, he probably did.
Gus grabbed Shawn's arm and dragged him over to the fruit stand.
"Oh, pineapples! Loan me some money, buddy."
"Shawn, focus. You left the ring in my car," he whispered, his eyes darting around to make sure Juliet couldn't hear them. Thank God someone was blaring classical music from the speakers mounted around the wharf.
"Ring? Oh, the ring!"
"Shh!"
"Oh, right," he said, lowering his voice. "The ring. Where is it?"
Gus reached into his pocket and passed it to Shawn, looking more suspicious by trying to look inconspicuous. Shawn fingered the silver band and the modest diamond, his vocal chords temporarily paralyzed.
"Shawn? Shawn. Shawn!"
Shawn's head snapped up and he swallowed a couple times, willing himself to remember to speak.
"Sorry, buddy." He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "I can't do it now, it's too suspicious. She probably already thinks something is going on."
"What are you gonna do?"
"The same thing I do every time I'm surprised with the unexpected. Wing it."
"You know that's right." He gave Gus the obligatory fist bump and shoved the ring in his pocket before wandering back over to sit next to Juliet.
"So, what'd you leave in his car?"
"Just as I suspected, my Bacon of the Month membership card."
"Seriously?"
He fished the card out of his wallet and passed it to her, thankful for the coverup.
"I shouldn't be surprised, yet somehow I am." She handed the card back to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm an international man of mystery, Jules," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "You'll get used to it.
"I thought that was Austin Powers?"
"That's fair, Jules. That's fair."
She smiled and sighed contently, glad that the pieces of her life were slowly tumbling into place. The trill of her phone jarred her from her thoughts and she sat up, glancing at the caller ID.
"Great, I get to go back to work."
"Tell Lassie you're stuck in a well and can't come in."
"It was the Chief."
"What, she texts now?"
"Apparently."
"I find that somewhat disturbing. We'll pick up where we left off later tonight."
"Can't wait." She leaned in and brushed her lips across his before hurrying off to her car. When she was out of sight, Gus came over and sat down next to him.
"Dude, were you seriously waiting by the fruit stand this entire time?"
"What'd you expect, Shawn?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you going back to your car. That reminds me, I need to borrow it tonight."
"Absolutely not."
"Come on, I'll even let you borrow my motorcycle."
"Thanks, but no thanks, Shawn. That thing is a death trap and you know it."
"Gus, don't be Seth Rogen in Zack and Miri Make a Porno. That makes me Elizabeth Banks."
"What's wrong with Elizabeth Banks? She's got way more acting depth than Katherine Heigl."
"Seriously? I can't do this with you right now. Come on, I need the Blueberry! You know how important tonight is."
"Fine, but you're taking me home first."
"Sweet! Thanks, buddy. Can we stop for jerk chicken on the way?"
"You know that's right." Another fist bump and they were headed back to his car.
The rest of the afternoon had passed uneventfully. He'd hung out with Gus, fretting nervously about what was to come, disbelieving that he, of all people, could be so worried about something. Gus had reassured him, numerous times, to no real avail. When the sun was about to start setting, Shawn told Gus to wish him luck and drove over to pick up Juliet.
She came out to the car in faded jeans and a teal blouse, her hair pulled into a loose ponytail.
"You look... Wow. What I mean is, you look... Wow."
She laughed, clearly enjoying how flustered he was.
"Thank you, Shawn. And you have a barbeque stain on your shirt."
"Oh, look at that, I do. I didn't even have barbeque sauce today. How the hell did Gus get barbeque sauce on my shirt?"
"I don't wanna know. Where are we going?"
"Just this little place I know, totally exclusive." She cast a sidelong glance at him, not really sure if he was joking or not.
The rest of the drive was filled with chatter about everything and nothing, and Shawn had seemed to relax a bit. He parked under a streetlight that had just come on and Juliet looked around, not seeing anything.
"There's nothing here, Shawn."
"Trust me, Jules, there's something." He got out of the car and hurried around to open her door for her. She took his hand and allowed herself to be helped out, noting his attempt at chivalry. She wasn't sure if it suited him or not.
They walked hand in hand across the grass, the sun slowly setting below the horizon, the sky and the water blending seamlessly into one.
"Here we are!" he announced with his dramatic flair. She looked down and saw a fleece blanket spread out with a pineapple on each corner, a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice, and two glasses.
"Impressive," she said, a smile growing on her face.
"Once again, all Buzz. I think he's making more money today than Psych has made all week. Don't tell Gus." She laughed again, lowering herself down onto the blanket. He collapsed beside her, not so gracefully, and poured them some champagne. They leaned back and stared at the darkening water, sipping their drinks, taking in the peaceful night.
"This is beautiful, Shawn."
He focused his eyes on her and waited a couple of seconds before saying, "Yeah, it is." She looked over at him and smiled, knowing that he was talking about her. She could feel her blood creeping into her face and turned away, trying to calm herself down some. After a minute, her jaw muscles relaxed and the smile faded into a content grin.
"This has got to be my favorite almost anniversary I've ever had."
"This is the only one you've ever had, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but still."
"Do you remember when you were in the hospital and we all thought you had the Thornburg virus?"
She shuddered at the thought, instinctively wrapping her arms around herself. "Yeah."
"And how I kept going on and on about cereal, and how I was the kind of kid that turned the box upside down to get the prize because I didn't want to wait?"
She nodded again, "Yeah."
"I want you to know that you're my prize. And it took five years of eating bowl after bowl of cereal to finally get you, and I'm not gonna lose you like I lost all of my decoder rings, even though I still think Gus stole some of them."
"Shawn, you're not going to lose me. I want this just as much as you do. And you're probably the one that stole the rings from Gus."
"That's fair." He shoved his hand in his pocket and fumbled his fingers nervously around the ring. "I'm glad you said that, because there's something I've been meaning to ask you." A puzzled look had taken over her face now, and he was grateful that she hadn't seen through his plan yet. "You're the one good, constant thing in my life. Well, besides Gus. And I love you, Jules, just as much as I love Gus. Maybe even a little more. And I was wondering, off and on lately, if you'd like to... Will you marry me, Juliet?"
Her jaw dropped and she could feel the tears stinging her eyes. She saw him staring at her expectantly, waiting for an answer, each passing second making him more and more nervous.
"Shawn, I-"
"No, it's okay, Jules, I understand."
"Shawn!... Yes."
"It's okay, we can still be fri-... Wait, yes? As in yes yes?"
"Yes!" She threw her arms around him, letting the tears slide down her face and soak into his shirt.
"Oh, I got you a ring, too," he said offhandedly, pulling it from his pocket and slipping it on her finger. She laughed; only Shawn could forget to give someone a ring when he proposed.
"I think it's really swell," she said, her smile beaming at him. She knew that those words would forever be a throwback to the beginning of their relationship, and the beginning of their life together.
"I've gotta call Gus!" he yelled, jumping up and reaching for his phone.
So, what'd you think about my first foray into PsychFic?