A/N: Some of you might be wondering why I'm reuploading this entire story. Well, to make a long story short, I had a reviewer remind me that I never did finish uploading the story, which also reminded me that I had somehow left out a chapter or two when I was uploading it the first time. I figured that a completely new upload would be easier to deal with than fixing the chapters around from the first upload. So enjoy.
Juliet Spencer let her head fall forward. Her eyes were usually vibrant and full of life. Now they were dull, almost lifeless. Her skin held a certain pallor to it, and the stark white room mixed with the white hospital gown only added to the almost ghostly appearance of Juliet's skin. Shawn sat on her left side, cradling her hand softly. Tubes and wires stuck out from every piece of bare skin. The bruises stood out more than usual due to the paleness of her skin. Though, considering what she had been through for the past three days, a few broken ribs and a broken ankle was coming away a winner.
Shawn's free hand shook before balling into a fist. It was the same continuous motion that his hand had been in since Juliet had been located and transported to the hospital. Three days, that's how long she had been missing. Three long, torturous days. Three days in which Shawn Spencer hadn't know where or how to find his wife. It was one of those awful situations, in which Shawn wanted nothing more than to be truly psychic. If that had been the case then he'd have been able to know what would have happened, and he would have stopped it. At the very least, he would have known where to find Juliet faster.
"Are you sure you're up for this, Juliet?" Lassiter sat on her right side, a pad of paper and a pen held firmly in his hand.
Juliet's hand shook slightly before she nodded. "He's still out there." Her voice shook and she hated how terrified she sounded.
Shawn squeezed her hand reassuringly, and Juliet wanted nothing more than for him to leave. She hated herself in that moment. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, and she wanted him gone. His sheer presence was making her uncomfortable, and that caused her to be nauseous. He was her husband for heaven sakes. He wasn't going to hurt her, and yet all she saw was that shaggy-haired, brown eyed freak that had held her captive for far too long.
"Explain to me, in as full of detail as you can, what happened."
Juliet cringed inward. She not only wanted Shawn gone because he made her uncomfortable, she wanted him gone because she couldn't have him hearing her statement. She didn't want him to hear what had happened. Hell, she didn't even want to know what happened.
"In order to fully understand, I'm going to have to start at the beginning." Juliet stared down at the thin blanket that covered her thinning body. More bruises were hidden beneath it, and she only prayed that Shawn would forgive her.
"Shawn!" Juliet called from their bedroom.
His feet padded down the hallway, smacking hard against the hardwood floor. Shawn's hair was sticking up at odd angles and his bath robe was hanging loosely from his shoulders. A mug of coffee was clutched in his fist as he tried hard to not spill any of the precious contents on the hardwood floor.
"Yeah, babe?" He asked, as he peeked into their bedroom. The room was empty. A smile tugged at the edge of his lips at the sight of their room. One side of the room was immaculate. Not one piece of clothing lingered on the floor. The other side looked as if a tornado had plowed through while they had been asleep. His tee shirts littered the floor. Some were thrown haphazardly on top of the small dresser that held his the remainder of his clothing. He knew he'd have to clean his side of the room before Juliet got home tonight, otherwise he'd be in for another one of her considerate speeches.
"I'm in Ty's room." The voice drifted from the small room that branched off from the master bedroom. Turning slightly, careful of the coffee in his hand, Shawn entered his infant son's room. Tyler Henry Spencer was only six months old. Juliet had only returned to work a week earlier.
"Yeah, Jules?" Shawn smiled as he watched his wife cradle his son.
"He's running a temperature. I really need to leave for work, Carlton will kill me. Can you run him to the pediatrician's office?"
Shawn nodded his head, as he sat his coffee mug down on the small dresser that held half of Tyler's large wardrobe. "Of course. I'm sure Uncle Gus would love to go to the pediatrician with us. Right, Ty?" Shawn cooed at his small son. Tyler giggled as he gripped Shawn's finger in his tiny fist. "I think that was a yes. Yes I do!" Shawn's eyes lifted to look at Juliet. "Go on to work, we wouldn't want Uncle Lassie to end up in prison for killing mommy." He smiled. "I'll call you after we see the doctor."
Juliet sighed. "Alright." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Tyler's head. "I'll call the daycare, let them know that Tyler's sick." Stepping on her tiptoes, Juliet pressed her lips to Shawn's. "I love you, Shawn."
Smiling brightly. "Love you too, Jules."
One more sigh sounded from her mouth, before she turned for the door. "Bye, boys!" Juliet called before walking from the room.
Shawn could hear the clicking of her heels against the hardwood floor. He waited until the front door opened and quickly closed before looking back at Tyler. "Well, how about we call Uncle Gus. You know he can't refuse his favorite nephew."
"I cannot believe you talked me into this, Shawn!" Gus huffed, as he cradled the now sleeping Tyler in his arms, while Shawn hefted in the car seat and diaper bag.
"Well, because I've yet to find anyone who is willing to buy the Norton. I don't think you'd want to weather the wrath of Juliet if she found out that I took Ty to the doctor on my motorcycle. Beside, you are Uncle Gus, and Tyler is your favorite nephew."
Gus sighed. "Technically, Tyler is my only nephew."
"Look, Gus. Dr. Middleton is rarely very busy. He's usually able to get Tyler in and out in just under an hour." Shawn smiled fully. "'Sides, buddy, you brought your kindle. You're good. You can handle this." Shawn walked off in the direction of the sign in counter.
"An hour, Shawn! Shawn, I did not sign up for an hour. Shawn, get back here." Gus huffed, careful not to raise his voice and wake his tiny nephew up. Trailing after Shawn's retreating form, he walked up to the counter next to Shawn. "This is so not cool, Shawn."
"Yeah it is. A whole day with your best friend and your favorite little man. What more could you ask for?" Shawn's eyebrow raised slightly.
"A chance to get my route done, Shawn. I'm a week behind."
"Gus, that is an exaggeration-" Shawn let his sentence trail off as Gus's nostrils flared in and out. "Okay—maybe not an exaggeration per se."
"Ah, Mr. Spencer—How is Tyler today?" Shawn smiled softly at the young receptionist.
"Hello, Ashley. Tyler is running a bit of a temperature, and my wife wanted me to bring him by so that Dr. Middleton can take a look."
"Oh, poor baby." Ashley cooed, as she looked at Tyler. Her eyes met Gus's and she smiled. "I will pull his file right now. Dr. Middleton will be with you shortly." Ashley sent one more smile in Gus's direction, before turning away from the window.
"Okay, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea." Gus said, as he flicked the tip of his nose with his free thumb.
Juliet attempted to match her steps with Lassiter's as they approached the crime scene. The alley was darker than she had thought possible, and the scene up ahead was one that would add to her nightmares at night. This was the third scene that involved a woman in her late twenties to early thirties. Without even seeing the victim, Juliet knew she could recite all of the information on the victim. She would be between 5'3 and 5'8, she would be a woman of power, with blond hair. Her body would be severely bruised from having been beat for numerous days. She would probably have been raped numerous times, and her throat would be slit.
Santa Barbara's newest serial killer made Yin and Yang look like child's play. The amount of torture that each victim went through before the bastard put them out of their misery made Juliet's stomach churn. Stepping onto the crime scene was worse than Juliet even thought possible. Her stomach heaved, and she suddenly sympathized with Gus. Juliet barely noticed that the medical examiner had walked toward them. He was young, having just graduated from college. Working under Woody had to take it's toll.
"Female, approximately twenty-eight years old. Fits the general description. Appears to be about 5'6, long blond hair, she's wearing—what's left of a pantsuit-"
"Trauma?" Lassiter's voice broke through Juliet's muddled brain.
"From what I can tell. The victim was raped numerous times, no way to know how many times. She was also severely beaten before her throat was slit. Without having done an autopsy, I would say that she probably would have died anyway due to the amount of trauma."
Juliet sighed, as she ran a hand through her hair. It would take almost all day before they even had an identity on the victim. She knew what was going to happen—even if Lassiter didn't want it to happen, she knew. Sure enough, the chief met them halfway to the body.
"Detective Spencer, I need you to call in Shawn. We need to catch this guy, now."
Juliet nodded as she pulled out her cell phone. Shawn should be finished at the pediatrician's office. After two rings the other line picked up. "Shawn, we need you met us at a crime scene—it's happened again."