Disclaimer: I do not own "Psych" or its characters, I make zero financial profit from this nor would I like to as it is merely for fun

Sunday January 13th 1980

Henry Spencer had really been looking forward to his fishing trip that day, he and the guys had been planning it for months but something always had managed to come up at the last minute to stop or disrupt it. But not today, today they had all agreed and set aside a few hours of peace. He loved his family, truly with all his heart but the boys – particularly Shawn – were a handful and he was looking forward to one small break, especially as he and Madeleine were trying for another baby – they were hoping for a girl this time – which would mean even less time to themselves. He doubted he would have time in the foreseeable future for a fishing trip with the guys, which was why it meant so much to him that it be this Sunday. As he rolled over to check his clock he was instead reminded of the one hindrance.

"Hi Daddy," his son whispered excitedly grinning at him, his shining emerald eyes on eye level with his own and his little button nose almost touching his own he was so close, "is it time to go fishing now?"

His son had managed to overhear him planning his trip and had got the mistaken impression he was coming along. It was all he had been talking about. Every second. Every minute. Every day. All week.

"Just give me a minute to get up kiddo," Henry told him with a forced smile to which the beaming boy nodding and ran excitedly to wait outside the door. He sighed heavily.

"You really need to tell him he can't come now," Maddie muttered unhelpfully from his left.

"I know."

"You're going fishing today."

"I know, forgive for putting off potentially breaking our son's heart. I keep hoping he'll lose interest."

"Then just let him go with you," Maddie pleaded as he sat up and stretched, reaching for some clean pants.

"You know I can't. I'll just get the kid a gift on the way home, he'll have forgotten all about it by tomorrow."

"He's not Shawn, Henry, he's not so easily distracted."

"Are you trying to make me feel bad?" Henry wondered guiltily slipping on shoes and pulling on a fresh shirt at the same time, he sighed once more, not wanting to be guilted into ruining his trip by his psychologist wife.

"No," she said firmly and he smiled slightly leaning down to cup her face and kiss her gently before heading towards the door, "I want you to take him with you. Think about it."

He paused in the doorframe and decided to pretend he hadn't heard, instead continuing to the bathroom to relieve himself. Leaving the room to find his eldest son once again standing right there, looking up at him like he always did. The five year old still beaming with an oversized bucket hat on his head, tilted back to allow him to see with a mass of brownish-blond hair still jutting out and weirdly he noticed paint on his son's hands and once blue sweater.

"Is it time to go fishing now?" the boy asked once more.

"Michael look..."

"Look. I tied my laces all by my own like you showed me Daddy," Michael interrupted excitedly pointing to his feet, "and I was really super quiet not to wake Shawn so Mommy can sleep for a little bit more but I woked up really early before the sun was awake as I was so can't wait and I finished my homework for tomorrow and I was painteded pictures for you. Would you like to see them before we go?"

"Um… sure kid, why not," Henry mumbled as he allowed himself to be dragged into his sons' room, trying to remember the speech he had planned.

"Look see," Michael interrupted his thoughts again as he was bombarded by crudely drawn paintings, "this is the boat and this is the boat on the sea and this is me and you on the boat and this is me and you fishing on the boat and this is you and me catchering a fish, a big one see? And this is me catchering a fish all by my own and your there and its not as big as your fish because you're the best Daddy and you always would catcherer the bigger ones and this ones are different fish that we could catch, see the different colors? And this is deep sea robbers trying to steal our fish and this is you karate-ing them and this is you arresting them and I was going to do them in jail but I ran out of paint. And paper."

"They're very… nice Michael, wonderful," he praised half-heartedly glancing at his sleeping troublesome toddler before taking a more invested look at the pictures which he supposed weren't bad for a five year old, "you're going to be an amazing artist when you grow up."

"No I don't want to be an artist, I want a be a police offer just like you Daddy," his son told him seriously and Henry suppressed a sigh before noticing something engraved in the wood on his son's bedframe, "and I can have a badge and handcuffs and a gun and catcher bad guys and keep people safe and be justice just like you Daddy. That's what I want. I want to be a cop. Oh and I want a puppy. Maybe he can be my police doggy."

"Michael, what's that on the side of your bed?"

"Oh I found a giant screw, its cool. I call him twisty, he's lucky and I drawed a happy face on the wood with it and a 'M' for my name."

"Well it's a real shame that you did," Henry said shaking his head in disappointment, "you know you're not supposed to draw on the furniture."

"Its not a real drawing, I did it with twisty and it made lines that are fun to run your fingers on because its differenter than the other wood."

"It doesn't matter, its still damaging the furniture and… I am going to have to ground you for that."

"What?"

"You're grounded. For a week. For damaging the furniture."

"But… I can still go fishing with you, right?" Michael pleaded desperately, the picture of innocence but rules were rules and it was better his son be punished for something he did actually do that was wrong than simply to be rejected.

"Actions have consequences son, that's life and you have to learn that," Henry told him firmly and saw the boy's face fall, "it's a shame, I was really looking forward to you coming fishing with me."

"So was I," Michael whispered almost inaudibly as his eyes drifted away from him.

"Once you've learned your lesson to not vandalize furniture – or play with random old rusty screws for that matter – and you're not grounded we can go fishing, just you and me. How about that? There's always more fish in the sea."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise," Henry confirmed while Michael moved over to the sleeping toddler and carefully pulled the blanket back over him, "what are you doing?"

"Didn't you see him shiver and all the little goosebumps on his arms? He was cold… so I putted the blankey on him to make him warmed again."

"That's nice of you," Henry said while motioning the boy to follow him out of the room lest they wake Shawn, "and observant of you, don't lose that, it's a great skill for a Police Officer to have."

"Really?"

"Yes really, now give me back my hat and you can help me load up the truck."

"Yes sir."

With that he went to get his fishing gear and loaded it into the back of his truck with Michael's aid, mentally making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He intended to grab a bite to eat on the way there so he opted to skip making himself and his son some breakfast, with any luck Maddie and Shawn would be up before the eldest got hungry. He paused as they loaded the last of the gear, wondering whether he should make the boy some breakfast quickly, he very almost went back inside, almost, but that increased the chances of something happening to disrupt his plans. It wouldn't be that long before the others were up he deduced, Michael would be fine until then, he could be trusted to behave.

"You know I'm really, really, really, really… really super sorry about vanderaizing the bed," Michael piped up again and Henry sighed heavily as he moved to the front of the truck, "maybe… just maybe my grounding can start tomorrow so I can still go fishing with you."

"No, your punishment has to start now. Do you think criminals get to say 'can we not to jail for one day so we can go fishing?' No, no they don't."

"But I'm not a criminal, I'm five."

"Vandalism is actually a crime Michael, did you know that? Most people would be fined for the damages and given community service, that's picking trash up off the street. One week being grounded is pretty light by comparison, don't you think?"

"I'm really sorry."

"I know but the law's the law," Henry pointed out seeing his son hang his head in shame and knelt to his level, "look at me, I promised to take you finishing when you're no longer grounded and I meant it."

"But I want to go fishing with you now Daddy," Michael whispered and Henry was once again pricked with remorse seeing the welling tears in his eyes.

"Some things are worth waiting for Michael, they're worth all the time in the world and when you finally get the reward its even better for having waited. Maybe not today, or tomorrow but at some point in the future you and I will go fishing and it'll be the best. I promise."

"Okay Daddy," he said, not sounding convincing but he smiled regardless which was good enough for Henry.

"See you soon son," Henry told him returning the smile, he ruffled his son's mass of raven hair and got into the vehicle.

He waved one final time as he started up the engine and pulled out of the driveway, predictably just like he did every morning when he left for work he was followed by Michael who ran after the car waving until he got to far. He watched his son in the rear view mirror, standing and waving and watching as he drove away. He started to feel bad again leaving his son, he started to seriously consider whether bringing him along wasn't such a bad idea but was distracted by having to swerve to avoid a burnt orange van that sped wide round the corner without looking. Henry blasted his horn and shook his head in annoyance at some drivers, he'd only seen a partial plate too which wasn't enough to report him and slap on a fine, his anger replacing his remorse and his son forgotten.

[-]

Henry's fishing trip didn't go as he'd expected. One of the guys had gotten called back to the station to cover a shift last minute, another had to leave early to watch the kids as his wife had a job interview and another had brought his teenage daughter along. And then it rained, it poured which while could be used to your advantage to fish was just not as pleasant as he'd expected.

He really did start to feel bad about not bringing Michael and grounding him just so he could be alone on the trip did seem increasingly crueler as the day wore on. By the time he was on his way home he was kicking himself for how he'd treated him. On the way home he stopped and picked his son up some new paints and sketchpad as a peace offering until next weekend where he intended to hold true to his promise and in all fairness he imagined himself enjoying it more than listening to his friend's daughter's non-stop talking about high school.

As he paid for the art supplies, along a stuffed toy for Shawn lest he feel left out, he caught a glimpse of the news on the checkout assistant's TV. He understand why his friend had been called in, it was a report about a missing 8-year-old boy who'd been missing since lunchtime. He shook his head sadly as he went back out to his truck, parents should have kept a better eye on the boy but he did still feet bad for them and hoped they'd find him soon.

He made it home and came inside expecting his sons to rush to greet him, he deduced Michael was probably more upset than he'd originally thought and Shawn was probably being chaotic and hyperactive as usual. As he walked into the kitchen he was greeted instead by his beautiful wife, Maddie smiled seductively as she encircled her arms around him and pressed her lips against his, gently at first but then more passionately as she flicked her tongue inside his mouth. He kissed her back happily, he wasn't sure why she was in such a good mood but he liked it.

"Welcome home," she breathed pulling away still smiling alluringly, "so if we want to make a baby now's a good time of the month and I am so in the mood. Although you might want to shower first."

"I like that idea," he told her running his fingers gently through her hair, "just out of curiosity, what put you in such a good mood?"

"Well Shawn and his little friend Burton had a playdate and his Mom was good enough to take him off my hands for the day with a trip to the zoo, not often I get the day to myself so I have really been enjoying it."

"I'm glad, it was nice of the Guster's to take Michael too," Henry offered leaning forward to kiss her again only for her smile to instantly vanish as she pushed him away, "what's wrong?"

"They… They didn't take Michael," she said as fear flashed in her eyes, "didn't you take him fishing with you?"

"No, no I didn't," Henry shook his head and waved the bag with the gifts in them and her expression turned to one of horror, "that's why I got him this stuff as way of apology… Maddie… Maddie, please tell me he's with you."

"MICHAEL!" she screamed rushing into the front room and then up the stairs, "this isn't funny! Michael! Come out now! Michael! Michael! Where are you?! Michael! Michael!"

"Look screaming isn't going to help," he tried to tell her, trying to stay calm, he had to be calm, one of them had to stay calm, "when was the last time you saw him?"

"This morning when you sent him out of the room!" she yelled obviously not remaining calm, "when was the last time you saw him?!"

"When I drove off, he was standing there and waving just like… just like he always does," he said starting to panic despite his attempts to stay calm, "how could you not notice our son was missing?! Why the Hell would you assume I had taken him with me?! You know I wasn't going to take him with me!"

"I asked you to think about it, I thought you had! How could you just leave our little boy standing there all alone?! How could you drive off without him!?"

"He does that every morning and then he goes inside! How was I supposed to know he didn't go inside?! I'm not psychic Maddie!"

"He's five years old Henry, he's only five…" she said suddenly as tears burst from her eyes and he gently wrapped his arms around her as she cried.

"It'll be okay, we'll find him," Henry offered comforting words he didn't truly believe, trying to force himself to be calm again, it just seemed impossible that Michael could be missing, not his Michael, not his own son.

"You're a Police Officer and I'm a Police Psychologist… I think we both know how bad this is."

Note: So this is my first "Psych" fanfiction, my apologies if Henry and Madeleine seem out of character, I did try to keep them in character but at the same time it is set in the past and people do change slightly or a lot over time so that's my defense. Sorry if its no good but I tried and it was interesting to write and there is more chapters to come so yeah, stay tuned or not if you hated it, although if you hated it then why are you still reading?