Ok, this is just an idea, tell me what you think. I have nothing against the character of Henry Spencer, he's great, but I felt like writing something angsty.
Gus received the call from his best friend at two am on a Tuesday night, he had jumped out of bed and raced to Henry's house where he found Shawn in the front room.
"Shawn?" he asked, looking around the front room as if he would find the answer sitting there.
"Hey Gus," Shawn's voice was quiet, his gaze straight ahead and non-seeing, his feet casually linked at the ankles on the coffee table, a warm beer in his hands.
"Shawn, where is he?" Gus asked, again looking around the room.
"Upstairs," was Shawn's answer, his voice sounding dead.
"Are you sure? Absolutely sure?" Gus asked, his voice desperate.
"Not breathing, no heartbeat, cold body, I don't need to be psychic to know that he's dead." Gus sat down heavily next to him, not wanting to believe it or go up and check himself, taking his best friend's word for it.
"When did you find him?" he finally asked, quietly.
"What time is now?" Shawn asked, still staring straight ahead.
"It's two-fifteen," Gus said, looking at his watch.
"I found him at eight thirty-three," Shawn said after a moment and Gus blinked.
"It's been six hours?!" he finally sputtered and Shawn finally looked at him and Gus was frightened at the blank look in his eyes.
"He's been gone since yesterday morning," Shawn said, turning back to staring at the wall.
"He has?" Gus asked, his voice surprised.
"He'd been cold for a long time before I found him. His alarm was still going off, so I'm not sure exactly what time, but he's been gone for a long time." They were quiet for a very long time before Gus felt tears fill his eyes.
"I can't believe he's really gone," he said, sniffling and leaned forward and grabbed a tissue before pulling back and handing it to his friend.
"Yeah," Shawn said, "I'm going to call the coroner," he said, standing up nonchalantly, picking up his phone as he walked past the table.
"How can you be so casual about this?" Gus called after him and the other young man stopped and turned back.
"If I'm not, I'll break," he said and left the room.
The funeral was a large affair, many current and former cops, his old friends and colleagues were there, the church was over full, many people standing. Many people stood up to remember the great Henry Spencer, many sharing personal histories and stories.
Shawn, Gus and Madeline all sat in the front pew, Madeline holding both Gus' and Shawn's hands, tears falling silently down her cheeks, Gus wasn't much better. Shawn was the only one of the three that sat with dry eyes, the blank look on his face. They had asked him to give the eulogy, but when he thought about getting up and facing everyone, he had declined. He knew that if he stood in front of everyone and tried to remember the man that had given him the skills that made him into the man he was, it would break him and he wasn't ready for that so his mother did it instead.
He followed the procession down the aisle way after the casket, his mother still gripping his hand and watched as they loaded the casket into the hearse. He didn't hear the condolences of people who were climbing into their cars as they headed to the cemetery.
"Come on honey," Madeline said, pulling on his hand and leading him to the limo and gently pushed him inside before climbing behind him and Gus followed. He was quiet the entire ride to the cemetery, and quietly watched as the lowered the casket into the ground.
"Sweetie, it's time to go," Madeline said, trying to pull him away but Shawn stayed standing near the grave as everyone started to leave.
"I think that I'm going to stay here for a while," he said quietly and Madeline opened her mouth to protest but Gus touched her arm and shook his head.
"I'll come back later and pick him up," he said and Madeline sighed before squeezing Shawn's hand before following Gus out of the cemetery.
Once he was sure he was alone, Shawn collapsed to the ground, ignoring the fact that he was wearing a suit. He wanted to say something, he really did, but the words would not come and soon he found his eyes filling with tears.
"You weren't supposed to die," Shawn said finally, glaring at the tombstone, "you were supposed to be invincible," he said, placing his head in his hands.
"Spencer," a voice broke into his thoughts and he looked up and found Carlton Lassiter standing over him.
"Lassie? When did you get here?"
"Spencer, it's seven o'clock, you've been here since three, Guster sent me to get you," he said, leaning down and grabbing the younger man's arm and pulling him up. Shawn let the other man pull him up and be led out of the cemetery to his car.
"Have I really been here that long?" he finally asked, shocked at the detective's statement about the time.
"Yes Spencer," Lassiter said gently pushing him into the passenger side of his car and closed the door before walking around the car and climbing in behind the wheel.
"Where are we going?" Shawn asked finally as they drove.
"To your apartment," Carlton replied.
"No," Shawn said and Carlton looked a the younger man. "Can you take me to my dad's house?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Shawn said and Carlton shrugged before turning around and heading the other way. Carlton dropped him off at Henry's house and told the younger man to call him if he needed something, hoping that Shawn wouldn't take him up on the offer before driving away.
Madeline stayed for a month, trying to help her son move on, but something had died in Shawn when Henry had died. He didn't have his 'psychic' visions anymore, never visited the SBPD, just stayed at Henry's house, his house now. Gus visited him every day, but Shawn had just changed too much.
Two months after his father died, Gus went to Henrys' house and found it completely empty, all furniture was gone. Panicking, he ran up the stairs and found top floor was just as empty the bottom. Feeling panicked, he called Madeline but she hadn't heard from him, neither had any one at the SBPD. No one had any idea where he had gone, had no idea what he had done with the things in the house.
"Where do you think he could be?" Juliet asked her partner and only received a grunt in response. "You don't care?" she asked, surprised.
"This isn't the first time he has disappeared, I'm sure it wont be the last," he said, not looking up from his computer.
"Yeah, but that time, it was because he got into a fight with his dad, I mean this time, he is grieving, he needs someone around him now."
"Well, wherever he is, I'm sure he has enough people around him. I'm going home," he said, picking up his jacket and walking out.
"I know you care Carlton!" Juliet called and Carlton didn't respond, only kept going.
Carlton entered his apartment and stopped dead when he saw who was sitting on his couch and groaned.
"How did you get in here Spencer?" he asked, placing his keys down and removing his jacket and hung it up.
"I made an extra key last year," was the quiet response and Carlton closed his eyes for a moment.
"Barring that, again I ask you, what are you doing here?"
"I had no where else to go," Shawn said, looking up at him tiredly.
"Sure you do, you can go to Guster's, Juliet's, go visit your mom, heck I'm sure that even the Chief would let you in. No reason to come here."
"Why go to them when I can come here and find blind dislike and no sympathy."
"Yes you definitely you wont find that here," Carlton replied walking into his room and removing his gun holster and picking up his phone.
"Guster," he said once the other man picked up, "Spencer is fine," he simply said and quickly explained that he was at his apartment before hanging up. "What do you want with being here Spencer?" he asked, walking out into the family room.
"I just wanted to get away from everyone."
"And you chose my apartment to do it?" Carlton asked, leaning against his counter and crossing his arms.
"Look it's just for tonight ok?" Shawn asked, pleading and Carlton sighed.
"One night," he snapped before walking down the hall and grabbed a blanket and pillow and handing it to the younger man. "Don't expect breakfast," he snapped before heading to his room and climbed into his bed.
When he entered the front room the next morning, he found the room empty and the blanket and pillow Shawn had used folded up and on the end of the couch. Shrugging, he pulled on his jacket and left the apartment.
When he returned that night, he found Shawn again, sitting on his couch with take-out sitting on the coffee table and sighed.
"I said one night, Spencer," the detective said and Shawn shrugged and pointed to the take-out.
"I brought a peace offering."
"Take your peace offering and leave," Carlton said, entering his bedroom removing his jacket and gun holster.
"Look, Lassie," Shawn said, "I need to go somewhere," he said, having followed the detective to his room.
"Like I said before, you have other people to go see, I don't want you here, I don't like you, so leave," Carlton said turning to him and noticed the downtrodden look. "Look Spencer, I like my space, I like being alone, that is why I live alone."
"Just for a little while," Shawn pleaded.
"No," Carlton said, pushing past him and exiting the room.
"Carlton I sold my dad's house, Gus does nothing but try to get me to talk about my feelings, it would be awkward with Juliet, the Chief and my mom. You're the only one that makes sense." Carlton turned to him and studied him for a long moment.
"How long is 'a little while'?" he asked and Shawn grinned his first grin in months.
A little while turned into two months, Shawn slept on the couch in the front room and Lassiter tried to ignore his presence. They ate dinner whenever Carlton got home, a lot of times it was take out but sometimes, Shawn would surprise him and make dinner.
Slowly but surely with his friends' help he was starting to come out of his funk and become his old (annoying according to Carlton) self. He started slowly working for the police department again, not often but he liked to put his two cents in every once in a while. The police department started to whisper about the relationship between the two, wondering if there was more, something that annoyed Carlton greatly.
"So how's your boyfriend?" Buzz asked one day and cowered under the older man's glare.
"Not even slightly funny McNabb," he snapped before completing his trek to his desk.
At four months, Carlton found himself making a room for the fake psychic in his secondary room, pushing his office furniture to the side and placing a mattress on the floor.
"I didn't think you cared," Shawn said, having spent the day with Gus and Juliet, trying to get back to normal and was completely thankful for the gesture.
"I don't, I'm tired of you sleeping on the couch and I can't seem to keep you out, no matter how I try." And he had, he had changed his locks a few times but Shawn kept finding a way in.
"Thanks Lassie," Shawn said quietly and didn't receive a response as the older man walked away.
"So you're really living with Lassiter? Really? Officially?" Gus asked and Shawn shrugged and took a bite of his pizza.
"Really," he said, leaning back as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
"That's just weird," his friend said, shaking his head.
"Spencer!" Carlton snapped walking into the apartment, "get your feet off of my table."
"Don't you mean our table?" Shawn said cheekily.
"Don't push your luck," the older man said, walking down the hall towards his room.