Play the Game

Chapter One

A/N: The Plot Bunnies attacked! I have to admit, "An Evening with Mr. Yang" has to be one of my all-time favorite psych episodes. It was just so intense! And, there were just enough loose ends to spark some ideas in my head. So, enjoy this little story and remember that, no matter how much I want to, I don't own Psych… USA does.

I watched Shawn turn, walking out the door and out of my life. Giving a defeated sigh, I headed for the front entrance of the drive-in lobby area. I had to blink quickly to rid my eyes of the sudden coldness that comes with tears.

Idiot.

Shaking my head, I pushed the front door open roughly. What had I been thinking? How could I have been so stupid? Cornering him like that? And after all he's been through today! What did you expect O'Hara?

I scowled, angry at myself for being so vulnerable; he wouldn't hold it against me, but what would happen the next time we saw each other? Had I been out of my mind when I had spilled my heart out to him?

I had to stop in my tracks, less than fifteen feet from the door, listening to the sound of my heavy breathing. Trying to get a grip on my flaring emotions, I closed my eyes. I couldn't fall apart like this, not over Shawn. Exhaling slowly, my eyes snapped back open; I had left my purse back inside the concession area.

Groaning, I turned to go back and get it… only to come face-to-face with Mr.—or rather, Ms.—Yang.

I let out a shocked gasp, losing my footing and almost stumbling over my feet. A wry smile came onto her face and her eyes lit up at my expression, amused at my fear.

"Detective O'Hara..." she chuckled, beginning to circle me, "…fancy meeting you here. Were you trying to spy on Shawn's date?"

"You're supposed to be in the back of a squad car." I spat, getting a hold of myself as quickly as I could manage. I tried to assess my situation as she spoke again.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be, only there was something you little policemen forgot," she frowned at me. And then her arm shot out, and her fist connected solidly with my stomach. I fell to the ground, trying to suck in some air as I started to cough. She smirked. "…I wasn't done with the game yet."

The car was quiet as the movie grew more suspenseful. I glanced over at Abigail as she chewed on her straw, and smiled. I started to wrap my arm around her.

"Please, Shawn," Gus slapped my arm with the back of his hand, making Abigail turn towards us.

"Hey, ouch," I rubbed my arm, throwing a glare back at my friend, "What was that for?"

"You know my rules Shawn, no PDA in the company car!" he grabbed another handful of popcorn.

"Dude, you are worse than the vice principal at our junior high. Mr. Nathanson never slapped my arm off an attractive girl's shoulder!" I replied quickly.

Abigail laughed, sipping at her coke.

"You two are never going to grow up, are you?" she asked.

"Well that depends," I turned back to face her, "Do I still have a shot with you if I act like a ten-year-old?"

"Hm…" she narrowed her eyes at me, "That depends; what's the chance of you refilling my drink?" she thrust her empty cup out towards me.

"Oh that I can handle," I replied, "Mine's getting low too."

"Can you take mine too?" Gus asked, handing me his cup as well.

"Gus, what do I look like? A waiter?" I asked him. He shot me a withering stare.

"Okay, so I know we're not dating or anything," he replied, throwing a pointed look over at Abigail, "but still, we're best friends, have been since birth, and I let you call me all those weird names, so I'd like another refill of orange crush… please."

"Dude, take it easy," I told him, taking his cup with my free hand, "I was going to take yours too, there's no reason to get paranoid just because I have a girl and an innate ability to come up with witty names off the top of my head, Soda Pop Walters." He glared at me and I got out before he could throw any Necco wafers at my head.

I gasped in a breath of air, just when it had felt like I would never breathe again. As I looked back up at the deranged woman in front of me, she smiled wider. And then, before I could react, she had pulled out a gun. My eyes widened and I instinctly reached for my own holster before remembering that I had taken it off. I threw a panicked look down at my waist as my hand fished around in thin air for the weapon that wasn't there.

"Oh no," The killer made a sarcastic sad face, "What's the matter Detective? Did you forget to bring your gun?" she slowly approached me.

"Stay back!" I yelled, my voice breaking. My mind was racing so fast; I knew what I should do, but it felt as though I were moving in slow motion. And then the serial killer was there right in front of me as she leaned closer towards my ear, as if to share a secret.

"Don't worry, I won't cheat; I never cheat when I play the game." She smiled.

I saw her raise the gun up above herself before bringing it down in a fast swing that connected with the back of my head. I heard a sharp crack and felt myself reeling as my legs turned to jelly. My vision flickered between blinding light, and the quickly rising concrete, before deciding to go dark, and I was vaguely aware of her laughter in the background before I lost consciousness.

I strode towards the lobby area of the drive-in, a weary happiness filling me. The Yang killer had been caught, Abigail and I were finally together, and there were free refills; life was good.

But as I opened the door and entered the concession area, a shrinking feeling suddenly came over me.

Jules.

I stood still for a moment, empty cups in hand as I relived the scene over and over again in my mind. She had been here, right in front of me, and what had I done? Completely disregarded her feelings for my date with Abigail.

I shook my head; I was over thinking everything and it was making me confused. I just came to refill our drinks.

Walking over to the drink machine, I started putting more ice into Abigail's cup before my gaze traveled to the counter. Juliet's purse lay forgotten there; she had probably felt too humiliated to come back and get it. It seemed as though even inanimate objects were ganging up against me to let me know how much of a jerk I was.

Then something cold spilled onto my hand and I cursed as I dropped the cup onto the floor, causing ice to scatter all over the lobby's carpet. I glared down angrily at the cup; so this is what karma felt like.

As I bent down and started scooping the spilt ice up, my gaze traveled to the front entrance… and I stopped, narrowing my eyes.

Slowly, I got to my feet and walked over to the entrance, reaching out and plucking away a piece of blue fabric that had gotten caught between the door and the door frame. My mind flashbacked to earlier; Juliet had been wearing a blue shirt, and a pretty good-looking one at that.

Raising my head, my line of sight shifted to outside the glass door, and my mouth fell open. Opening the door heavily, I staggered down the sidewalk no more than ten feet. There, clearly defined against the concrete, was a Yin-Yang symbol formed out of popcorn and Necco wafers, and, above it, a driver's license with Juliet's face smiling up at me.

I felt my stomach drop as if I were on an elevator that was plummeting uncontrollably to the bottom of the shaft. The Yin-Yang Killer… how?

I turned numbly, letting my eyes sweep the darkness of the line of trees that surrounded the sidewalk.

There, in the dirt. I kneeled down next to a small pathway that led into the trees, inspecting a spot in the dirt. Someone was dragged through here, someone wearing heels. My head raised back up as I tried to peer through the darkness; I had no choice, I had to follow the trail, I had to play her game.

Snatches of consciousness came to me, like static on a radio when you're driving through the middle of nowhere; An uncomfortably pressure on my wrists, my shoe coming off my foot, a malicious whisper, then nothing; Later, a stop in movement, a chuckle hidden under someone's breath, and the sound of snapping twigs, again fading away.

I wanted to fight, wanted to wake up, but couldn't. I hated being helpless; I was never a damsel in distress, no matter how crazy my attacker was.

What would Lassiter think? What would Shawn do? The thought made me want to smile, even when I couldn't.

There, up ahead… something that wasn't part of the brush. I pushed past some thick branches to reach a very small clearing. I had to stop dead in my tracks just to get a handle on what was happening.

Juliet, the sleeves of her blue shirt torn to expose her arms that were scratched from all the branches and bushes, was tied up by her wrists around a tree. She had a gag around her mouth and her head lolled to the side; she wasn't dead, just unconscious. There was something written on her left arm in what looked like permanent marker and I stepped closer so I could make out what it read.

"The game has but one round left,

I've come for you but found her instead.

I'm not interested in crimes like petty theft,

But if you ignore me, she'll be dead."

My eyes were wide as they moved from the grim message on her arm, up to her face. Her mascara had been smeared, but what from? Had she been crying when the Yang killer captured her, or when I had walked back outside to join Abigail? Somehow, I couldn't picture Juliet crying at all.

And then there was a snap behind me and I closed my eyes. You knew she was here, watching you. Sighing, I turned around and opened my eyes to find the lady that had terrorized me all day standing there, grinning as if she were a little kid that had just been caught doing something bad.

"You came," she smiled wider, stepping towards me. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "Why? Why did you come here without going to the police first?" she asked with a pout.

Drat, I bit my lip; I knew I had forgotten something! I threw a helpless glance back over at Juliet, and Ms. Yang took notice.

"Oh…" she sighed, knowingly. I spun my head back around to face her quickly. "…you came because of her…" she smiled before giggling and pacing around me. "Man, I really struck out on that one; quite a stroke of luck. I mean, I thought that there might be something there, but you had that date and everything," she shrugged, "Oh well, all's well that ends well."

"Let her go," I whispered hoarsely, my mind not functioning on all cylinders at the moment.

"Make me," She taunted, a glint of madness in her eyes. It was a trick, a trap, and I knew it; I still flew head-first at her, yelling angrily and attempting to pummel her with my fists.

It was all over so quickly; she had just to kick me below my knee to make me fall down, cursing and glaring up at her. And then, with a smile and a small laugh, she pulled me back up by my shoulders, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

"You know, you're much more muscular than I thought you'd be," I choked out, black dots blinking around my vision.

"Why thank you Shawn, that's very kind." She smiled… while choking me. I gasped, not getting any air past my constricted throat; the black dots grew larger.

Suddenly I was on the ground, and the last thing I was aware of was Juliet, still unconscious and tied up, looking so helpless there by herself.

Jules… I'm so sorry…

A/N: uh oh… now they're in trouble! Still working on the rest of it, but I should be done soon (I am working on two or three other stories at the moment, so I'll post it as soon as I can). Review and tell me what you think!