Written for Tazmy (from Psychfic) who wanted something fun and fluffy and betaed by veggiewoppa (also from PF).
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable content belongs to the original creators. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made. (In other words, this is all for fun. Please don't sue me because I have nothing with which to pay charges from said suit.)
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Shawn noticed something was off as soon as he stepped out of his bedroom, but it took him a moment of scanning to put a finger on it.
His mess of takeout containers still lay strewn over the coffee table, though not as many as there had been in the days leading up to Psych. The rumpled blanket lay on the sofa where he had left it the night before. A handful of DVD cases were stacked neatly on top of the DVD player …
He paused. The cases had been scattered across the top of the television when he'd stumbled off to bed around two. His brow furrowing, Shawn stepped closer, leaning down to study the small plastic boxes. Nothing looked alarming; it was just a stack of DVD cases.
That's when he noticed the white triangle protruding from between the second and third cases. It looked like the corner of an envelope. Upon pulling it out, he discovered it was indeed an envelope – one with his name pasted in cut out letters across the front.
Now he was really intrigued. Who would sneak into his apartment in the middle of the night just to pick up his movies and leave an envelope? Whatever was inside had to be important. With that thought, Shawn tore the flap open and withdrew a folded sheet of paper.
He had expected … Well, he didn't know what he had expected, but this was definitely not it.
He studied the photograph in his hand. It wasn't even an entire image, but rather looked like someone had cut the picture into several pieces. Judging by the size, he guessed it was a quarter of the entire photo.
The image showed the lower portion of a boat sitting at a dock. Shawn could make out most of its name as well – not a lot, but enough to know that it was his dad's boat. But now he was even more confused. Why would someone leave a picture of Henry's boat in Shawn's apartment?
His stomach grumbled, reminding him of his original destination. Setting the envelope and its contents on the counter, he hurried though his meal. He dumped his dishes in the sink and pulled out his phone. As he dialed Gus, he headed for his bedroom.
It rang once, twice, three times. Impatiently waiting for an answer, Shawn grabbed a pair of jeans and a polo, wedging the device between his shoulder and his now oddly-positioned head. After the fifth ring, his friend's recorded greeting began playing. Shawn sighed in frustration, wrestling with his pants as he waited for the beep. When it came, he launched into the message.
"Gus! Where are you, buddy? It's not that early! Listen, something weird's come up. Call me back as soon as you get this."
He ended the call and rushed to finish getting ready. Grabbing his phone from where he had tossed it on the bed, he headed for the door, snagging his keys on his way. As he threw a leg over his bike's seat, he dialed Psych. This time, his own voice greeted him.
"Come on, Gus!" he said after the beep. "It's 10:30 on a Saturday morning. Where could you be? I need to talk to you, so give me a call when you get this."
Pulling on his helmet, Shawn revved the Norton's engine and headed for the marina. He might as well check around his dad's boat, see if that picture meant anything. After all, who would sneak into someone else's home at night just to leave a meaningless piece of a photograph?
The place was busy on a Saturday morning, with plenty of people coming and going or just working on their boats. Shawn headed for Henry's boat, not quite sure for what he was looking but determined to find it all the same.
There was nothing to be seen from the dock; Henry's boat was as clean and tidy as ever. With a sigh, Shawn clambered over the side. No harm in taking a look around – though, with his luck, Henry would come along, ready for a bit of fishing.
He paused at that and looked up and down the dock, just in case he really had developed a sixth sense. Seeing no one, he continued his search.
It didn't take him long to spot it. Not that it was hard to miss, perched upon the wheel in plain sight. Another envelope, again with cutout letters spelling his name. He studied it for a moment before picking it up, looking it over before finally opening it.
It was another partial photograph, this time of the corner of a desk. There was something yellow in the top corner of the image, and he immediately recognized the rubber pineapple he had bought that past week. Gus had simply groaned in good-natured suffering when Shawn had pulled it from his bag with a flourish. It had taken up residence on Gus' desk over the past day, with Shawn returning it each time his friend tossed it back to him.
Now he was really puzzled. Why would someone leave him a photo of Henry's boat only to then give him one of Gus' desk? What was going on?
Suddenly remembering he needed to get off the boat before his dad returned and pressed him into doing something, Shawn slid the photo back in the envelope and stuffed it into his back pocket next to the first.
He dialed Gus again as he hurried down the dock. Still no answer, and Shawn sighed as his friend's voicemail came over the line. "Gus! Seriously, dude, I cannot believe you're ignoring me. And on today of all days, too. Wow. Just wow. At least I went out with you on your birthday. Anyway, if you decide to quit ignoring me, give me a call."
He hung up and climbed onto his bike again, heading for the Psych office. Once he entered, it didn't take him long to find the next envelope. Knowing for what he was looking helped him find it much more quickly. Tearing the third envelope open, he wrinkled his brow in thought as he studied the image.
The newest photograph was a partial section of the mailboxes at his apartment. His number was in the center.
"Oh come on," Shawn said to no one in particular, scrunching his mouth to one side in frustration. Who was leaving him these photographs, and what did they expect to gain from it? The only thing being accomplished was that it was keeping him busy running all over town.
At that thought, a grin lit up his features. It was a pretty good way of keeping him busy. He was willing to bet that either his dad or Gus had come up with the plan to keep him out of the way so they could plan something. After all the Christmases and the attempted birthday surprises, the two of them were bound and determined to put something past him one day.
Now all he had to do was figure out where and show up a little early. Maybe he'd bring a cake, too, just for good measure. And a pineapple.
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"Hurry up, Gus!"
Gus restrained from rolling his eyes as he stretched to finish hanging the loose side of the banner on the wall. The large sign stretched from one end of the room to the other, proclaiming HAPPY BIRTHDAY in large, green letters. "I'm going as fast as I can."
"Trust me, Shawn's going to figure out what's behind that little diversion you set up way before he gets to the end of it. And when that happens, it's just a matter of time before he shows up. I would like us to be ready by then." Henry released the step ladder that he had been holding still for Gus and turned towards the table. "No, no, no. I told you. You want to wait until Shawn's here before setting out the ice. If it gets put out now, it'll all melt way before he arrives."
Juliet looked up from the ice chest into which she was dumping the frozen cubes. "Mr. Spencer, you said yourself that Shawn won't take much longer to arrive. And I think the point of an ice chest is to keep the ice cool longer."
"Right, of course. The –"
"I can't believe you made me do this," Lassiter grumbled as he exited the kitchen, interrupting whatever it was that Henry was about to say. "And for Spencer of all people." He set his armful of plastic cups, plates, and utensils near the end of the table.
"I can't believe you showed up," Gus returned, rejoining the others after depositing the ladder in the other room.
Lassiter grimaced and began adjusting the various stacks of dinnerware. "Well, it's not like I planned on it."
"You had no other plans, Carlton. I thought it would be nice for you to join us," Juliet reminded him. "Besides, you're the one who agreed."
"Don't remind me," Lassiter groaned. "How much longer until this thing is over?"
"Don't be so impatient, Carlton," his partner admonished, straightening as she wadded up the plastic ice bag. She tossed it into the trash can. "We have all day."
"We shouldn't. Criminals don't take days off."
She shook her head. "You needed to take at least a day off, which is why the chief finally had to order you to stay away from the station today."
"Speaking of Chief Vick," Gus observed, "is she still planning on coming?"
"Yes," Juliet nodded. "Something came up with Iris, but she should be here soon."
Henry reentered the room, his hands full of drinks, which he began depositing into the ice chest. "Good," he said, having heard the last bit of conversation. "The other guests should be arriving shortly as well. I'll go start up the grill."
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Shawn left his bike at the grocery store a few blocks from his dad's house. For one, he couldn't imagine being able to ride his bike and successfully balance a sheet cake at the same time. As it was, he was having a little trouble with the pineapple under his arm.
Secondly, he didn't want to announce his presence before he arrived. As much as he loved his Norton, there was no doubt that riding it up to the house would ruin any chance he had for surprising the others.
He chuckled to himself when he thought of the looks on their faces. They were expecting to surprise him, but he'd be delivering the surprise instead. It was almost as fun as the Christmas game he played with his dad every year.
Looking down, he admired the cake in his hands. The bakery girl had been more than willing to add several icing pineapples to the top; Shawn credited his charming good looks for that pulling that one off.
Turning the corner onto the street, he paused and checked for anyone from the station. He certainly didn't want to be spotted. Not yet, anyway.
The others would never see this one coming.
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Shawn would never see this one coming.
Gus grinned as he checked through the front window once more. There was no sign of Shawn yet; hopefully his friend would show up late as normal, which would give the most opportunity for all the guests to arrive and conceal themselves.
The small crowd in Henry's backyard was growing as more people joined the group around the grill. There was plenty of chatter and laughter, punctuated with cheerful greetings with each new arrival. Every few minutes, a "shh" would rise above the noise and the sound level would drop.
Henry had instructed everyone to park out of sight, and there were no tell-tale cars anywhere near the house. Gus was posted as the lookout, and as soon as he spotted his friend, the others would ready themselves to surprise him.
"Gus." At Juliet's call, he turned towards the back door. She raised an eyebrow in a questioning expression. "Have you hear from Shawn yet?"
"No." Gus shook his head. "I'm going to call him to come over if he doesn't show up in the next few minutes."
Juliet nodded. "All right. The food's just about ready."
She disappeared into the backyard again; Gus turned back towards the door, only to jump in surprise as it swung open.
"Hey, buddy," Shawn greeted, a grin plastered across his face. "Here, can you take this?" He handed off a large white box, then headed for the kitchen. "Should I slice up the pineapple now or wait until it's time to eat?"
Gus followed less enthusiastically. "Shawn …"
"Is everyone else in the back? Dad's got the grill going, right?"
"Shawn …"
"Did he do burgers this year or did he go with the results of a murderous fishing expedition?"
"Shawn!"
"Yes?" Shawn paused.
"How did you figure out what was going on?" Gus used his elbow to push aside several empty plastic bags to clear a place on the kitchen table for the cake box.
"I have my ways," Shawn replied mysteriously, tapping his temple.
Gus raised an eyebrow. "Shawn, you and I both know that isn't it."
"Okay, fine. I know it's my birthday, I know you and my dad have been wanting to surprise me with something for years, and most of the department is out today. Ooh, are those cookies?"
Sighing, Gus pulled the other man away from the desserts. "Come on; they're waiting on us."
Shawn had the decency to at least feign surprise when he walked through the back door, though Henry gave him several looks that told Shawn that his dad's suspicions lay in the right direction.
Other than Lassiter's threatening to shoot the guest of honor and end the party early, the evening went off without a hitch. At Henry's insistence, Shawn stayed behind to help clean up once everyone else had made their way to their vehicles. Gus had already planned on helping, since it was partly his idea in the first place. Plus, he knew if he didn't offer from the start, he would end up doing it anyway, so he figured he'd eliminate the problem.
"You know, Gus," Shawn remarked, dumping a handful of paper plates and plastic forks into the trash can, "the whole sending me on a wild duck chase all over Santa Barbara wasn't really necessary."
"It's a wild goose chase, Shawn," Gus automatically replied, rolling his eyes, "and you know it."
"Yeah." Shawn twisted his mouth to the side in thought. The next time he returned with trash, he grinned at his friend. "But I appreciate the gesture. I'll try not to figure out your secret next time."
"No you won't," Gus chuckled. "You can't help yourself; you're going to try to figure it out if you can."
"True … I'd suggest something major if you want to keep me away from any party plans next year."
"Like what?" Gus asked, though he knew he would regret it.
"Like if you sent me somewhere absolutely awesome, like a pineapple farm or something, I'd be out of your hair – wait, that expression doesn't work –"
"Or I could just have Detective Lassiter arrest you," Henry suggested, joining the conversation.
Shawn scowled. "Really? That's the best you can do?"
Gus rolled his eyes as the two Spencer men continued their banter. Shawn caught the look and rolled his eyes back. He would never let on to either of the other men, but he was actually enjoying himself.
It was amazing, when he stopped and thought about it, how much his general enjoyment of life had improved over the past few years. Sure, he had enjoyed the freedom that came from being on the road, and he wouldn't trade those past years for anything, but he would never regret returning to Santa Barbara.