AN: A Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! Apparently I have no strength of will when it comes to you guys. I wasn't planning on putting up a new chapter until after Christmas, but oh well. Consider this my Christmas present to you all for your fantastic reviews. :)


Karen paced in front of her desk, glaring at the clock. It was 9:10. She should have known the psychic wouldn't keep his promise. She had really believed he would show up, especially for his father and best friend. Well, this definitely didn't help his chances of avoiding any jail time.

She didn't know how he did it, how he had solved all of those cases. She had never believed in psychics, even when she hired Shawn. In fact, she hadn't really cared whether or not he was a real psychic, so long as he got results. And he did. Despite his antics, he had solved every case she had given him…and some she had not. But when the truth came out, well, that was a completely different game. His secret had been exposed, the police were under scrutiny, and if she wasn't careful, she could lose her job. But what was most important was that each case Shawn had worked on would be reviewed. There was a possibility that criminals could be released from jail because of Shawn's fraudulent investigations.

He wasn't supposed to get caught. He had been careless, and he had pulled O'Hara into his lie on accident, leaving her to decide between love and justice…And she had believed in justice long before she had met Shawn. Karen could only imagine how difficult that decision had been for her.

She had never seen Shawn look so depressed. He was always happy, but after he had left the station the other day, he looked like the weight of the world sat on his shoulders. Perhaps that was why his absence this morning was so surprising to her. She had seen how determined he had been to plead his case, and Henry and Guster's.

She heard a ding from her computer and turned to sit down, checking her watch as she moved. 9:15. Maybe he was just late. It was better than the alternative; that he had run. She frowned at her screen, her cursor hovering over the email that had just come through with the subject line Shawn Spencer. Karen hesitated a moment more and clicked on the email, staring at the link that was included in the email. She clicked on it, gasping when the link opened a new window showing a young man tied to a chair. It didn't take her long to recognize the unconscious figure. Shawn.

Karen pushed away from her desk and strode to the door, bellowing out instructions. "McNab! Call Henry Spencer and Burton Guster and have them come to the station immediately! Detectives, in my office! And somebody get the tech office to trace the video link on my computer! Now!"

Detectives Lassiter and O'Hara walked quickly into her office, confused.

"Is this about Spencer? He ran, didn't he? I knew it!" Lassiter said.

"No, Detective. Unfortunately, he did not run." She paused before continuing, "I just got an email that had a link. It connected me to this webpage." She turned the computer screen around, watching her two detectives.

It didn't take them long to recognize the figure, either. Lassiter let out a soft curse, eyes wide in surprise. It was O'Hara's reaction that bothered Karen. Other than the puzzled expression clearing from her face as she realized who it was, she showed no emotion. No worry, no fear, no anger…nothing. Her face was completely emotionless.

Juliet couldn't stop staring at the screen. She had never seen him so still before. He was always moving or dancing or…something. Maybe that's why it didn't feel real. Maybe that's why she couldn't stop staring at the screen; because she didn't think it was him. It wasn't until she caught the Chief staring at her that she realized she hadn't shown any reaction. The Chief was waiting for her to show anger, fear, something and Juliet just…couldn't.

She was…numb. Even her face felt stiff. She just wasn't able to express all of the emotions that she was feeling. She had run the gamut of emotions over Shawn for the last week, and she was tired. She didn't want to feel anything for him anymore, didn't want to have to deal with him anymore. He had lied to her; how could she forgive him? It wasn't a harmless little lie. No, that dress doesn't make you look big. It was a huge lie. His whole life was a lie! "I'm a psychic." She thought she could tell when he was lying, but she had been wrong. And if she couldn't tell he was lying about that…How could she know he hadn't lied to her about how much he cared for her? For all she knew, he had just been playing her for the fool she was. He wasn't a psychic, and she hadn't even suspected he was lying about that.

She wasn't sure she had done the right thing, by turning him in; and seeing him unconscious now just added another heavy weight to her already tired emotions.

Henry and Gus both dashed into the office, both of them standing defensively, arms crossed, as Henry spoke. "What's going on? Where's Shawn? He was supposed to have a meeting today, wasn't he?" He suddenly swore, running his hand down his face, his voice full of tired acceptance as he continued. "He ran, didn't he? Stupid-"

"Henry! Stop!" Karen broke into his rant, not wanting him to say something he'd regret. "Shawn didn't run." She quickly explained the situation, turning the screen around as she finished. Henry and Gus both fell into the chairs, shocked.

Juliet couldn't help the small, startled jump when a voice coming from the video surprised her. She was still numb, still drowning in the weight of her emotions when she watched the man wake Shawn up and when she saw Shawn look around the room…

Shawn's voice came through the speakers, and she shut her eyes. The sound of his voice increased her turmoil and she clenched her jaw, fighting against the emotions that were starting to make her unravel.

She had always loved his voice; the barely restrained joy that often bubbled under the surface, the way it grew husky every time he told her he loved her…He could talk about anything, and she would just listen. She had loved the way he babbled, even when he was confronting a criminal holding a gun to his head. Nothing seemed to faze him.

She had heard him once when he was in agony-when he had been shot-and he had still managed to hide most of his pain from her. She had heard him lose control-really lose control-twice. Once, when he had realized Yang had been watching him from the Psych office; another when he had answered the phone believing Yin was on the other end, but it was instead Juliet, reading the psycho's twisted clue. He hadn't been able to hide his fear and anger and frustration either of those times.

That was something she had noticed about him, an endearing characteristic. If it was him in danger or trouble, he was in control. If it was someone else in danger, especially someone he cared for, he had more difficulty hiding his emotions.

Right now, his voice was calm. Sometimes incredulous and disbelieving, with a twinge of nervousness, but mostly calm, in control.

It wasn't his voice you had to listen to, Juliet had learned; you had to watch his eyes.

That was where she saw his fear as they looked around that small room. That was where she saw the shock as the man suddenly turned angry. And that was where she saw his absolute belief that no one would care he was in trouble.

She saw him shake his head and close his eyes.

When he reopened his eyes, Juliet couldn't breathe, because there was a blankness to his expression that she had never seen. It was like Shawn had locked himself away from them, his true emotions hidden behind a mask she couldn't find a crack in. She heard Henry swear softly and saw Gus shift uncomfortably in the chair. She was not the only one to notice the difference, then. She was surprised when the mask slipped for a split second, a fierce emotion crossing his face as the man confessed that he had considered Juliet for his revenge; but it was such a quick slip that if she had blinked, she would have missed it.

She was stuck on that flash of emotion. Was it possible that he hadn't lied to her when he told her he loved her?

It wasn't until the first punch landed on his face that she truly understood what was happening. He was being beaten; he was being tortured because of his connection to the police station. A connection he would never have had if he had never lied about being a psychic.

She couldn't look away. She felt her stomach twist as she heard his pain, her eyes glued to the screen as she tried to watch his eyes. The mask was still there, but there was a…disconnect. He was staring off into the distance, his eyes almost sparkling.

"You haven't given up already, have you?"

Shawn blinked; his gaze refocused and the sparkle disappeared.

"I'm sorry. Did you want me to show excitement? Maybe give an exuberant 'ow?'"

There was a new pain in his expression as the man continued and Juliet covered her mouth when the chair toppled over, Shawn's short yell stealing her breath again.

The Chief was yelling at one of the men from the tech office, unwilling to take their word that tracing the signal would be impossible.

"That man will be killed if you can't trace the signal! You had better find a way to trace it, or so help me, I will make sure you never touch a computer again in your life!"

The man on the screen was slowing his attack, the punches coming slower and slower until he stopped and stepped away from Shawn, who was still conscious. Dear Lord, he was still awake…

"I think that went well, Shawn. I think this first session was a good way to break the ice, to give them a little shock."

She had never wanted to shoot someone more in her life. She was surprised by how sharp and sudden that urge was. It broke through the icy façade that she knew had settled over her features, leaving her eyes glittering in anger.

"You never told me your name. Only your brother's."

She watched them talk, watched as Shawn's mask slipped for a second time as he responded angrily to another comment from Cole. Somehow she knew instinctively that this conversation was not going to lead anywhere good. And when Cole began asking questions, her instincts were confirmed.

She watched him flinch as Cole said, "That must have been awful. Someone you trusted turning their back on you, turning you in."

Juliet was angry at the guilt that surfaced as she heard that comment and saw Shawn's reaction. Shawn had lied to her, Shawn had betrayed her! She had nothing to feel guilty about!

"I will never hurt you. Never. Not if I can help it. And I won't let anyone else hurt you, either."

She looked up from the case file in confusion. Shawn was serious, a strange sadness pulling down the corners of his mouth.

"Shawn, what's wrong?"

He sighed, his hands running through his hair as he sat beside her. "This case," he answered softly. "He was her husband; he should have loved her, treasured her. Instead, he…hurt her. I just don't understand. How could he do that?"

Juliet looked back down at the pictures in the files, shaking her head sadly. "I don't know, Shawn. I don't understand it either."

He put his hand on her neck, turning her face to his and threading his fingers through her hair. "I will never hurt you. You are the most precious thing in my life, and I promise that I will do everything I can to protect you." He tilted his head forward, letting his forehead rest against hers. Juliet couldn't stop the soft smile that crossed her face when she saw how intensely he looked at her. "I love you."

She put her hands on both sides of his face before leaning in for a sweet kiss. "I know. I love you, too," she replied after they broke apart.

He had broken his promise.

She watched as his eyes dimmed more and more with each memory that Cole stirred up, and Juliet found she couldn't swallow past the lump in her throat while she listened to their final comments.

"I told you, Cole. You picked the wrong guy. They don't care."

"Do you really believe that?"

There was silence, that distant look crossing his face once more before he responded.

"Yeah. I do."

Shawn's head dropped and Cole walked off of the screen. There was silence in the station as they waited for whatever was going to happen next. Cole stepped back into the picture, and there was a slight gasp from each of the people in the office as they caught sight of the syringe in his hand. Shawn looked back up, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the needle. Cole grabbed Shawn's hair and tilted his head roughly to the side. Shawn struggled, but couldn't stop the needle from piercing his skin or prevent whatever was in the needle from entering his body. His blinks got slower, his breathing grew deeper, and Cole turned to smile at the camera.

"Don't worry. I'll wake him in a few hours. I want to make the most of our time together." He smirked and walked away, leaving Shawn alone on the screen, unconscious.

Juliet spun away from the screen, unable to watch his motionless figure, and realized for the first time that all of the other officers were crowding as close as they could to watch. Henry swore, standing from his chair and pacing the office in frustration. Gus, who couldn't watch while Cole hurt Shawn, didn't seem able to look away from the screen now.

"He can't really believe that, can he? That no one cares?" He asked, his voice hollow, and Juliet turned to look back at him.

"Why wouldn't he?" She asked shortly, before she strode out of the office. But no matter how quickly she walked away, she wasn't able to escape the haunting image that was still on the screen.


AN: You know, reviews make great Christmas presents, too... :D