A/N: This chapter and the next have only been skimmed by my beta who said they were fine. So lets hope you all think so. I just could wait to get to this part any longer. I needed you guys to read this. Lol so I hope you enjoy!
An hour and a half later, Gus had left Shawn to wait for Grace alone. He'd pestered the Chief and Buzz and any other cop who would listen to him, until he was forced to just sit at Juliet's desk and wait. At that moment he heard her heals click to a stop a few feet back.
"What are you doing at my desk Shawn?" She said. Shawn turned around quickly, and hopped out of her chair.
"I.. I was just waiting for you to cough my sister back up. Where is she?" he said looking around Juliet dramatically. She smiled a knowing smile.
"She's still talking to Lassiter." She walked around Shawn to her desk just as Grace and Lassiter came up the stairs from the interrogation room. Grace was laughing at something Carlton had said. Shawn couldn't believe his eyes. Was this really...?
Eww. He thought, and Grace turned to look at him. She gave him a look but turned back to Lassiter and slipped him something quickly, her fingers lingering on his hand. Shawn saw the numbers and groaned. As she walked up to him she said;
"It's not 'eww' Shawn. Isn't a girl allowed to think a guy is handsome?" Using his earlier words against him.
"If that guy isn't Carlton Lassiter. And please don't tell me you just gave him your number." Grace crossed her arms against her chest.
"So what if I did?"
"Grace I don't even have your number yet! Seriously I can not watch him try to hit on you. It's disturbing." He said shuddering at the mere thought of it. She had to laugh a little.
You're just as pathetic when you try to hit on me Shawn. That came from behind them. From Juliet. Grace did her best not to laugh aloud to the thought. Juliet's tone wasn't mean though. She was laughing about it in her head.
"Don't be such a child Shawn. I'm allowed to like someone." She quickly changed the subject.
"So now what are we going to do?" Eager to get the thought of Lassiter even holding hands with Grace out of his mind, causing her to put her hands on her hips and give another warning glare, he spit out;
"Well since you're gonna be staying with me, I'd say we call Gus, go back to Psych and get your stuff-"
"I really didn't bring much stuff. It's all in this bag." she said showing her purse. Shawn looked puzzled.
"You fit stuff in there?" She laughed again.
"I'm a girl Shawn. It's kinda how we work."
"Well then, we still need Gus to come get us, then I can take you back to my apartment." She nodded in agreement and Shawn pulled out his phone to hail Gus.
Once back at Psych and shown the way they were going back to Shawn's, Grace was about ready to run back inside and ask Gus for a ride.
"Absolutly not Shawn." She said staring at the motorcycle Shawn was pointing at.
"Oh come on Grace. I've been riding this thing forever. Only one accident under my belt. And that wasn't even my fault. A criminal tried to run me off the road." Shawn defended. Grace rolled her eyes, not believing the story.
"I'd rather search for my mysterious would-be killer than get on that with you."
"Please Gracie? I promise nothing will happen. We're only 15 minutes from my building." He gave her a big overdramatic pout and puppy dogs eyes, and she tried not to laugh. But it was no use when he started batting his eyelashes at her. She lost it, and gave in.
"Ok, ok I'll do it, just stop making that face." Shawn smiled and fist pumped the air with a quiet 'yes' before throwing his helmet at her and hopping on the bike
Now I know the perfect trick to get Juliet to ride with me one day. He thought.
"There you go again. Do you really not know that you do that all the time? Another reason you need to admit you like Juliet." She said putting the helmet on and walking over to the motorcycle and getting on behind him.
"Oh knock it off with that mind reading stuff." He said.
"As soon as I see you do this psychic nonsense I've been reading about."
"Oh trust me." He kicked the bike on and revved the engine.
"You will. Hold on." Grace threw her arms around his waist just in time for him to take off down the street.
After kissing the ground in front of the apartment complex and walking through Shawn's front door, Grace looked around his apartment. It wasn't as bad as she had imagined. It was bigger that's for sure, and it was cleaner. Then again she didn't think Shawn spent much time in it. Or maybe Henry really did teach him something other than trying to be a cop.
They spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies, splitting a pizza and catching up a little on each other's lives. Shawn found out that Grace had a small addiction to tattoos. Five all together. Two in places Shawn would never see.
'What's this one?" he asked pointing down to her wrist. She twisted her arm till he could see the words.
"lost" Was scrawled in cursive black ink along with a date. He didn't quite recognize it. He looked up to inquire and could tell Grace was bracing herself to tell him, so he asked in his head.
Is that about when you left? She just nodded, sending the answer from her mind to his.
They day I stopped hearing from you.
She went on to explain her others to him, obviously trying avoid anymore questions. Grace learned that Shawn had had 57 jobs until Psych, and so far, with just about three years under his belt, it was the longest one he'd ever kept at.
It was ten o'clock now, not the normal time Shawn would go to sleep, but he figured Grace needed to to be strong for tomorrow. He excused himself, saying he'd be right back. Grace leaned back into the couch and sighed. Was she really here? After twenty years, was she finally was in contact with her brother? It didn't feel as awkward as she made it out to be on the plane ride over. She imagined, long silences, and hateful glares. Him refusing to help and being forced to talk to their father, since their mother was still away.
Sure they had a small fight when she first showed up, but it was to be expected. Shawn probably never understood why she was leaving. But so far it was almost like she never had left, and that made her stomach feel a little weird. Something this easy was too good to be true. A pillow hit the side of her head breaking her out of her trance.
"Hey." She said, giggling a little, her stomach calming some.
"Here you go. I hope the couch will be an ok bed for now." She looked down at it then back up at him.
"You seriously don't have like an air mattress or something?" She asked. It was ok to sit on, but she knew her back would be screaming at her tomorrow for sleeping on this thing.
"No. Sorry but this is gonna have to be your Tempor-Pedic for the time being. Unless you want to grab a hotel.."
"No!" She shouted, cutting him off and startling him a little. Shawn raised an eyebrow but quickly understood. She needed to be around someone she knew and trusted. She was in danger. He stole a glance at her bruised eye again and could only imagine what this Danny character would do to her now. He needed to get her through tomorrow.
"No.. this will be great. Thanks." She said quieter. Shawn walked over and placed the blanket he had on next to her.
"Night Grace." He said, patting her shoulder gently as he passed her.
"Night Shawn." She said to his retreating form. He walked down the hall to his room and she covered her head with the blanket and groaned. Why did she just freak out? She changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth and all that, turned off the lights and laid back down.
It's going to be ok Grace. Shawn is gonna make sure of that. She thought to herself, before drifting off to sleep.
At around 2 in the morning a storm rocked the city of Santa Barbara, and for Grace, she swore it was the worst over Shawn's apartment. The lightning was brighter, the thunder louder. In all truth it was bad everywhere, but Grace had hated and feared thunderstorms ever since a few months before she left.
There was another thing she hated. Over and over again through her adult life she was told that nothing could hurt her, and there was nothing to be afraid of. She knew that for crying out loud. Why was it irrational to have a fear of storms? She thought it was irrational to have a fear of open spaces but she didn't criticize people for having it or tell them not to be scared. At least a storm had the capability to hurt you. How could standing in a wide open space do that?
Only one person ever told her that it would just be ok. That it'd be over soon and to just hold on. And that person was only a few feet away. But would he remember?