Shawn swayed in his seat as he took another sip of his very alcoholic drink. A sober Gus sat beside him, fed up with his friend's random ramblings. Gus didn't know how long they'd both been sitting in Shawn's favourite bar but the line of empty glasses that sat on the bar next to Shawn's full glass told Gus it had been a while. It wasn't often that Shawn drunk himself into oblivion, but Gus knew he always needed it and he would always stay sober to drive him home afterwards. And then laugh at him in the morning when he arrived at Gus' place hung-over.

"You know?" Shawn slurred. "I really don't care anymore," He shook his head vehemently, nearly sending himself to the floor, he grabbed the edge of the bar at the last minute and pulled himself upright. "Maybe," He begun, "Maybe it's fate!" He waggled his eyebrows and Gus rolled his eyes.

"Fate?" Gus asked, unconvinced.

"Yeah!...it's perfect really."

"How is you drinking yourself into a coma perfect?"

"No Gus, don't be a silly pumpkin face," Gus glared at his friend, "I'm talking about…." Shawn frowned as he fought to remember Nick's name.

"Lassiter?" Gus prompted.

"Noo!...that other one, the one that's me…the other me."

"Okay, now you're not making any sense."

"I am making perfect sense, it is you mister you is talking gobbledegook," Shawn stared at the glass in his hand.

"Shawn…..Shawn!"

Shawn's head snapped up, "Hmm?"

"You okay man?"

"Nick!" Shawn exclaimed loudly, "That's who's me!" He laughed.

"Okay, I think it's time I took you home to sleep this off," He reached for Shawn's glass but Shawn pulled it away at the last second.

"Hey!" He snapped.

Gus shook his head, "you're a lousy drunk."

Shawn snorted, "At least I don't jump up onto tables and start singing Mariah Carey."

"That was one time Shawn!"

"Yeah, I still have the pictures to prove it."

"Whatever."

Shawn sighed as he gulped the last of his drink. "He's me now Gus, the me my father always wanted," He pushed the glass away.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nick King," He said, making a face.

"You're being ridiculous."

"Am I Gus? Am I?"

"So what if Nick and your dad get along? Isn't having Nick around a good thing?"

"Why on earth would you say such a thing?"

"You're always complaining that your dad's on your back about one thing or another."

"Yes," Shawn narrowed his eyes.

"Well now he's too preoccupied with Nick to care what you do, you know how much you can get away with now?"

Shawn perked up, "No more awkward conversation over dinner."

"Exactly!"

"Or phone calls when I'm trying to push a dead guy back into a dumbwaiter," Shawn smiled.

Gus shivered as he remembered the dead body, "Sheesh, never again," He's never been able to handle dead bodies. Shawn jumped from his seat and stumbled giddily towards the door, Gus put some money on the bar before running to catch up with him. "You feeling better now?"

Shawn slapped Gus' shoulder, "I feel much better, thanks to you, my friend," The pair left the bar and headed towards Gus' car.

"Good," Gus walked into Shawn when Shawn stopped suddenly. "What?"

"I'm also feeling nauseous."

"You puke in my car and you're cleaning it up," Gus told him firmly.

"Relax Gus," Shawn told him as they reached the car. Shawn leant against the car door heavily, waiting for Gus to unlock it. "If I puke I'll do it out the window."

"That makes me feel a whole lot better," Gus said sarcastically. He unlocked the car and then pushed Shawn into the passenger side. He moved round to the driver's side and got in. He turned to Shawn and then sighed as he realised Shawn was fast asleep. "I am not dragging you up two flights of stairs to your apartment," He told the sleeping form.

Shawn's taxi pulled up to his father's house late that evening. He'd slept all afternoon and after waking, had decided to give Nick another chance. Maybe Gus was right and Nick was what he needed to keep his father too busy to bother him. Nick had only been nice to Shawn and Shawn hadn't even given him a chance. He paid the taxi driver and watched it drive off. He walked round the house to the back gate but stopped making himself known. Just outside the house Nick and Henry were sitting on the veranda. A barbeque was smoking to one side pair was laughing about something. Shawn stayed hidden and watched them.

Henry wiped a tear from his eye as he tried to stop laughing. His whole body shook from laughter. He looked up at Nick who was also laughing. "I don't think I've laughed so much in my life," He managed to say.

"Me either," Nick replied. "Are you sure you're not a comedian?"

"Nah, I leave all that silly stuff to my son,"

Nick laughed. "I see what you mean about him…and that silly psychic thing he does. Why didn't he just join the police force?"

"I ask myself that everyday,"

"I couldn't imagine doing anything else," Nick answered honestly, "Joining the family business, catching criminals and taking them off the streets, making my father proud,"

"Why couldn't you have been my son?" Henry asked.

Shawn couldn't listen to any more; he spun round and quietly walked away.