Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 7: The truth

"Oh come on Henry." Shawn's mom said.

"What? Don't you think he deserves to know?" Henry said.

"You know why I left!"

"You told Shawn you had an archeological dig in Mexico."

"Ok. First of all, it was Peru. And second, I realized I wasn't ready to be a mother."

"You decided this after nine years of mothering?"

"No. I decided that after my child was shot playing catch with his friends. I wasn't ready to handle the duties that went along with being a cop's wife and the way you trained Shawn, I didn't think I could handle it if he became a cop either."

"So you left because you could not handle being the wife of a cop?"

"Yes."

"You missed the last 20 years of our son's life because you couldn't handle being a mother."

"When Shawn was born, I couldn't have been happier but as years passed I realized there were still things I wanted to do before being a parent. We were too young when we got married. We only got married because I was pregnant."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying we made a mistake, Henry."

"A mistake? Is that what you think of our son? Please tell me that's not what you told him when you left."

"I told him I had to go away for work."

"Honestly, Melanie! You lied to him?"

"He was nine. I couldn't very well tell him the truth now could I."

"You just did." Shawn said. A look of hurt crossed over his otherwise cheerful face.

"Shawn!" Melanie said shocked. "Sweetheart, I didn't see you there."

"You think I'm a mistake?" He asked in a hurt voice.

"Shawn, that's not what I meant."

"That's what it sounded like. I have a case to solve." He walked into the main office. Juliet and Gus followed. A tall, muscular man stood in the doorway behind them. His tan hair was speckled with gray.

"What's going on in here?" The man-in-the doorway asked.

"Ted! What are you doing here?"

"I followed you here."

"Oh. Henry you remember Ted."

"Yea."

Ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

Shawn stared at the white board. Gus and Juliet watched him.

"What's he doing?" Juliet asked.

"Either trying to figure out the case or avoiding the massive argument going on in the next room." Gus said. "My guess is he's doing both." Juliet looked between the bickering parents and Shawn.

"That's ridiculous." Shawn said with a somewhat amused expression on his face.

"What?" The detectives asked.

"This guy's plan. It's almost…" Shawn said. "It's almost genius."

"What's his plan?"

"Going after kids of police officers." He drew a line on the board.

"What are you doing, Shawn?"

"I am making a time line, Gus." Shawn ticked off a mark on his line.

"A time line of what, Shawn?"

"The victims." Shawn said. He sighed. His marker was poised just above the line. Juliet rubbed his shoulders. She leaned in to him.

"You can do it, Shawn." She whispered. He shook his head.

"No, I can't." Juliet took the marker out of his hand. She walked closer to the board, in her neat, little handwriting she wrote on the first line: Shawn Spencer, Age 9, shot on school playground, April 4 1987. She ticked off the next mark and wrote a name next to it.

"Ciara Carter was 15 when she was kidnapped. Hasn't been seen since." Juliet said. They added the rest of the names and stared at the board.

"Ok so. We have six kids. All ranging from different ages, all at different times." Gus said.

"The first child was Shawn. Then there's six years of nothing. Then he kidnaps a teenager."

"Ciara Carson? Why does that name sound familiar, Gus?" Shawn asked.

"Didn't we go to school with a Carson?" Gus said.

"Savannah!" Shawn said excitedly.

"We need to talk to her." Gus said.

"Leave that to me." Jules said pulling out her phone.