Hey all!

Another time skip/jump/leap/whatever! As I said before, the academy and Shawn's punishment is not the focus of this story; the relationship between Shawn and Lassie is. So, now we're getting to the good parts! I ended up combining chapters again since I realized how short 1,000 words is to read 2x a week. At this rate, I should be able to finish posting by the time I leave on "vacation" next Saturday. Yay!

So, note: Shawn and Gus still have the Psych office, but it is no longer called Psych. The name's not really important right now and I'm really bad at naming stuff; so it doesn't have a name. If someone wants to name it for me, that would be awesome! Just leave it in a review and you might see it (and your penname if you so choose) in the next story!

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 7

*5 ½ months later*

Gus had finished his route by noon and decided to head to their private-eye office. He was supposed to meet Shawn in a couple hours before heading to Henry's house for Shawn's birthday dinner. He figured he could get some paperwork done since Shawn had a meeting with the chief. Entering the office, Gus hung his coat up and walked into the dark inner room. Shawn had closed the blinds last night for his movie night and he had a habit of keeping them closed when they were not officially open. While they wouldn't necessarily turn down anyone who walked in, Shawn just preferred the peace and quiet these days. Gus set his briefcase down and opened the blinds, only bumping into one chair. When he turned around to go sit at his desk, he jumped when he saw Shawn sitting in his chair.

"Geeze Shawn! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Shawn blinked and looked around the room before spotting Gus. "Oh. Hey Gus. When did you get here?"

"Just now." Gus frowned. "Why are you sitting in the dark? Are you trying to kill your eyes?"

"*Psh* Please! If all of our late night, no light, movie nights hasn't made me wear glasses by now, I doubt this will."

Gus shook his head. "What are you doing here, anyways? I thought that you had to see the chief?"

"The mayor wanted a meeting with her so she asked if we could talk tomorrow. I didn't mind since I already know what she's gonna discuss."

"So then how long have you been sitting here?"

Shawn shrugged. "I don't know. The chief called shortly after you dropped me off this morning and then I got the mail. I don't think I've moved since."

"So 4 hours? You haven't moved in 4 hours?!"

"Huh, I guess so." Shawn got up and stretched, hearing various joints pop. "And apparently my body doesn't approve. You want some pineapple juice?"

Gus shook his head. "No thanks. I don't understand how you can stand drinking pure pineapple juice several times a day."

"What can I say, it's my addiction." Shawn opened the fridge.

"Just don't drink directly from the bottle!" Gus scolded as he grabbed the mail off Shawn's desk.

"Why? You just said that you didn't want any."

"I said that I don't want any right now." Gus frowned as he looked at the opened letter on top of the pile. "What's this?"

"Mine!" Shawn yelled as he raced across the room to snatch it from Gus but Gus dodged him.

"A letter from Lassiter's sister? So you found him?"

"Yes." Shawn finally managed to grab the letter and held it to his chest. "Not that it's any of your business!"

"It is my business!" Gus replied as he tried to grab the letter again. "You've been moping around for a year! You're my best friend and I want to kill the guy that broke your heart when you were already down in the dumps!"

Shawn kept his eyes downcast as he stayed out of Gus' reach. "It wasn't entirely his fault. If I had been more truthful or careful, he never would have left."

"I'm not playing the 'what if' game again!" Gus sighed as he took a step back. "What does the letter say?"

Shawn slowly handed the letter to Gus and recited what he had committed to memory hours ago. "Hey Shawn. I'm so excited to hear from you! I've tried countless times to contact you but Carlton always prevented me, saying that if you really cared, you would find him. Not that he's made it easy! He even changed his last name to make it harder to find him! But I knew you would do it. Anyways, we have some big news, but it's better to say in person. You should come to Texas and surprise Carlton, I'm sure he'll enjoy it. Just give me a call either before you leave or when you get here. I can't wait to see you again! Hugs and Kisses, Lauren."

Gus set the paper down and looked at Shawn. "So, when are you leaving?"

Shawn frowned at Gus, "Wait, aren't you supposed to tell me not to rush into things and that this could be a very bad idea? That I could totally mess things up with the department when I only have a couple weeks left on my parole."

"You're not on parole."

"Then what is it? An internship?"

"It's a business agreement so the department doesn't take legal actions against you and have you thrown in jail!"

"Like parole."

Gus rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I'm pretty sure that I can convince the chief to let you go now and then finish your time when you get back. In the meantime, you should head to your apartment, take a shower, and pack some clothes."

Shawn smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah. I just want you to be happy. And if seeing Lassiter will make you happy, even if there is a slight chance of him shooting you, then I'm behind you 100%"

"I'm sorry Gus, but the only person that I want behind me is Lassie. And on top, and under, and in…"

Gus quickly covered Shawn's mouth. "Stop! Before I change my mind!" Shawn licked his hand. "Yuck!"

Shawn laughed as Gus let go; one of the few laughs Gus had heard in over a year. "Sorry, but I gotta get my shots in before I leave for a week or more."

"Just go! I'll call the chief right now."

"Thanks man!" Shawn fist bumped Gus before running out the door.

"Happy Birthday." Gus smiled as he watched Shawn go. Once he heard Shawn's motorcycle leave the parking lot, he pulled out his phone and called the chief.

"Vick speaking."

"Hello Chief Vick. It's um, it's Burton Guster Ma'am."

"I have caller ID, Mr. Guster; and don't call me Ma'am."

"Yes, sorry." Gus pulled his tie loose.

"May I help you? I just got out of a meeting with the Mayor and am not in the mood for Shawn's antics today."

"I am calling about Shawn, but it's not necessarily bad."

Karen sighed, "I'm listening."

"Well, Shawn received a letter from Lassiter's sister telling him where Lassiter is and Shawn is hoping to leave today to go see him."

There was a slight pause before she replied, "I'm not sure that is a good idea."

"Why not?!" Gus exclaimed.

"For one, he still has two weeks left on his agreement and I would rather not have him put in jail when he is so close."

"But Chief! You don't understand!"

"I do understand, and know a lot more than people think I do."

"Shawn has been miserable for the past year and he almost seemed like his old self today when he heard back from Lauren!"

Gus heard Karen sigh and he held his breath as he waited. "Very well. Since he's been doing a good job, I guess I can let him go."

"Thank you chief! This means a lot to both of us."

"I just hope I don't end up regretting it. I can't afford to lose Mr. Spencer because Carlton decided to shoot him."

"I don't think that will happen."

"Why? Because they were dating?"

Gus sputtered slightly. "H-how did you know?"

"I know a lot. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork I need to file in order to officially release Mr. Spencer from his agreement."

"Of course. Thank you Chief."

"My pleasure. Good day Mr. Guster."

Gus lowered his phone and sat stunned in his chair. "The Chief knew? Huh." Shaking his head, he quickly sent a text to Shawn, saying that he was good to go.

As Shawn sped down the highway, he couldn't help but reflect upon that dreadful week almost a year ago when everything seemed to fall apart. He let his secret slip, most of the SBPD shunned him, the chief laid down his punishment, and Carlton broke up with him. They had been secretly dating for over a year before he let his secret slip and Shawn should have told him the truth once they became serious. And afterwards, the few times they talked weren't very pleasant. They mostly consisted of fights and the last time Shawn saw him, Carlton seemed tired and didn't want to talk at all. Carlton was hurting and Shawn was to blame. Carlton breaking up with him still hurt even a year later.

Shawn shook himself out of his musings as he neared his exit. He had worked at a motel near Tucson, Arizona and the owner said if he was ever passing through and needed a place to stay, he wouldn't be charged. Hopefully the place wouldn't be too crowded.

Unable to get much sleep, Shawn rolled out of bed around 5am and decided to get his day started. Lauren's return address was a small town outside of San Antonio, Texas and, if Shawn's memory was correct, it was about 14 hours to Houston. He figured that he would arrive around dinner time, not that he would be in the mood for eating. He was too nervous and had to force himself to eat a bag of Combos and a burrito from a gas station the day before.

When Shawn stopped around noon, he decided to call Lauren. It rang several times before a rough voice answered, "Hello?"

Shawn froze. He was not expecting Carlton to answer and he didn't want their first conversation in a year to be over the phone. Coming up with a fake accent, Shawn said, "Ya, I'ma callin for-a Lauren."

"What for?"

"I have-a meetin wit her tamorra. I wanta her to film me shep."

"Your what?"

"Me Shep. Ya know, baa baa."

"Sheep?"

"Ya, ya. Is she ter?"

Carlton sighed. "Yeah, give me a minute."

"Kay." Shawn sighed as he heard Carlton call for Lauren. He wasn't sure that he could keep the voice going for too much longer and hoped that Lauren would come to the phone.

Sure enough, it was barely a minute later when Lauren answered, "This is Lauren."

"Ah! Guten Tag Lauren! Me hopes me no callin at bad times."

"No, not at all. Um, I'm sorry, but who is this? Carlton said something about sheep?"

"Ya, ya. He is still ter?"

"No, he's in the other room."

"Good." Shawn sighed in his normal voice. "It's Shawn Spencer."

"Oh my goodness! I was not expecting you to call so soon! When did you get my letter?" Lauren whispered excitedly.

"Yesterday. And I'm in Texas right now."

"What?! I wish you had given me more warning! Carlton and I have a thing tonight and won't get back until late."

"How late?"

"Late late. Like after 10pm late."

Shawn shrugged. "That's not too late for me."

"It is for us! Lucky for you it's the weekend and neither of us have to be anywhere tomorrow."

"So I can come by tonight?"

"Um…sure, why not?!"

"10 o'clock?"

"Let's go for 10:30, just in case we get back late."

"Alright, 10:30. Thanks!"

"Sure. See ya soon!"

"Bye." Shawn took a deep breath as he hung up. He was going to see Carlton tonight. He just hoped that Carlton does not shoot him.