AUTHOR'S NOTES:
As promised! Only needed a week to really get things going again.
I have a new job that is seriously kicking my butt and making it hard to write so I apologize for any and all lateness in future chapters. :(
Anywho, this is a pretty important chapter. I used some of the information gathered in Season 7's episode Cirque Du Soul but just a couple facts the characters talked about. Nothing to do with the actual episode plot.
Chapter 7- Cutting Deep
Santa Barbara October 1993-
"Go Saber Cats!" A macho shout from farther down the hallway made both Shawn and Gus cringe. Random bursts of sports related school spirit could only mean one thing. Quarterback Howie Tolkin and his group of testosterone-laden thugs were heading to football practice and any "uncool" people who got in their way would become an instant target. Unfortunately for them, Shawn and Gus were so far considered uncool.
Gus had to admit, he owed Shawn big time for sticking with him in their grade jump. He knew he never would have made it by himself. Sure, there were a couple other students in the advanced class that chose to skip a grade, but they fought their own battles when it came to the constant barrage of torture from their new classmates. Having Shawn with him at least made it bearable.
"Hey, Guster! Think fast!" Howie shouted and threw a football straight at the teen's head.
Gus shrieked in terror and braced for the impact.
Shawn expertly intercepted the football before it could give his friend a concussion. He'd thought about joining the football team, but figured it was too much work and he didn't want to be bossed around by an idiot. He held up the ball mockingly, "Hey man! Thanks for the pigskin. You know, that was super generous."
Peter Coltier, Howie's lackey, stepped forward, "You better give it back freakwad! Don't make Howie come over there and take it."
Shawn scoffed and his eyes flicked to look behind the group of jocks. Gus was about to say something but Shawn held up a finger to silence him. "Sorry boys," Shawn continued speaking to the group, "any and all projectiles aimed to kill a person, once caught, become the sole property of said catch-ee." The humor went over their heads forcing him to clarify. "It means 'no take-backs'." He waved the ball jeeringly.
Howie broke free of his gaggle and pointed a giant meaty finger at Shawn and Gus. "That's it, you're dead." Just as he moved his large frame towards the pair, a commanding voice from behind the quarterback stopped him in his tracks.
"Howard Tolkin! My office, NOW!" Principal Leman had heard the whole exchange as he came up behind the football players.
Shawn had spotted the principal way before the exchange but figured that after two months of Gus and himself suffering relentless torment, the sports fanatics deserved a little dose of humility and humiliation of their own. Giving the principal a smile and a wave, Shawn called after him, "Say hi to the new wife for me Mr. L!"
Gus watched the team depart and cringed at the look Howie gave them over his shoulder. "That guy is going to end up killing somebody someday."
"Couldn't agree more buddy." Shawn clapped Gus on the back and handed him the football. He already had a better one at home.
The incident, like all the others, was soon forgotten as they exited the building and headed for one of the restaurants near the High School. Every Friday they gorged themselves with an early supper because both their parents worked late that night and never cooked anything at home that day.
It also gave them a bit of time to relax before the weekend. Even though both had skipped their sophomore year, they stuck with the advanced classes. That meant they did more homework and less hanging out again this year. Since their parents wouldn't let them skip another grade, the extra credits were being counted as college credits. Shawn figured his dad was going to make him go to college at least a couple years before going into the police academy. He hoped the credits would cut that time down even more.
Forty minutes later, Shawn and Gus emerged from the restaurant comfortably sated carrying leftovers, engaged in a heated argument.
"Dude," Shawn gave Gus an indignant glare, "You can't even say that tortilla chips by themselves are all that good. If I wanted to eat a hard, plain chip made of ground and mashed corn, I'd be a cow."
"Shawn! As a snack chip, the nacho is a classic and does not necessarily need other food or flavor enhancements for people to want to eat them."
"If that were true then they wouldn't have come out with Doritos."
The pair continued to bicker not noticing the man running down the sidewalk until he crashed into them, scattering their boxed food all over the place. After being knocked to the ground, Shawn grabbed Gus and pulled him down too.
"Watch it man!" Gus complained.
"Yeah, watch it!" Shawn echoed.
Casting Shawn a glare Gus clarified, "I was talking to you Shawn! You're the one who knocked me down."
Looking in the direction of the fleeing man, Shawn grumbled, "What was that guy's problem?" He got to his feet and started brushing himself off. He came across a moist area on his shirt and looked down. Through the blue of his t-shirt, it looked like a dark grapefruit-sized smear. "Man, now I got ketchup on my shirt!" He touched the stain and his hand came back dark red. Not ketchup red, wet blood red.
"Uh Shawn, is that what I think it is?" Gus pointed at his friend's hand, clutching his stomach and fighting back nausea. "Was that guy bleeding?"
Shawn touched his clean hand to his temple, closed his eyes, and replayed what he had seen. The man had several dark splotches on his clothing. He had been running—running away from something or someone. When they collided, he had been looking the other way, panicked. Shawn's eyes snapped open. "Gus, it wasn't his blood! The blood was splattered on him."
"So he's some kind of killer?" Gus asked concerned, casting nervous glances down the street.
"I don't know, but I'm going to follow him."
Gus grabbed his friend, "No Shawn! I am not letting you chase after a potential murderer."
"Guuus! We don't know if he is a murderer yet, that's why I've got to go after him. If he is a murderer, he can't get away with it." Shawn pulled away and took off down the street.
"Dammit Shawn!" Gus cursed and ran, trying to catch up to his friend. "You know you shouldn't run for at least fifteen minutes after eating! I think I'm getting a cramp. SHAWN!"
Henry was sitting at his desk when he got the call about the fatal stabbing on East Ortega and Spring Street. That intersection was close to Shawn's school, too close. He glanced at the clock and noticed it was just before four p. m. School had just let out less than an hour before and there were probably still a bunch of kids in the area. Worried, he stood and grabbed his jacket.
As head detective, Henry had seen and investigated more murders in the last six months than he had in his sixteen years as a beat cop and a detective combined, or so it seemed. It wasn't the same Santa Barbara he grew up in. Sure, there was crime before, but it seemed that within the last five or six years the small coastal town's crime rate had sky-rocketed.
Moving quickly, Henry urged his partner to pick up the pace. "Come on Lou! Witnesses said they saw a bloody man running down Spring Street. If we hurry we might be able to catch the son of a bitch!" He hoped to get there in time to nail the guy, but knew it may already be too late if the perp found a place to hide.
What am I doing!? Shawn had followed the bloody man five blocks until the perp turned and fled down a narrow dead end alley. Shawn slinked forward and hid behind a dumpster. He watched as the man pulled out a six-inch bloody knife and started to wipe it off on his shirt. "Oh man," Shawn groaned. Gus had been right. The guy had obviously stabbed someone.
The man reached into the dumpster and pulled out a plastic bag. Fortunately, he stayed on the opposite side from Shawn's position and did not notice the hiding teen.
Peeking around the corner, Shawn saw the man strip off the bloody shirt and stuff it in the plastic bag. He stashed a change of clothes! Damn it! He was easy to spot wearing the bloody shirt, but Shawn knew that once the man cleaned up, no one would give him a second glance.
Soon, the man was clean and dressed—no sign of having been covered in blood only a few minutes earlier. Shawn started to move toward the alley entrance so he could call for help. Just as he was moving away from the dumpster, Gus rounded the corner and spotted him.
Gus didn't know the perp was on the other side of the dumpster, so he didn't think anything of yelling at Shawn. "Shawn! I looked for you everywhere!" Ignoring his friend's shushing motions, Gus continued yelling, "What is wrong with you? I can't believe you went running after someone who was probably a murderer. You—" Gus trailed off as the man, now much less bloody, emerged from behind the dumpster.
"Kids?" The man seemed confused for a moment before he pulled the knife and brandished it at them. "You just made a huge mistake."
Shawn glared daggers at Gus. If they didn't get out of there, the guy was going to kill them. They were the only witnesses, and they had already seen too much. He decided to stall for time. "Whoa! Wait a minute! We don't know anything, right Gus?"
Horrified, Gus exclaimed, "I can't believe you just gave my name to a killer, Shawn!"
"Well it's not like I said 'Burton Guster' or anything…"
Gus closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, "I'm going to kill you, Shawn Spencer."
"Enough!" The man's shout stopped the friends' bickering instantly. "What is wrong with you two?" The wail of sirens was a welcome sound to the boys, but it only served to make the man more nervous. With a potential killer so dangerously close, Shawn knew he shouldn't push it but he was proud that he'd distracted the man long enough for the cops to arrive and he rarely passed up an opportunity to gloat. "Hear that? That's the sound of iron bars and uncomfortable beds! Give it up, man, you aren't getting out of here."
The man growled, "Sure I am. Once you're out of the way!"
Shawn tried to back up quickly but the man lunged at him, catching him on the upper arm. The knife sliced through his shirt, gashing his arm. Shawn cried out in pain.
"Shawn!" Gus shouted and moved to help.
"NO GUS! Flag them down!" Shawn yelled as he looked around frantically trying to find something he could use to defend himself.
Shawn heard Gus run from the alley, leaving him alone with the knife-wielding murderer, who was poised for another strike. Shawn was scared. Really, really scared, but he couldn't let the guy get away. He could have run with Gus to freedom, but his conscience wouldn't let him.
I've got to do something or I'm dead! Shawn's eyes focused on the knife. He had his own smaller one in his pocket, but he was at a huge disadvantage. He remembered some of the weapons training his dad had given him in the last year.
"Shawn, if the perp you are facing has a weapon and you don't, you are in big trouble."
"No duh, Dad."
"Kid, would you shut up and listen! Look at me." Henry stood as if holding a gun. "You need to use the situation to your advantage. They think they have all the power when the person they are facing is unarmed. This makes them cocky and they aren't as alert as you. This happens in different ways. Their grip on the weapon may loosen, they may start talking, but you need to pay attention. Keep your eye on the weapon and don't hesitate to strike. Surprise is weapon powerful tool, and do whatever you have to do to get it away from them if you can…"
Go for the surprise eh? Shawn decided to play up his injury. Gripping his lightly bleeding arm, he wailed loudly. "OH! Ow! Oh my God! It hurts so bad!" Looking as pathetic as possible, he begged the man, "Please don't hurt me! I won't tell anyone, I promise!" Shawn could see his plan starting to work as the man shifted his grip on the knife. Shawn pretended to cower, moving towards a couple of metal trashcans on the side of the alley.
"Shut up!" The man moved forward, but not as fast or coordinated as he had the last time. To him, Shawn was just a stupid kid who was in over his head. An easy kill. As he brought the knife down in a clumsy arc, Shawn grabbed the top of one of the trashcans. He hoped that the top would come off and he could use it as a shield but it was on so tight it lifted the whole can up, smacking the guy in the face rather than simply blocking the knife.
The man fell back and the weapon clattered across the alley, hitting the opposite wall ten feet away.
"Whoa." Shawn dropped the trashcan, turned, and ran. Enough was enough.
Once he was clear of the alley and glanced to his left, he was treated to the welcome sight of Gus running towards him. The person behind him wasn't such a welcome sight though. He should have known his father would be one of the cops to respond. "Great," he mumbled.
"Shawn! Oh my God kid, are you okay?" Henry noticed the slice in his son's sleeve and the splotch of blood on the front of his shirt.
"Dad, quit it. I'm fine! The bad guy is in alley, go get him!" Shawn pointed.
Realizing that his son would be fine temporarily, Henry switched back to cop mode. "Wait here." He pulled his gun, carefully moving down the alley towards the perp.
"Damn, Shawn," Lou exclaimed as he went to give his partner backup.
Shawn wasn't looking when Gus punched him hard on his injured arm. "Aaah! What the hell Gus!"
Gus pointed a long finger at Shawn's face, "You are a jerk. You knew you were rushing into a dangerous situation, Shawn. You should have seen how worried your dad looked."
Swatting Gus' finger away, Shawn scoffed. "He was probably just worried that I would screw up and sully the Spencer name by letting the guy get away. Well, he doesn't need to worry. I took him out."
"What?! Took him out? You didn't kill him did you?"
"What? No! I hit him with a garbage can. You should have seen it! I've got the moves!" Shawn did a couple of air punches, wincing as he moved his injured arm.
"Whatever, Shawn. You are really gonna get it when your dad gets done," Gus warned.
"Yeah." Shawn looked around the corner into the alley and saw his dad cuffing the man and reading him his rights. "I know."
At the hospital, Shawn squirmed as the doctor stitched up the small gash in his arm. It ended up being deeper than he thought and just in case, they gave him a Tetanus shot too.
Henry paced back and forth, too upset at his son for words. "What—?" He growled, "How—?" He grimaced and swallowed hard, doing his best to hold back his emotions. He needed to be angry with Shawn. He couldn't start getting all emotional. The residual pain from his father's death had not quite faded and the prospect of losing his son was enough to bring it back full force.
Shawn actually felt a bit proud of himself. It was a rare thing to render his father speechless. Never one to want to miss an opportunity, Shawn started reeling off excuses. "Dad, before you say anything, I just want you to know it was all Gus' fault!"
Henry stopped in his tracks and gave his son a murderous look. He's using THAT excuse?
"I mean, if he hadn't given away my position, I could have escaped scot free..."
"Shawn!" Henry interrupted. He'd had enough. "I can't even comprehend what made you go traipsing off after an armed assailant. You could have been killed!"
"But I wasn't!" Shawn shouted.
The doctor looked uncomfortable and finished the stitches quickly. "I'll be back in a moment with the shot." With that, he slipped out of the room.
Henry watched and waited for the doctor to leave before he made his next statement. "I don't believe this! You're acting like a selfish brat. Do you think that no one would care if something happened to you? Are you really that dense, Shawn?"
"Look, I just used the skills you taught me, and I caught a killer. How is that a bad thing?"
"If you had used the skills I taught you, you would have called for backup long before going into that alley! An officer never goes into a situation without backup," Henry lectured.
"Shawn!" A desperate shout from the doorway heralded Maddie's arrival. She had gotten a call less than fifteen minutes ago telling her what had happened. She ran to her son and wrapped her arms around him.
Henry was glad his wife had shown up. Maybe together they could get through to Shawn about how dangerous his actions had been. "Great, you're here. I was just telling Shawn how irresponsible it was for him to—" When Maddie turned towards him, Henry saw that he was going to be getting zero help.
"Henry." Maddie said in a metered voice. "Could I talk to you in the hallway please?"
Shawn could tell his dad was in trouble. "Ooooooo—"
"Cut it out Shawn!" Henry yelled at his son.
"Henry!" Maddie yelled from the doorway and he followed her obediently out to the hallway.
"What is it Madds?"
"Henry, my son is sitting in a hospital room getting his arm stitched because he has some kind of hero complex. A complex that you gave him!" Maddie pointed a finger at her husband's chest.
"Don't tell me you are actually taking his side on this!" Henry felt incredibly betrayed. Why won't she work with me? What's going on? They'd had a lot of therapy lately and Henry had thought it was working.
Maddie glared at her husband. "Whose side am I supposed to take? You're the one who insisted on all the police training. He's fifteen years old and acting like a burned out detective. I can't walk into a department store without our son pointing out all the shoplifters and adulterers he sees. He can't even relax anymore, Henry."
"Can you imagine how bad it would have been if I hadn't trained him? With his luck he'd have been killed before he was ten!" Henry knew he was exaggerating but not by much.
Shaking her head, Maddie held up her hand. "I can't do this with you right now Henry. We'll talk later." With that, she headed into the hospital room to be with her son.
Henry didn't know if he should follow. They were both mad at him. He rubbed his head and walked down the hall towards the cafeteria. He needed coffee, and some serious time to think.
Maddie walked down the stairs after saying goodnight to her son. She'd been so angry with Henry over the whole situation that she hadn't spoken to him since their argument. Shawn was already a walking disaster magnet and now he was starting to go looking for danger? It was too much.
She walked into the living room and noticed Henry was on the couch, reading the paper. He cast a few worried glances her way, probably wondering when she was finally going to say something to him. She wasn't going to make him wait. Maddie sat down in the easy chair and faced her husband. "Henry, we need to talk."
Her tone made him uneasy, but she was right. Henry put the paper down and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his thighs. "Yeah, we do Madds." He figured his wife was going to give him another chewing out about how Shawn needed to be a kid, and some kind of psychologist spiel about how he was projecting his own expectations on his son, and so forth.
"Henry, I love you. You know that, but I'm not sure this is working out for us anymore."
That wasn't what he was expecting to hear. "What do you mean?"
"I've put something off for as long as I could so we could try and fix this, fix us, but I've been given a great opportunity, and I've decided to take it."
"Are you talking about some kind of a job?" Henry guessed, still in the dark about what his wife was saying.
"Yes, but it's more than that. It's out of the country, Henry."
The pieces were starting to fall in place, but he didn't want to assume anything yet. "Well, when will you be back?"
Maddie shook her head, frustrated she wasn't getting through to him. "I don't think I will be back, Henry. At least, not to this house."
Henry's shoulders slumped, realizing the worst had happened. His wife was leaving him and their son. "Please Madds, no! I'll go to more counseling." She shook her head. "I'll go easier on Shawn." When he saw that wasn't working, he made a last ditch effort. "I'll quit the force."
It touched her to see how far her husband was willing to go to keep their marriage together, but her mind had been made up for a while. She just needed the courage to come out and say it. The situation with Shawn that day had been the final straw. "Henry, I've already accepted the position. I leave in two weeks."
"What about Shawn? What do I tell him?" Henry hoped mentioning their son would give her pause.
"I'll tell him. He'll be fine Henry. He's Shawn, remember?" Her attempt at humor was lost on her heartbroken husband.
Henry shook his head and rose from the couch. He walked to the door and left the house. He was furious with himself for not seeing this coming, furious with her for abandoning them. Her reasons for leaving seemed so incredibly selfish. Thinking that Shawn would be okay with it was probably the dumbest thing she had ever said. With her gone, he would have to be the one to pick up the pieces. Henry knew his son and after Maddie left, Shawn would be anything but fine, no matter how much he pretended he was.
ddddd
END NOTES:
I wanted to make this so much more dramatic, but Spencers are known for holding in a lot of their hurt, so making Henry freak out any more would have been really out of character.
I know in the series Maddie says that Shawn was a senior but I will explain the difference that in later chapters and it will make a bit more sense timeline wise.
Thanks again to my beta Aakira who is patient with me and my frustration with the damn date contradictions!