Gus entered the Psych Office carrying his sample case, tap dancing and whistling Nat King Cole's L.O.V.E. The early mornings were the only time Gus could get his real work done before Shawn could get him involved in another wacky adventure. When Shawn was still asleep, the Psych Office was the only place he could work without distraction.

"Ahem! Hem!," coughed Shawn, announcing his presence.

"Shawn!" Gus was surprised to see his friend awake and hard at work at such an early hour. "You're here early!"

"Yes I am. Nice moves Gus! Your pitch is a little off though"

Gus responded only with a "Tsk." He did a double-take when he saw that the Psych Office was in perfect order and that Shawn had removed all of his toys and anything remotely childish from his desk.

"You seem chipper this morning," said Shawn. "I take it the airport pick-up went well?"

"Indeed it did!," said Gus proudly. "You were right. I was totally over-reacting. Rachael was excited to see me and she said that Max missed me too. And it also didn't hurt that she couldn't have enough negative things to say about her ex. That dude sounds like a jerk! Rachael said she was lucky to find a decent man like me."

"See Gus! What did I say? I'm glad this is working out for you."

"Thanks Shawn. Also, Rachael wanted to know if you and Jules would be interested in a double date tomorrow night. She said that since she is now invested in me, she wants to get to know my friends better."

"Sorry, Gus. I'd love to but I have big plans. Maybe Saturday night?"

"Um sure…," said Gus confused, "I'll see if Rachael is free Saturday. So, what are these big plans anyway?

"It's top secret. I'll tell you later though."

"Um…ok" said Gus, not fully satisfied. "So Shawn? May I ask why you are here so early today?"

"I'm working Gus. Why else would I be here? I've already scheduled three client meetings for later today and made some progress on the Pinkerton case, which by the way, is looking extremely fishy. This uncle of his…untrackable…and I called the bank where the supposed heirlooms were stolen from and they have no record of a Pinkerton. I think this "Pinkerton" guy, or whatever his name is, is sending us on a wild goose chase."

"That's nice," said Gus, "but you haven't answered my question."

"Gus! Can't a regular guy come to work at regular hours and get paid regular money for doing regular work," argued Shawn

"Sure he can," said Gus, "but you aren't a regular guy."

"Ok. That's fair," said Shawn. "The thing is though. I need to be a regularguy now, Gus. I can't just think about myself anymore. I have a soon-to-be family that is depending on me and I have to provide. So, starting today, I am "responsible Shawn." No more getting myself into trouble. No more wasting time and money. No more…depending on you. That's why I've destroyed all of my copies of your credit cards…"

"Your copies? What?!" Gus apparently wasn't aware that Shawn had copies.

"…and I've started my own budget," continued Shawn. "Babies are expensive, Gus. I need to start raking in the cash now."

"Ok…Shawn," said Gus, addressing him as if he was clinically insane, "I know you are freaking out about the baby, but this is all starting to scare me. This is not you."

"Exactly, Gus! This is 'responsible Shawn.' Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to go speak to my father." Shawn got up from his desk and started for the door.

"Shawn. Wait!," said Gus. "What about this Pinkerton thing?"

"Oh! Yes, of course," said Shawn in a business-like tone that was uncharacteristic of him. "I think I have a few minutes to fill you in…" Shawn glanced at his watch and then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was something shiny, silvery under his desk. His words stopped short and his head tilted with curiosity. He breezed past Gus and straight for the curious object.

"What is it?," asked Gus.

"It's a cuff-link," said Shawn. Neither he nor Gus owned a cuff-link like that, if they even owned cuff-links at all. It was silver with a swirly design on a red background. Shawn flashed back to two days earlier when Pinkerton first entered their office and he focused on Pinkerton's wrist. He had been wearing cuff-links just like this one!

"Gus! It was Pinkerton all along! He was the one that broke into my dad's house and our office. I don't know why or what he wanted, but I know it was him! I've got to go see my dad."

(*PINEAPPLE*)

"Dad! Dad?!," yelled Shawn as he burst through the kitchen door of Henry's beachside home.

"Henry!" yelled Gus, following behind him.

"Dad, I figured it out!," said Shawn. He and Gus turned the corner to find his father standing at his cocktail bar and another older man sitting on the stool across from him.

"Dad? Uh…hi," Shawn addressed the man, surprised to see a visitor in his dad's home, an uncommon occurrence.

"Hey. Shawn, Gus," said Henry, "I'd like you to meet my new fishing buddy Ed."

"Hi, Ed," said both Shawn and Gus at the same time. Ed was an older, gentlemanly-looking fellow. He had white hair and a thick white moustache and beard. These features along with his plumpness made him look like Santa Clause in a fishing hat. Shawn noticed that the hat seemed to clash with his black pants and button-down shirt.

"Ed, this is my son Shawn and his buddy Gus," introduced Henry. Shawn and Gus nodded. "I was just telling Ed the story of how I caught that marlin…"

Shawn interrupted, "…Its lovely to meet you Ed, and Dad I'm glad you found someone who wants to listen to your fishing stories, but I need to speak to you for a moment." Henry didn't budge. "Now…," Shawn added, and when Henry still didn't budge, "…in the kitchen."

"Um…Ok, Shawn," said Henry slightly annoyed, and they headed for the kitchen.

"Stay here," Shawn whispered to Gus. He had more than just the matter at hand to discuss with his dad which would need to exclude Gus for now. Gus, feeling confused and left out, attempted small talk with Ed.

Once they were alone, Shawn told Henry about Pinkerton and the cuff-link and how he knew that Pinkerton had broken into both Henry's house and the Psych Office, and that he probably wasn't who he said he was. Henry was ready to jump on this new piece of evidence and get back into the investigation. "You, Gus, and I are going to find this guy now!," he said, starting for the door.

"Dad! Wait!," said Shawn, "There's something else I need to discuss with you."

"Right now?," asked Henry.

"It's important."

Henry sighed and came back to where Shawn was standing. "The time is right," Shawn said.

Henry wasn't sure what Shawn was talking about. "The time is right?...The time is right for what?," Henry asked.

"For Jules. The big question. You told me to tell you when the time was right, so I'm telling that right now the time is right."

"I told you that five days ago, Shawn. What could possibly have changed in five days?"

"A lot," said Shawn. "Look, we don't have time to discuss it now…" His expression indicated that the case took priority at the moment. "…but just trust me. Jules pretty much told me that she's ready for it, and I've been ready to commit to her for a long time. I just need your blessing…and the ring."

Henry looked serious. He suspected Shawn's enthusiasm about popping the question was probably a bit premature, but he also didn't want to stand in the way of his being with Juliet. "Are you sure about this?"

"More sure than Mikey was sure about eating Life cereal," answered Shawn.

Henry put his eyes to the floor, thinking, for several seconds. "Ok," he said, taking the ring down from its new hiding place on top of the kitchen cabinet. It was now stored inside a black velvet box.

"Sweet!," said Shawn, taking the box and stuffing it in his pocket, then he started back towards the guests in the other room. "Wait," Henry asked, "When are you planning on asking her?"

"Tomorrow," stated Shawn, and he left the room before his dad could make any objections.

"Tomorrow?!," said Henry to himself as he pulled his invisible hair out with his fingers.