A/N: Here it is. The last chapter. Going on holiday in literally 7 hours but between all the packing and stressing I managed to find some time to finish this little story. There are few bits I am not satisfied with and there probably are even more mistakes in this chapter than usual, but, like I said, I wanted to finish the story tonight. (Plus my beta is already asleep)

Thanks to everyone for reading, especially to those who were so kind to leave a review, everytime I was about to give up on this story (and there were quite a few moments I seriously considered doing that) those reviews kept me writing.

Okay so...did I listen to you guys and gave Shules a happy ending? Only one way to find out...

Chapter 9

During the past few weeks Shawn had often fantasized about what would happen the moment Juliet was done with her undercover mission. Most of those fantasies involved lots of kissing, hugging, laughing, touching and more kissing.

The reality couldn't have been further from it.

There was no laughing, no touching and there definitely was no kissing.

Instead, they just looked at each other, neither of them saying as much as one word.

Juliet wasn't wearing the golden dress anymore, he noticed, but a short black skirt together with a flimsy pink top. He wondered why she went through all that trouble of changing outfits, what she was wearing now didn't look more comfortable than the dress. But then again, he didn't seem to understand much of Juliet these days.

And yet, now that they were alone in one room, Shawn had thought that she'd at least do something. Shout or yell...a small part had even hoped she would simply ran over to him and kiss him, but she did absolutely nothing but standing there in the doorframe.

There was just one thing he still really needed to know now. "Is it really over?" he asked quietly and, when her eyes shot up to meet his again, he added, "The undercover mission I mean."

"Yes, it's all over."

"Good."

Another silence, this time Juliet was the one to break it: "I won't have to be back at the station until tomorrow morning, so why don't you ride along with me. I could drop you off at your apartment."

There was no warmth in her voice as she suggested it. She just asked it, seemingly indifferent and casual.

"Sure." Shawn replied, getting more and more frustrated with her lack of displaying emotions. It was like she didn't care, not even now. And maybe, he realized with a shock, it was true, maybe she honestly didn't care about their relationship anymore. After all, he still didn't know what was going on between her and Peter.

He felt himself getting angry again, he even wished she would hit him again. At least that would proof that she cared.

As he got up from the chair, he saw Juliet shivering so he pulled his blue sweater over his head and offered it to her, hoping that would trigger some sort of a response. However, she merely took it from his hands and pulled it over her head, without saying anything.

Together they walked through the station which was much less crowded now. Some of the remaining people halted Juliet to congratulate her on her bust, but she never stopped long to talk to any of them.

It was just beginning to get light outside when they walked through the doors of the main entrance of the Santa Barbera Police Department. The silence between them was driving Shawn crazy but every time he wanted to say something, anything, one cold, emotionless look from Juliet convinced him not to bother.
When they had reached Juliet's car and she'd opened the door from him without saying a word he couldn't take the silent treatment anymore: "Are you sure I won't mess up your perfect little life when I get into this car? Since I recall you saying I have a way of doing that" He looked at her intensely, hoping for a reaction but all he got was her saying: "Just get in the damn car, Shawn." Her tone was flat but for the first time he could also hear a hint of anger in her voice as she said his name. He hesitated one more second before getting in the car and slamming the door behind him.

It had taken Juliet a lot of willpower to remain calm from the moment she had seen Shawn sitting there in the interrogation room. Because the truth was that she was angry. Angry like hell.

After all she had done to keep him from getting hurt, here he still was, sitting next to her looking like someone used him as a human punching bag. She had tried so hard to keep him safe, never telling him anything about the case or how it was affecting her, afraid it might cause him to do something reckless, but it hadn't mattered.

An appearing car around the corner suddenly required all her attention and she had to hit the brakes, the seatbelts preventing them from hitting the windshield. She could hear Shawn curse silently beside her, probably because of the sudden pressure being exerted on his bruised ribs.

Juliet cursed as well, this moment only reminding her again of her failing to protect him. Something she had vowed to do, about a year ago, when Shawn had been shot.

(Flashback)

When she walked into the hospital room, Henry and Gus both looked up simultaneously.

"How is he?" She whispered.

"He just got out of surgery, there were no complications so it went well. It'll probably take some time before he wakes up from the anesthesia though." Henry answered, looking at Shawn with a tender look on his face Juliet had never seen before.

"You know what", Henry continued, "I think me and Guster here will get a cup of coffee from the cafeteria downstairs."

It looked like Gus wanted to protest but eventually he followed Henry and left the room.

Juliet walked over to the bed Shawn was lying in. It was so...weird to see him lying there so still, he was always so active and now here he was, completely quiet.

During their search for Shawn she hadn't allowed herself to even consider the possibility that they could already be too late to save him but now that she was all alone in the hospital room it fully hit her. He could have died.

She could have sat here, not with an unconscious Shawn lying in that bed, but with a dead Shawn. And then, without warning, right on that exact moment she realized that she loved him. She'd always liked him, from the moment he had barged into that diner and had claimed she'd stolen his seat, but she was never sure exactly what she felt for him. Now everything was crystal clear, she could not not love him, not anymore, it was just not possible.

She knew he was with Abigail, the events of today had not-so-subtly reminded her of that fact and even though he may not ever know her true feelings for him, she would do anything in her power to try to keep him from getting hurt ever again.
And so, while furiously trying to blink away the tears that were forming in the corner of her eye, she took hold of his hand and whispered: "I'll protect you Shawn. I always will."

Then she placed a kiss on his left cheek and left the room.

Of course she hadn't been able to keep that promise. Only two months later he had nearly been killed while trying to protect her ex boyfriend. Not to mention the whole Yin/Yang mess.
Every single time he got into a dangerous situation, he survived, but it felt like it was only a matter of time before he wasn't so lucky anymore and she would be sitting in a hospital room next to a dead Shawn. He just never seemed to understand in how much danger he was sometimes and the reckless behavior that followed it, scared her more than anything.

They arrived at Shawn's apartment in silence. Shawn got his keys out of his left pocket and Juliet noticed his jeans still had blood spatters on them. He opened the door but hesitated before walking in, turning around to look at Juliet: "The sweater back please."

She gave it back to him and she could see how his eyes went up and down her entire body, making her shift uncomfortably.

"Goodbye...Ruby." He said and she was certain she had never before heard him say something with such a degrading tone which was the moment she just lost it.

All the anger that had been building up inside her for the last hour seemed to burst out all at once and she literally pushed him inside while yelling: "Who the hell do you think you are Shawn Spencer, that you think you can speak to me like that?"
Shawn stumbled backwards, hitting one of the walls of his small hallway but Juliet was too furious to care. It was as if she had unleashed all of the anger and frustration of the past month and now it was impossible to calm down again.

Shawn initially was taken aback by her sudden outburst but it didn't take him long before he recovered from his shock: "Who the hell I think I am? Oh well, let me think. I am thinking I am your boyfriend. The one who had to sit through endless phone calls in which you told me absolutely NOTHING!" And, when Juliet didn't immediately reply he added: "Honestly Jules, I put the pieces together a long time ago, it's obvious you don't care about me or our relationship. I just wish you had had the decency of breaking up with me before moving on to Peter."

For a moment Juliet didn't know what to say, all the different accusations making her head spin. "Wait...what does Peter have to do with anything?"

"Oh please, it's obvious something is going on between you two. Last night when he 'zipped up your dress'? Plus, you were partners in Miami and now you spent a month living together in one apartment? I am not an idiot, Jules."

The way he said his nickname for her in such a harsh tone made her cringe but the unfairness of his words made her also angry again. "Well, clearly you are an idiot. We were living together because we were undercover, remember? Not because we're having an affair or whatever kind of thing you made up in that idiotic head of yours.

Wait a minute...is that why you went to Bad Things, to check up on me?"

She looked at Shawn, who was stubbornly looking at the ground.

"What the hell Shawn?" With every word her voice got louder. She couldn't believe his jealously, which was based on virtually nothing, was the reason they had gotten into this entire mess.

"I just...why Shawn? How could you possibly think that of me? Is it because you don't trust me? Is that it? WHY?"

"Because I don't understand why someone like you would ever want to be with someone like me, okay?" Shawn shouted suddenly, making all the anger in Juliet disappear instantly. As she speechlessly looked at him he continued, occasionally stumbling over his words:

"I...I...I just keep waiting for you to get sick of me and my jokes. It feels like it's bound to happen, you know. And then when you do, you'll leave me and you move on to someone better."

He didn't bear to look at Juliet, not even when he noticed her walking towards him. Then he felt Juliet's hand taking hold of his. Feeling her warm breath in his ear he could hear her whisper: "Shawn Spencer, you are the best man there is."

And then he finally dared to look at her and she smiled as his eyes met hers. Even looking into her eyes, he was still not completely reassured though: "But then...why were you so distant the past couple of weeks?"
"Because I wanted to protect you, Shawn. You're so often in so much more danger than you realize and I thought keeping you as far away from me and the case would keep you safe. Obviously I was wrong." She said, looking at his bruised face.

"You were the one who ordered my DEA agents to tell my dad to bring me to the station."

Juliet nodded: "At least that way I knew you'd be safe."

She swallowed heavily, trying to keep away the tears that were stinging behind her eyes. It was silly for her to start crying now, now that everything was over but she couldn't help it. "I am just so terrified that one day you will end up getting killed just because you didn't look out enough."

A sob escaped from her lips and Shawn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He softly kissed her forehead and whispered: "I'll try to look out more then. And I promise I will not die. How could I when that would mean having to leave you?"
"I promise I will never leave you, Shawn Spencer, because that would mean I wouldn't be around you anymore." She muttered against his chest.

He chuckled and for a while they just stood there, their bodies molded together in a tight embrace.

"Jules?" He asked after a little while.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." He simply said and he lowered his head to kiss her and for the first time in almost a month it looked like everything was finally really fine.

A/N: Originally being a fluff writer I couldn't resist this sweet, fluffy, over-the-top ending, but I felt they kind of deserved it after all the angst I still managed to cram into this chapter. So yeah.

Oh, also, the main goal I had this chapter was not to write Shawn and Juliet too much out of character and I really hope I achieved at least that.

Now I am going to sleep and pack. (maybe not in that order but we'll see) Until next time and, again, thanks for reading!