A/N: I have returned! At long last, I have returned!! My writer's block is slowly diminishing. I'm trying to beat the chapters out of me. I've written two already, but this was the chapter than linked them together. I wrote the last half of this a month ago, and the first half this morning. They happened to match up!

I must thank my amazing reviewers for being so patient with me! I'm so sorry about the long wait. School writer's block just plain wrong! I really hope you guys like this chapter! crosses fingers

Chapter Ten—Let The Flames Begin

"You've got to be kidding me." Shawn plopped his helmet down on the dining table with a sharp clack. After he dropped Juliet off, his dad called again demanding that he come over. 'An extremely urgent development,' as his dad had put it. Shawn had planned on avoided his call altogether, but his father's tone piqued Shawn's curiosity

Upon his arrival, Shawn shook his head in predicted disbelief, and pursed his lips—an attempt to keep foul words from leaving his mouth. The more he might yell, the more Henry would yell. Shawn just wasn't in the mood to endure his father's criticisms. He just wanted to go home. His dad had done enough to Shawn after all.

His eyes began to flash fiery sparks of rage as they traveled the direction of Henry extended index.

Henry wasn't yelling, as Shawn had expected him to. However, his voice was sharp and cold with a hint of bitter on top. "You see this? You see this, Shawn? Do you see the result of another one of your reckless abandonment? Do you see-"

Eyes still on the imaginary object his dad referred to, Shawn ran his fingers through his disheveled locks, "I don't see anything!"

"See that's your problem. Right there, Shawn," Henry's pointing finger found a new subject to further taunt—Shawn, " You're not even paying attention to obvious details because you choose not to see. Look at it, Shawn!"

Groaning inwardly, Shawn reluctantly obeyed. Then he saw it further down the floor, under the table. This was so stupid.

An undulated, yellow puddle of liquid the size a fist was sprawled out on Henry's wooden floor.

Shawn rolled his eyes, still baffled as to why he was still here, "Dad, you called me over here to tell me that you missed the potty? I don't understand it, but I'll buy the adult diapers. Gus will have to do the changing."

"Shawn! This is a pineapple juice puddle...from when you left it here yesterday. I saw it when you left it, waiting for you to take responsibility!"

"You expected me to remember a puddle I left yesterday?"

Narrowing his eyelids, Henry took a step forward, switched the glorious pointing finger for his thumb, and pointed behind him, "I nearly slipped on that mess and broke my back. I'm holding you accountable because I've had enough of your slacking off!" Leaving the room, only to return shortly, Henry threw Shawn a mop and began to storm off.

Irritation, like heat rising up his neck, plagued Shawn as he bit back, "First of all, dad, you didn't fall, so I am not accountable! Secondly, you ruined what could have been the best date ever for me just to call about mopping up a spill!"

Turning back around to retrace his steps, Henry hissed, "This isn't about the spill, Shawn. It's about principle. If you cop out of something as little as a spill, how can you expect to stick with anything serious? Like that 'perfect' date of yours."

"It's just a spill! Not a life or death situation!" Gripping the mop handle with enough force to surely deprive it of oxygen, had it been a living thing, Shawn accused through clenched teeth, "And where do you get off talking about my date? That's none of your business."

"Oh, come on now, Shawn!" Henry matched, "You won't even go out with whomever the 'moment-woman' is again. If anything, I saved the both of you the extra time."

Voice close to a whine (his dad sure knew how to make him feel like a boy again), Shawn pushed the mop back and forth over the sticky spill, "Dad! It's not even like that."

"Shawn the mop has to be wet first!" Right hand on hip, Henry rubbed his eyes with his free hand, "Go get a bucket of water."

Shawn glared and Henry with judging eyes, "Since when did you become Mr. Clean all of a sudden?"

"It's common knowledge, Shawn. If you're going to do something at all, do it right. Don't crap out half the work!"

"Dad, do you have any idea how disgusting that sounds? Although, not nearly as bad as the graphic images that left me with."

This kid just wouldn't take anything seriously!

Raising his voice another decibel, Henry aimed his finger again towards the back of the house, "Bucket. Water. Now."

Returning moment later with full bucket of water, tail between his legs, Shawn continued to re-mop the now expanded sticky mess.

"Shawn!" His dad sitting at the other end of the table drinking coffee, exclaimed, "You're sloshing it everywhere."

The sound of silent mopping followed.

Two minutes into the silence, Henry sighed, and began to address his son's previous statement, "So, what made this date supposedly so special? Another too-loose-for-words-woman? S'that why you're so mad I interrupted?"

Loosening his grip on the mop, Shawn's eyes averted his father's gaze, "No…Dad. It was with...a friend."

"Ah, so you and Gus finally decided to take it to the next level, huh?" Henry quipped.

"Yes, Dad. Gus and I finally decided to run to the top of the hills for our glorious wedding featuring you as my maid of honor. Get serious, dad."

"Who's the girl?"

"Just…some girl," Shawn continued to mop a nonexistent puddle.

"You mean you actually wore her down enough for to go out with you, huh?"

The mopping ceased, "What?"

"The junior detective you've been attempted to swoon ever since you met her."

"How did you—?"

"I wouldn't exactly call that a date if you bribed her to go out with you."

"I didn't bribe her, per se…"

Setting aside his mug, Henry leaned forward against the table, "Cut the crap Shawn, how serious do you plan on getting with this girl? She'll probably end up being another string of hearts you've broken, or another number in your little black book-"

"Dad, what century are you from? I keep the numbers in my cell."

"I rest my case, Shawn." Henry's hands folded behind his head.

Hands still surrounding the mop, Shawn leaned his head back, and groaned, "Dad! She's different."

"How so, Shawn?"

"She won't give me the time of day. Nothing works on her. I actually have to try."

Standing to full height to head for the sink, Henry, mug in hand, began to rinse, "Shawn, she's not some prize you have to win at the arcade. Just because you can't have something, doesn't mean you should. Besides, with your commitment streak, I can't see you being with the same woman exclusively for more than two months."

Voice low, Shawn hung his head, ""You don't know that."

Finishing his task, Henry stepped to his son, "Oh, I do, Shawn. You can't focus your attention on one woman because you're still immature inside. You have to grow up if you really want her to want you."

"You don't know that," Shawn repeated as his voice dripped with anger and rose with every word. He had enough of this.

"Shawn!" Placing a hand on his hip, Henry only rolled his eyes, seemingly unaffected at his son's irritation, but his voice still carried a cold edge, "I'm serious! You smart mouth your way through life and you do everything with a fraction of effort. You're too lazy to work on things. And once the situation gets sticky enough, you go taking off like a little kid on that deathtrap! You'll never change, Shawn."

Dropping the unused mop down to rest where the puddle had lain before, Shawn closed the gap between him and his father. Nose to nose, he stuck his own finger at Henry, "Thanks so much for having so much faith in me, Dad. You win Father-Of-The-Year once again!" He backed up, wearing a neutral expression, but hurt in his eyes as he slowly applauded his father.

Henry only scoffed, "Oh, don't give me that, Shawn. You know I'm right." Looking at his feet, he sighed and shook his head, "Somewhere along the lines, I failed with you, boy."

Shawn's lip quivered in anger, "Failed? I mean, you've said I screw up a lot, but now you're calling me a failure?" Aggression arising in him, Shawn stepped in his father's direction again, the sound of his voice increasing by the sentence, "Well, I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment as a son and a human being, but maybe you should point the finger to yourself. Did you ever think you were the one who failed me?"

Henry glared angrily at Shawn's eyes, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shawn squinted and glared right back, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Get a grip on reality, Shawn! You can't even handle a little confrontation between us. How the heck will you handle a serious relationship? You're going to break her heart I know it." He turned his back to Shawn. They were getting nowhere.

Shawn clenched his jaw and voiced calmly, "I am not a failure dad. I'm not the one who arrested my own kid. I'm not the one who was too hard on him. I'm not the one who couldn't have one single dinner without fighting with mom in front of me. I'm not even the one who let his son watch my marriage slowly fall apart. So if you want to blame anyone for me turning out the way I did, blame yourself!"

Henry's eyes flashed with anger and guilt.

Shawn swallowed, "I didn't turn out like you. I'm sorry, but I don't consider that to be a failure."

"Shawn, I'm just concern—"

Without waiting for a response, Shawn yanked his helmet off the table and raced out the door towards his bike.

The nerve his father had.

He didn't know Shawn at all.

His father was wrong.

He had to be wrong.

Juliet was different.

She was different.

No Shules this chapter :'( The last couple of ones have been dramatic, I suppose. The following ones will be the same most likely. But do not fret! Things will look up soon!