Disclaimer: I don't own anything Psych and I am not making any profits off of this story. It all belongs to the Steve Franks and USA network and whatnot so, please don't sue and please don't be offended by the language or situations the characters find themselves in.

.

Chapter 10

The second he stepped through the sliding glass doors of the airport Shawn Spencer felt the bright late morning Santa Barbara sun hit him as though it actually held the weight and force of cinder blocks.

Even after the four long months away from this place it still had that profound power over him.

The power of home.

No amount of time spent elsewhere could make a person forget the place they knew to be the sanctuary where their lives began and their early years were spent.

Even now as he walked with Titan trotting ahead of him and his father, Buzz, and Francie all surrounding him Shawn felt as though a void among the many that marred his heart was slowly being filled back up with each breath of the lightly salt laced air and the warm golden rays of the sun as the party of four and one big white dog slowly made their way through the parking airport parking lot towards the McNabs' large dark charcoal colored SUV.

When they all reached the aforementioned car Buzz and Francie strode forward.

Francie fished out her set of car keys from her her purse and disarmed the alarm. She pressed another button and unlocked all of the doors.

" Thanks Francie" Said Buzz and Francie tugged the trunk door open for him.

The off-duty patrol officer lightly hefted both Shawn and Henry's moderately sized and heavy duffel bags into the trunk.

Once that was done Buzz stepped aside and Shawn stepped forward with Titan.

The younger Spencer reached down and undid the clasp that attached the red braided leash to Titan's spiky collar and spoke.

" Alright In you go Buddy."

" Ruff" Barked Titan before the big white dog obediently trotted over to the back of the SUV and gracefully jumped into the waiting trunk.

Thankfully for him there was plenty of room to move about.

Besides, he'd been cooped up for long enough inside the planes cargo hold today anyway. This was just fine by him.

Buzz carefully shut the trunk with a low thud and Shawn glanced inside through the glass to make sure that Titan was okay.

Once he was sure that everything was fine Shawn and the rest of the group quickly climbed into the car.

Buzz was in the driver's with Francie riding shotgun.

This left Henry and Shawn side by side in the back passenger seats.

" How you doing Shawn?" Asked Henry as the car rumbled to life and started moving.

" I'm okay dad. A little nervous about being back here but, we're okay." Sighed Shawn with a small smile curling his lips upward as his hands cradled his rounded stomach.

Henry found his own lips turning up at the corner as he eyes Shawn's gesture with his hands.

Shawn nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something warm and furry against his left cheek.

A low almost purring sound had Shawn instantly relaxing and letting Titan nuzzling his with his velvet-soft muzzle to his heart's content.

With a sigh Shawn settled in for the drive to Henry's.

He watched as the sunny Santa Barbara scenery pass by through the window.

In his head Shawn couldn't help but think up the many different scenarios of what could happened once he did some how muster up the nerve to actually inform one Carlton Lassiter and the others of his return.

It filled him with both anxiety and eagerness.

On the one hand Shawn felt his instinct to turn tail and run Bandon surging very strongly in him. On the other hand Shawn felt the need to stay, a yearning to see all the people in his life that he'd left behind here, like his best friend and... the other father of the baby he was carrying inside him.

For the rest of the drive Shawn stared unseeing out the car window closest to him. His eyes saw only the images of certain individuals that his mind conjured up from his memory.

Of course, Titan and him nuzzled from time to time too.

Some time later Shawn was lightly jolted out of his thoughts when he felt the car come to a stop and realized that they were finally here. That they'd pulled up in front of Henry's house.

Shawn's childhood home.

Feeling some of his anxiety instantly leave him, Shawn carefully climbed out of the McNab's SUV with the others following.

Henry and Francie stood by Shawn while Buzz went off to the trunk.

The second he opened the door a big white blur shout out and past him with a happy bark.

The human members of the group all chuckled as they watched Titan run around and about stretching his limbs and chasing his tail like he was a puppy again.

It was a rather endearing sight.

" Let's all get inside. I'm sure you're pretty bushed from the flight Shawn and I'm sure Buzz and Francie here are pretty eager to get the full story of what's going on." Said Henry quietly.

Shawn nodded and sent a small smile his father's way before he beckoned to Titan.

" Titan, C'mon buddy. You can play in the back later." He called.

Titan barked and lightly trotted over to his master obediently.

His tail was wagging so hard it was all but making it's own light breeze behind him as he looked up at Shawn with adoring pale blue eyes and a doggy grin.

Shawn chuckled quietly as Henry led the way through the from gate and they all followed.

Once they were all inside, Buzz carefully set the bags down where Henry directed him while Francie and Shawn made a B-line for the big cushy sofa in the den with titan trailing behind them.

" Hey Dad, can you get Titan's stuff out. And Kenny put a bag of fresh kibble in there too so you should be all set." Called Shawn.

" Got it." Replied Henry as he dug through Shawn's duffel and pulled out the double pet bowl and the bag of kibble.

Henry emptied the bag of kibble into one of the two stainless steel bowls and a quick stop in the kitchen to fill the other bowl with fresh cold water and he was set.

" Kibble's on." Said Henry as he entered the den with Buzz following in his wake and set the double bowl down near the coffee table.

" WOOF!" Braked Titan loudly before the big white dog was scrambling in a hurricane of furry white limbs to get to his lunch.

With a low grumble the Dog set to work on devouring the meal it was offered with his four human companions all watching in amusement.

It was Buzz who broke the silence from where he sat in the cushioned light colored chair next to the main sofa Shawn and Francie were sitting in.

" Shawn, how did all of this happen?" He asked with a small gesture to Shawn's rounded belly.

Shawn sighed deeply while Henry silently made his way over to stand behind his son, leaning against the small table beside the sofa as he waited for his son to start taking.

" Well Buzz, I think you already now how the whole getting pregnant thing works if you paid attention in high school so I'll just skip that part." Said Shawn with a tiny smirk.

To the three other people in the room it was a mere shadow of the smirks they remembered gracing the young father to be's face in the past but, they chuckle none the less at his rye humor before falling silent and waiting for him to continue.

" I'll just get right to it. Before the whole mess happened four months ago, I was with someone. For seven months I was devoted exclusively to him. And as you can see, I am now carrying his kid inside me. Then I go and do something that ends up saving three innocent lives but leaves me with mine in ruin because almost everyone whom I trusted turned on me that day. My best friend, my boss, my best girl-friend, and most of all, my baby's other father." Sighed Shawn as he blinked back the salt that had started to well in his eyes.

Silence reigned over Henry's den for a good long while before Buzz spoke.

" I'm sorry Shawn. All of this could have been avoided if I'd only gotten there with the news sooner. I just... I'm sorry." He whispered.

" Buzz, it's not your fault. Just knowing that you at least tried to get the message to everyone as fast as you could is enough. You didn't just to conclusions, you didn't turn your back on me like they did because of it. You didn't do anything wrong Buzz, so don't say that you're sorry." Said Shawn fiercely.

Buzz grew silent and bowed his head in an effort to get his own emotions under control.

Francie shifted closer to Shawn and gently rubbed a caring hand over his rounded stomach, earning a watery smile from the younger Spencer.

" Hey, wait a minute... You said that the baby's other dad hurt you too that day. Is he someone that works at the station, who is he Shawn?" asked Buzz.

" Why, so you can kick his ass for me?" Countered Shawn with a smile.

"... Well yeah, can I?" Answered Buzz.

" Get in line Kiddo." Grumbled Henry.

Shawn chuckled at this, feeling warmed at the pledges of both Buzz and Henry made to avenge him. But, he knew in his own heart that he couldn't allow such fool-heated nonsense from either.

" Well, as much as it makes me feel good that the both of you would do that for me I don't want you to loose your job Buzz, and I don't want you getting thrown in the slammer for assault either Dad. I'll take care of it, me and Carlton are both adults and we can deal with this like adults." Sighed Shawn.

" Hold up... Wait... What?" Sputtered Buzz before he articulated a sentence that made sense.

" You and Carlton. As in Head Detective Carlton Lassiter?" He said sounding just a tiny bit squeaky.

" Yes, Carlton Lassiter is the man I was with before that whole debacle four months ago, this is his baby." Said Shawn quietly with his hands cradling his baby bump.

" Holy crap." Whispered Buzz. his mind naturally reeling from this new and completely out of the blue information.

" Well that explains why Detective Lassiter's been so quiet and miserable looking some days and a complete and a total prick other days, just biting off heads left and right." Said Buzz.

" Hell, everyone has been quiet and miserable since that day four months ago but it was like he's been a little more so than everyone else. Even more than Guster whenever he showed up to see if there was any news on you and where you'd disappeared to." He added.

Henry snorted at this and had thoughts along the lines of 'Serves them all right' going through his mind as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Shawn on the other hand felt a small pang of emotion he dared not to name go through him.

Carlton was miserable without him.

His Carlton was more miserable than Gus.

But then Shawn remembered that he was supposed to be angry at his baby's other father.

Carlton deserved his misery especially after all those months of heartache he's put Shawn through.

All of which Shawn had had to go through all alone and so far from home.

But for now, Shawn focused on catching up with Buzz and Francie.

And Titan happened to join in having finished his meal.

Ever faithfully at his side.

The Spencers and the McNabs mingled and talked for a good couple of hours before Buzz and Francie reluctantly took their leave with promises of keeping quiet about Shawn's return and visiting again.

Now left to themselves Shawn and Henry set about discussing the best way to inform the others of his return and the changes he'd brought with him.

Shawn decided on the first person he would inform and made contact with the said individual a couple of days later through a phone call.

Here at least, is the very beginning of that charged conversation.

" Hello, this is Burton Guster speaking, How may I help you?" Said Gus into his cell-phone.

" Gus it's me." Said the person on the other end.

" ...S-Shawn?" Whispered Gus as he sank down boneless into his chair behind his desk at the Pharmaceutical Company.