Juliet knocked on the door and then composed herself as she waited for an answer. She pulled at her skirt and flattered down her hair which had decided today of all days to go frizzy.
The door opened as she was checking her make up in the window reflection. She stopped and turned to face Shawn, her face turning red at being caught. "Hi," she greeted with a nervous smile.
"Hi," Shawn returned nonchalantly. His voice soft, missing the natural exuberance that Juliet remembered.
"You know I wasn't sure you'd be up so early when I called," she began, remembering the times she would call Shawn in the morning and receiving a half asleep "'lo?" and then a large yawn in reply to her cheerful greeting.
Shawn gave a half shrug, "Yeah, well my dad's like an alarm clock that doesn't care you want another hour of sleep."
Juliet nodded. "You want to get some breakfast first?" She offered.
"I already ate," Shawn replied.
"Oh, okay, well lets just….go then."
"Okay," Shawn reached for his jacket with had somehow travelled from his bedroom floor to the front door. He shrugged it on and stepped out into the cool morning sun. He sniffed the sea-salt air for the first time in over a year and breathed with a sigh. Shawn followed Juliet down the driveway stopping suddenly on the sidewalk. He frowned at the silver sedan parked out in front of the house. "What happened to that green bug of yours?"
Juliet shrugged. "It was time for a change," she replied as she dug into her pocket for her car keys. She pressed the button on the key and the car came to life.
"It's a nice car, must have cost-"
"Carlton found me a good deal," Juliet interrupted.
"Carlton," Shawn sounded out the name, feeling so unfamiliar on his lips, "….right." Shawn climbed into the passenger side and pulled the seatbelt over his body. He watched as Juliet climbed into the driver's side. "What happened to the cats?" He asked.
"What?"
"The cats."
"How did you-" She stopped herself, "right, I remember." She fidgeted with the rear view mirror as she answered, "They're at my parents now, I developed allergies."
"I'm sorry."
Juliet gave a half shrug as she pulled away from the curb. "It's fine."
"I didn't realise how much had changed in a year."
"Time doesn't stop when you're not here ya know," Juliet snapped, immediately regretting the outburst. "Sorry."
"No, you're right."
Juliet pursed her lips as she drew up the courage to talk. They needed to talk about what happened, the way they had left things left so much unsaid, so much issues left hanging and now there was a huge elephant in the corner, getting bigger every second both of them stayed silent. She opened her mouth just has Shawn spoke.
"Can I put the radio on?" He asked. She knew it was a stall tactic but for some reason she didn't mind. They were going to have the talk eventually no matter what Shawn did to get out of it.
"Sure," she sighed. He reached across to the radio and played around with it until he found some rock music loud enough to halt any upcoming conversations.
"So," Shawn drawled once they'd arrive outside George Earn's house and the radio was turned off. "Does he know we're out here?"
"Nope," Juliet replied.
"I guess that wouldn't go over well," Shawn continued. "Hey Father, we have reason to believe you're next on the killers list, but instead of getting out of town we're just gonna use you as bait."
"We're out the front and Lassiter's watching the back, so he's well protected."
"This guy has already killed four people, left no forensic evidence at any of the crime scenes and there are no witnesses, and you think one cop in the back and one in the front is enough?"
"It's more than the other four victims got," Juliet replied.
"You feel guilty," Shawn noted perceptively, "That you couldn't save them."
Juliet turned to face Shawn. "Of course I do!" Shawn didn't answer. He turned his head and looked out the window at the house they were watching. "Shawn, we should talk."
"About what?" Shawn replied, avoiding Juliet's gaze.
"How we left things," Juliet answered.
"How we left things?" Shawn repeated.
"Yes."
"Not now," Shawn said.
"But-"
"Please," Shawn interrupted, his head whipping around to face Juliet. "Just solve the case, catch this killer."
"Only if you promise we talk afterwards."
"Juliet." She winced, wishing for once he would call her Jules.
"Promise," she forced.
"Fine," he sighed. "We'll talk afterwards," he replied through gritted teeth.
She smiled at the little victory, she might have to wait for the talk but she could be very patient.
Shawn entered the café and immediately spotted Gus. "Hey," he greeted as he walked up the table and sat down in the spare chair.
"How's the stake out going?" Gus asked.
"Okay," Shawn answered with a shrug. "At least I get a break for lunch and you know what? I better be getting paid for this, and my rates have risen, you know," Shawn waved his hand about. "Inflation and all that jazz," Shawn picked up the menu. "The food here is definitely one thing I missed."
"The only thing?" Gus asked.
Shawn peered over the top of the menu. "Is that some not so subtle dig at the fact that I've only emailed twice in the space of a year, didn't tell you where I was and didn't really want to come back in the first place?"
"Only if your reply has some sort of apology for the lack of communication, especially about where you were and for not wanting to come back," Gus returned.
"Okay, I get it, you're upset, I'm sorry."
Gus leaned back in his chair and folded his arms stubbornly, "I don't think you are."
Shawn rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics. "How much proof do you need?"
"I'll make a list of things you can do to make it up to me."
"You get right on that." Their conversation was interrupted as the waiter took their orders. As he left Shawn looked back at Gus. "I am sorry," Shawn repeated with all the sincerity he could muster.
Gus nodded, "I know."
"Good."
"So how's the stake out really going?" Gus asked with a grin.
"What do you mean?"
"You and Juliet stuck in a car together with each other for company?"
"Ah that." The waiter brought their drinks over and Shawn took a long sip of his pineapple juice.
"Stop stalling."
"I wasn't stalling I was drinking," Shawn defended himself.
"Are you and Juliet even talking?" Gus asked, dragging Shawn back to the topic in question.
"We're talking….just not about what she wants to talk about."
"What is going on between the two of you? You barely said two words to her at the station."
"Things are just complicated. I don't know what's going to happen."
"What do you want to happen?" Gus pushed.
Shawn didn't really know. He had tried to avoid thinking about what was going on between Juliet and himself. It wasn't worth thinking about if he was going to go back to Las Vegas as soon as this was all over. He hadn't thought about what would happen afterwards. Would he stay in contact now? Or would he go back and forget this all happened? "I don't know," he answered his friend honestly. "Guess I'll cross that bridge when Juliet drags me to the edge and makes me."
Gus chuckled, "What I would give to be a fly on the wall for that conversation."
"I can't see anything," Shawn moaned in the darkness. Shawn had rejoined Juliet after lunch and the pair had been sitting in the car for hours.
"That's because it's dark outside," Juliet answered.
"Well how are we supposed to keep an eye on this guy if I can't even see the house?"
A pair of night vision binoculars were pushed into his chest a little harder than necessary.
"That better?"
Shawn pulled the binoculars to his eyes and looked at the house, now tinged green. "Cool." Five minutes later Shawn groaned. "Great," he muttered.
"What now?"
"I need the bathroom."
"You shouldn't have so much to drink at lunch."
"Okay, you can stop channelling my father now," Shawn crossed his legs.
"Guess you'll have to hold it in until we're relieved in a couple of hours."
"I don't know, I might have relieved myself by then."
"That's just gross." She scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "You never did think ahead did you," she muttered.
Shawn twisted his head round and glared at Juliet. "What is that supposed to mean?" He asked, his eyes narrowed.
"You just didn't think, did you? About what would happen when your secret came out."
"I told you I didn't want to talk about this."
"Too late!" Juliet snapped, "You can't avoid me forever Shawn."
"Well I can try," he replied, folding his arms.
"What? Go hide back in Las Vegas?"
"Yes!" Shawn replied, "That's what I'll do, I'll go and you'll never have to deal with me."
"This isn't about me dealing with you Shawn, this is about us talking about us."
"No this is your need to feel better about yourself because you feel guilty over the way you left things."
"Me?" Juliet spluttered, "You're the one that left! You're the one that left things!"
"Because you and Gus and my Dad and the whole of Santa Barbara was pissed at me! You really think I could have stayed?"
"I don't think you even tried."
"You could barely look at me in the eyes."
Juliet looked up and met Shawn's eyes, "That's because you lied to me. You were my friend and you lied to me for two whole years."
"When was I supposed to tell the truth? Huh? When Lassiter had me handcuffed because I solved a case by watching the news on TV? After I'd solved the McCallum case? When Juliet? How could any of you understand how I do what I do when I can barely explain it myself?"
Juliet sighed, her eyes fell away from Shawn and turned to look out of the window. "Shawn-"
"I was helping people, catching killers, you really think you and Lassiter and the chief would have let me help if they knew I was just guy with photographic memory?"
"Shawn-" Juliet tried again.
Shawn didn't stop talking, he was on a roll now and he wasn't going to stop "Do you realise how much I risked as well? My reputation, Gus', all to help people. I didn't have to you know,"
"Shawn!" Juliet shouted.
Shawn snapped his mouth shut and frowned at Juliet, "What?"
She rolled her eyes and pointed out the window, "Something's happening." Shawn turned his head and his eyes fell in the light that had turned on in the Reverend's house. Shawn grabbed the binoculars from his lap and pressed them against his eyes. "What is it?" Juliet asked. She knew it could just be Earns grabbing a glass of water in the kitchen, but she also knew it could be something else.
Shawn squinted s he looked through the binoculars. The light on illuminated the kitchen but there was no movement. "It's probably that Earns guy," Shawn said. A second later a figure appeared at the window, a figure dressed all in black including a mask. "Uh oh."
Juliet's eyes widened, "What? What uh oh?"
Shawn dropped the binoculars and looked at Juliet, "It's him, it's the killer, he's in the house."
Juliet cursed. She grabbed her gun with one hand and the radio with the other, "Carlton, the killer is in the house, I repeat the killer is in the house."
"Understood," Lassiter replied. Juliet climbed out of the car and was making her way quickly across the road to the house when she realised Shawn was following her.
"What are you doing?" She hissed.
"I'm going with you!"
"I don't think so! Get back to the car right now," she ordered.
"We don't have time to argue."
"You're a civilian."
"Just try and stop me," he replied before moving past Juliet towards the house.
Juliet quickly caught up with Shawn and grasped his bicep, "You stay behind me okay?" He rolled his eyes. "Okay?" She repeated.
"Fine," he relented. She let go of his arm and pulled her gun up ahead of her. She arrived at the door and kicked it open. The light from the kitchen spilled out into the hallway, give the pair enough light to navigate down the hallway. A muffled sound from upstairs had Juliet sprinting up the stairs, Shawn close behind her.
Juliet burst through the first door, finding nothing but darkness, she backed out and went for the next door, finding a bathroom. The last door was at the very end of the corridor. Juliet turned back to Shawn and nodded at his silently, he nodded back. She turned back towards the door and moved forwards. She counted down from three in her head before kicking the door open. She stepped cautiously into the darkness.
