Four months later

"What in the world?" Carlton muttered, staring at the note on his desk as he draped his suit over the back of his desk chair as he settled into another day at work.

Happy six month-iversary. Here's a tip: Her favorite flowers are lilacs.

"McNab?" Carlton asked, approaching his partner's desk and holding the note out for him to see. "Do you know who put this on my desk?"

"No," McNab said with a shrug. "But I'm pretty sure that the handwriting is Shawn's."

Carlton raised his eyebrows, repeating, "Shawn Spencer? As in the bane of my existence who still hates me and continues to hold a grudge against me for taking his girlfriend?"

"He stopped making a big deal about it a few months back, didn't he?" His partner shrugged again, suggesting, "Maybe he's decided to get over it?"

Carlton studied the note that he still held, trying to figure this new development out before he eventually decided, "It's possible, but not likely."

He put the note in his pocket and turned to go back to his desk – and almost ran into a pretty brunette in the process.

Reaching out to steady her, he gasped, "I'm sorry… Abigail?"

"Hi, Detective," the kindergarten teacher said cheerfully. "Long time; no see. Speaking of which, have you seen Shawn around?"

"No," Carlton said, hesitantly asking, "So, are you two…?"

"Back together?" Abigail supplemented. "Yeah… um, we ran into each other a couple of months ago in town and just kind of… managed to start right back where we had left off, once he swore he would stop trying to get himself killed."

McNab smiled, saying for Carlton, "That's great to hear, Abigail. I think I saw Shawn over near the chief's office."

"Thanks, Buzz," Abigail said cheerfully, waving at them as she went off to find the man who was apparently once again her boyfriend. Buzz just raised his eyebrows as Carlton turned back to him with an incredulous look on his face. "I guess all things are possible," McNab said cheerfully.

Carlton started for his desk again, muttering to himself under his breath about buying Juliet some lilacs on the way home from work.

At the end of the day, he entered his home with the bouquet held behind his back. After receiving the customary kiss from Juliet, he held out the flowers, curious to see how she reacted to them – to see if the writer of the note was correct – as a sort of test of whether or not the note could've come from Shawn Spencer.

"Carlton," she practically squealed in gleeful surprise as she took the offered gift from him. "Lilacs?! How did you know that they're my favorite – or did you?"

"I do now," he said, trying not to let the thoughts suddenly whirling in his mind show up on his face.

"How?" she asked, turning to search the cabinets for a vase.

A surprising thread of respect for Spencer rose up in Carlton as he answered, "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you."

Juliet had obviously been right all those months ago when she said that Abigail was a good influence on Spencer. As it was, Carlton found that he was remarkably relieved at this sign of mature acceptance of the situation on the younger man's part.

"Try me."

"I don't think so," Carlton decided, shaking his head. "But I will tell you that they were for our 'six month-iversary.'"

Juliet put the vase of flowers on the counter and turned back to look at him, her eyes narrowing a little as she suggested, "Well, in that case, I think that we should celebrate a little better then with flowers."

"How so?"

"Wine," Juliet drawled, grabbing a bottle and a couple of glasses.

Carlton forewarned her, "If you're trying to loosen my tongue to find out about the flowers, it won't work."

"Would I do that?" Juliet asked, forcing an innocent expression onto her face – one that he knew better then to buy for a second.

"I've always heard that alcohol does work as a sort of truth serum," Carlton said, stepping forward to take the bottle from her. "You don't need to be drinking anyway; you're six months pregnant."

"One glass-" she pouted.

"No."

She huffed at him, but latched onto his first comment by way of changing the subject. "Alcohol is a truth serum, huh?" she paused as a new thought came to her, and her lips twitched as she said, "Yeah, that is true."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked, suddenly being dense enough not to see where she was taking the conversation.

"That's obviously what it took for us to get married and admit that we were in love," she grinned.

Carlton smiled back down at her, almost chuckling as he said, "I agree."

"Do you?" she said teasingly.

"Of course," he said, proving it with a kiss.

Six months later

One year. For one remarkable year, Juliet Lassiter had been married to the wonderful man in front of her. There had been ups such as welcoming their new baby boy Jackson into the world and downs like waking up in Vegas – although that had obviously had some pretty good results, so maybe it was just another up…

They had gone through a lot, and there had been a lot to overcome. Carlton had a difficult time at the station for awhile, what with the talk going around that he had messed up another partnership – to the tune of sleeping with that partner, of course – and don't even get anyone started on how their marriage had began. Juliet herself had struggled for a long time with having to quit the SBPD, but now, between her job at the gun shop and hers and Carlton's two month old son, she was completely content with her life. Accept for one thing. It had always bothered her that she couldn't really remember her own wedding.

But that was why they were here renewing their vows – to give the guys at the department a new wedding to talk about, and to give Carlton and Juliet one that they could clearly recall to begin with.

Right now in this moment – thanks to heartbreak, "truth serum," Vegas, and Carlton's hand in hers – Juliet's life was perfect.

Reviews make my day if you feel so inclined, especially since I'm not sure how good of a job I'm doing at writing these characters. Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this story; thanks for sticking with me until the end of it!:)