Daddy's Little Girl Chapter 26

I don't own it!

Some of you are saying I am being mean to Shawn, and I guess I am. But things have to get worse before they get better and, this chapter literally sums up the meaning because in most people's minds, this is the worst that it could possibly get!

Angsty Shules in this chapter, but as I said before, absence of Grace's POV, but I think you will like what happens between Grace and Jules in this chapter.

Shawn woke up and turned over, he hadn't slept very well but hadn't turned over to check on his wife or Grace. He trusted them to comfort each other, and it would be no comfort to Jules having to watch Grace reject Shawn again and again.

Even so, he still sought the warmth of Juliet's body and seemed a little shocked that she was not in bed. No wonder he slept so horribly. Shawn must have been so deep in thought that he was completely oblivious he was in bed alone.

He didn't need to guess where she was.

The feelings from last night came rushing over him as he walked out of his room and down the hall.

Shawn didn't want to hurt his family, but he was hurting Grace simply by coexisting in the same house with him. He was hurting Jules by making her watch him look crestfallen every time Grace denounced him and said another derogatory thing towards him. This would hurt them, but it would make Grace feel comfortable.

If his mind hadn't been made up by the time he looked into her room, it was as he saw the sight before him.

Grace and Jules were both tiny framed, but in one twin sized bed two tiny framed people took up a lot of space, and they looked anything but comfortable. Grace was curled up and almost hanging off the bed while her good hand clutched Juliet's that wound around her body. Juliet's leg was half off the bed and she was shivering because Grace had all of the blankets. Shawn had been awake at some point during the endless cycle of Grace's nightmares and heard her refusal to go into their much larger bed.

She didn't feel safe there.

And it was because of Shawn.

So without another word, he picked a blanket off of Grace's floor and placed it over top of both of them, and turned back to the master bedroom. Some clothes and his work out bricks, that's all he ever needed. And it all fit in the duffel bag that they bought for the camping trip Shawn talked Jules and Grace out of.

He would wait for Juliet to wake up until he headed to the Psych office couch, but then he would be gone. Grace would be happy, Jules would understand eventually, and hopefully, it wasn't for forever. He would wait for Grace to go to college if it meant his baby girl would feel safe in her own home.

When Jules woke she almost forgot she spent the night in her daughter's room, but it was hard to really forget when she had a kink in her neck, back, and literally everywhere else. The rest of the night had proved to be okay, Grace only jerking awake once and being calmed easily. Luckily Grace seemed to still be out and Juliet hoped it wouldn't disturb her as she slipped her hand out of hers and snuck out of bed. Juliet shrugged the blanket from her shoulders and placed it around Grace, only now realizing that had not been around her shoulders the last time she woke up.

She smelled coffee once she stepped out of the room.

"Shawn?" she called softly, yawning. She made her way lazily to the source of the smell and found Shawn already sitting at the kitchen table. Her cup was waiting for her by the coffee machine and the second he saw her he jumped up to fix her a cup. "I could do that Shawn."

"Sit," he commanded with a slight smile and Jules obeyed. The coffee was in front of her before she could even blink and she suddenly felt very grateful for Shawn's chivalrous attitude.

"Thank you," she reached out to grasp his hand before he sat down. "Shawn, about last night."

"Let's just drink our coffee Jules," Shawn said, his mind obviously elsewhere as pulled his hand from her grip.

"Shawn, we have to talk about this, it's getting worse," Juliet said. "Maybe we need to bring her to someone other than your mother, who can help her 'officially' and who can start right away. I don't think she can wait until after her surgery."

"Did she wake when you were there?" Shawn asked.

"Once," Juliet admitted.

"I did not wake up, so she did not scream," Shawn said. "She was comforted enough by you."

"But that's not the point Shawn!"

"I know sweetheart," Shawn gave in and reached for her hand again, stroking it lightly with his thumb. "Grace needs help and we are going to provide her with that. She's hurting, in more ways than one, and she isn't going to start to tell anyone what is wrong until she feels safe."

"I feel so helpless," she sighed. "I have no idea what is going on through her head and without being a mind reader I don't know how to help her. I can just hold her and…" She realized that everything she just said started with 'I.' "Oh Shawn, I didn't mean just I!"

"No," he released her hand once more and pushed out of his seat. "You did, because it's true. You are the only one who can help her in our little family of three. Because you are the only one she trusts, you are the only one she feels safe with."

"Once we get her help, she will realize-" Juliet broke off when something in the corner of the room caught her eye. A duffel bag that wasn't there the night before. "What the hell is that Shawn?" Shawn picked it up and threw it over his shoulder, testing its weight and nodding before setting it down again.

"Jules," Shawn whispered. "I'm moving out." Juliet's jaw immediately dropped and she stood up immediately.

"Moving out," she repeated. "I think I misheard you Shawn."

"No, you heard right."

"Oh, well then," Juliet huffed. "I wasn't aware we were divorced, because we are married Shawn. Married people live together."

"This isn't about us Juliet," Shawn said.

"Grace?" Jules exclaimed. "You think this will help Grace? You running away will help Grace?"

"I'm not running Juliet, I'm giving her space, I'm giving her an environment she feels safe in, that way she can get better!" Shawn retorted. Juliet spotted his motorcycle keys on the kitchen counter, Shawn read her mind and rushed to grab them but Juliet snatched them out of his grip. "Don't be a child Juliet."

A not furious Juliet would smile and say 'That's my line.'

"I'm not giving them back because you are not moving out," she said stoicly.

"Sweetheart, I could always just call Gus to pick me up," Shawn shook his head. Tears pricked Juliet's eyes, this was actually happening.

"She'll come around," her voice cracked.

"I pray to God she will, but I need to remove myself from the situation and figure out where to go from there," Shawn enveloped her in a hug that Juliet melted into.

"Who are you and what have you done to Shawn Spencer?" she sniffed. This wasn't her Shawn. Her Shawn would dive headfirst into whatever he was doing without thinking. But her Shawn also never had to deal with a situation like this before.

"Jules don't be AM radio," Shawn said.

"What?" she let out a slight laugh.

"See, it's still me," he kissed her hair. "It's not forever Jules, it's just going to be a trial run. I left my work out bricks here, I decided the Psych office's elliptical will be enough."

"Shawn, you and Grace dismantled and hid random pieces in Lassiter's car, desk, and even his garage," Juliet giggled. "Ten years ago."

"I love you Juliet Spencer," Shawn murmured, running his hands down her arms and grasping the keys in her hand. She felt her grip loosen as Shawn kissed her gently.

"Shawn Spencer," she grabbed his face. "I will not let this be the end, do you hear me. You will be back home in less than a month, I p-prom-"

"Don't promise Jules," he leaned forward and kissed her once more before picking up the duffel bag. "But I believe you will try."

"Call Shawn, every day, and come visit," Jules said.

"That would defeat the purpose Jules," Shawn said.

"Then I'll visit you."

"Then who would watch Grace?"

They bantered back and forth until Juliet realized she had walked towards the door with him and Shawn was kicking his motorcycle to life.

"Trial run Jules, remember!" and he was gone, and Juliet was alone with Grace.

"But I'll miss you…" Jules felt sick to her stomach as she walked back into the house. It immediately felt empty, felt too big, and she suddenly got angry. Not at Grace, not at Shawn, at herself. She just let him go, she didn't even try to stop him.

Immediately she pulled out her phone to call him and tell him to come home.

"Mom," Grace's voice echoed through the house.

"I'm in the living room sweetie," Juliet said shakily, trying to take a breath, and put her phone down.

"Where's Shawn?" Grace asked. She flinched.

"He… he's staying somewhere else for a little while," there was no sense lying to her. Suddenly, Grace visibly relaxed and there was a hint of a smile. Part of Jules wanted to cry, but part of her was just so happy Grace seemed comfortable for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"I'm hungry," Grace told her.

"Breakfast, coming right up," Jules forced out a smile, walking past her daughter and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Trial run.

She had to keep that in her head.

And during this trial run she would make Grace realize just how important Shawn was in her life.

Shawn stared at the ceiling of the Psych office, his back already hurting and he had yet to spend a night on the couch he was now sitting on. But it was worth it.

Juliet thought he was running away, but Shawn was seeking clarity. Ever since Grace admitted her new found feelings towards him, his already slightly off "psychic" abilities were practically gone. He was desperately trying to hang on to something Grace said that would give him a hint as to what made her snap, think back to see if she was realizing something he didn't and that to her it seemed like he had been negligent in his search for her.

"Kent, we will not go inside, we promise," Shawn said seriously. "But I also promise you, if you try and stop us from going around back, you will regret it." Kent gulped and looked over his shoulder, making sure Lassiter was not around, and nodded resigned. He knew better than to get in between two frantic parents and any clues to their daughter's whereabouts: even if they weren't detectives and one of them owned a gun.

"Shawn, what are we looking for?" Juliet questioned.

"Anything Jules, absolutely anything that can give us the slightest clue," Shawn tried to take in every bit of his surroundings. None of it may be significant now, but perhaps in the future, there will be a clue to bring him to his daughter. The fact that they were not called in meant Grace was not there.

They were surprised at what they found around the building. From the front it looked like another store front, but the back was overgrown and offered little to nothing to look at except the back entrance to the internet café that lead to a dumpster nearby.

"God this place is a dump, how is it still up and running," Shawn frowned.

"Shawn it's just another dead end," Juliet cried out. "He's… how can the video be the only clue and even that leads us here! This man hardly existed as anything other than an alias for god knows how long. We know where Jerry Swanson was but… Jason Bridgewater could have been living anywhere. She could be… anywhere-"

Shawn snapped his eyes shut and tried to clear his head, think of anything Bridgewater said that could provide them with any clue.

What did he miss?

Shawn was there, he was steps away from his daughter on day two of her captivity in that basement. Day 2. From what he could tell, her hatred of him started after they lost all contact with her and Bridgewater. That was Day 4.

He could have stopped this.

But how?

He remembers being at the internet café's backyard and the layout of the basement as well. The small window Grace could see out of was how she must have known he was there, but where was that window in the mess of the backyard. The prospect that he and Juliet might have walked right past it, oblivious, made Shawn sick to his stomach.

No wonder Grace hated him.

"But I didn't see the window, if I would have, I would have looked in, I would have seen her," Shawn said. "I would have told Lassie to look in the basement." And that's when he realized something else. He had run downstairs for just a minute after Juliet found Grace, his focus had mostly been on Grace and Juliet, but he had caught a glimpse of the window.

It was like the window of a limousine or even like a two way. It was tinted.

"God Damnit," Shawn cursed aloud. "The damn window was tinted!" Hec ouldn't have looked in even if he tried, but Grace didn't know that. It only brought Shawn back to the conclusion that Bridgewater was a manipulative son of a bitch.

"What window was tinted?" a voice interrupted Shawn and before he knew it he was rolling of the couch in surprise, landing on the floor with a thud.

"Damnit Gus, don't you know never to sneak up on a man that is moping!" Shawn rubbed his back and stood up to find his best friend standing in the doorway.

"Moping or talking to yourself?" Gus asked.

"I've heard it both ways," Shawn grumbled.

"That doesn't even make sense Shawn!"

"I know, nothing makes sense anymore," Shawn snapped. "Like how I could miss a window that concealed a daughter. Me." Gus opened his mouth to question what he was talking about. "How some asshole I never met could know so much about my gift that he could use it to manipulate my daughter! How my daughter hates me and made me move out! How-"

"Wait," Gus said. "You moved out?"

"Temporarily," Shawn mumbled.

"Where?" Shawn looked at him incredulously and motioned to his bag on the floor. "What does Juliet think about this?"

"Of course Jules doesn't like it Gus, she's my wife," Shawn rolled his eyes. "But Grace certainly does."

"Dude, you are running away aren't you?" Gus said.

"No!"

"You are running away, I know you Shawn."

"Suck it Gus! You don't know what the hell I am doing," Shawn walked over to the clear board and grabbed a marker. At the top he wrote in big letter's Bridgewater.

"Then what are you doing?" Gus questioned as Shawn wrote his and Grace's name's down stemming off from Bridgewater. He drew a line between him and her with a big question mark.

"She's not going to talk while I am there and probably not for some time after," Shawn said. "We are out of work for another week and a half." Shawn began scribbling more on the board. "So I have that much time to figure out what I know and don't know about what this bastard's intentions were and the means at which he carried them out."

"And how is that going to help?"

"I am going to prove him wrong," Shawn's eyes grew dark and there was a steely resolve to his stature. "He told her things, he brained washed her, and while my mother and Jules take the emotional impact, I'm going to figure out the facts. The difference between what he said and what is reality, because Gracie doesn't know that yet."

"Shawn, you can't."

"Gus," Shawn practically growled. "You accused me of running away, and the man I was 20 years ago probably would have. But I am not that Shawn Spencer anymore. I am a husband, and father, I am part of a family. I am not letting any of this go."

"That's not what I meant Shawn."

"Then what did you mean?"

"You can't do this alone."

Shawn's eyes lit up.

"You are going to help?" he said hopefully.

"You know that's right," Gus held out his fist and Shawn did not hesitate to reciprocate.

"You know what we need right now," Shawn smiled brightly.

"Jerk chicken?" Gus guessed.

"I was gonna say Japadog but that works too."

"Or both."

"That works even better," Shawn started towards the door. "And buddy."

"Yeah Shawn?" Gus asked.

"Thanks." Gus shook his head.

"Let's go get your daughter back, the real Grace, not Bridgewater's version of the real Grace."

"Dude that sounded like me!"

"That was the point Shawn."

Juliet stared at the ceiling of her bedroom simply wondering what Shawn was doing right now. If he would have been in bed with her, he would be making her laugh by stealing all of the covers or tickling her unmercifully until her cop training kicked in and he'd be pinned under her. He'd be curling up beside her, kissing her shoulder, check, whatever he could reach and whisper sweet things in her ear. He'd be making love to her or whining about why they weren't making love.

But Shawn was at the Psych office, and Juliet was here, alone, in this big bed too big for only one person.

Somehow, she didn't know how, she fell asleep. But it didn't last for long. Juliet simply questioned why she let her daughter convince her that she would be fine to sleep in her own bed.

"STOP IT!" Grace screeched in her sleep and Juliet shot up and out of bed. "PLEASE! NO!"

"Gracie," Juliet hissed and began to shake her daughter awake. "Gracie baby wake up."

"H-HELP!" Grace sobbed and Juliet bit her lip in concern and began to shake her a little harder. Grace only jerked and didn't wake. "G-GET OFF! HELP!" the scream was so desperate tears ran down Juliet's face as she bent down in her daughter's ear.

"Grace! Gracie! It's just a dream! Wake up sweetheart!" she cried and she blew out a relieved breath as Grace's eyes flew open. Grace openly sobbed now and Juliet did not hesitate to take her daughter in her arms. "Shhh. It was a dream Gracie, your safe."

"M-mommy," she mumbled into her chest.

"I got you," Jules stroked her hair gently.

"He was… and I was… and-" Grace gasped.

"And none of it was real," Juliet whispered, using her thumb to gently wipe away the tears on Grace's good cheek. "Let's go into my bed. How does that sound?"

"I'm not five anymore," Grace sniffed.

"It doesn't mean I can't comfort you," Juliet countered and stood up. "Now, I am sure I could carry you if I tried, but that wouldn't make the case for your age all that easy…" Juliet was hesitant to make a joke, but Grace blew out a breath and laughed ever so slightly.

"Okay," she nodded and got out of her bed. Jules comfortingly rubbed her back until they go into her room and climbed into bed. She easily set up a pillow to prop Grace's shoulder up and let her get comfortable before Jules turned towards her and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight sweetheart," she whispered as she realized Grace was already out, but it didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around her protectively, she would ward off all the nightmares if she could, and she hoped this would work.

She couldn't really remember the last time Grace had a nightmare and Shawn wasn't there to comfort her, probably because there never was.

"Daddy!" Grace's cry woke both Juliet and Shawn up with a jolt. "DADDY!"

"Gracie," Juliet shot up in bed.

"I got her Jules," Shawn calmed her down and walked calmly out of the room. Juliet could hear them as Shawn left the door open. "What's wrong with Daddy's favorite little 3 year old."

"Nightmare," Gracie sniffed. "I think the monster from my nightmare is in my closet!"

"Oh really?" Shawn said. "Mr. Monster, I don't really appreciate you coming into my Gracie girl's room."

"Yeah," Gracie cried.

"Let's see if he is really there," Shawn said and Jules heard the door to Grace's closet creak open. "Nope! No monster!"

"You sure," Grace whimpered.

"Just to be sure, why don't you sleep with Mommy and Daddy tonight, I know there are no monster's in our closet, Mommy scared them all away!" Shawn said and Juliet rolled her eyes, he was a pushover for Grace, especially when she looked up at him with her teary blue eyes.

"Did our princess have a nightmare?" Juliet asked as Shawn emerged from the hallway with Grace in her arms.

"Yes, but Daddy scared the monster away," Grace nodded.

"Thank goodness for Daddy then," Juliet smiled.

"And you, there are no monsters in here because of you," Grace snuggled into the covers that Juliet was holding up for her. Shawn climbed into bed and Grace immediately latched on to him.

"Sweet dreams baby girl," Shawn whispered as Juliet reached out to stroke Grace's long blond hair lightly. She felt a little ache in her heart and how much her little girl clinged to Shawn, and Shawn only, but by morning, though her little hand still clutched Shawn's t-shirt, Grace's body was turned to Juliet, her face buried in her chest.

When Juliet woke up the next morning, Gracie was in the same position as she was then, her shoulder not propped at all, it was up in the air, her face half buried in the pillows and Juliet's shoulder. As carefully as she could, Juliet slipped out from under her to reposition her better before heading to the kitchen to make coffee.

Coming back in ten minutes later, two mugs in hand, she was surprised to find Grace awake, leaning against the backboard.

"Morning," she said softly.

"Good morning sweetheart," Juliet smiled at her and walked over to Grace's side to hand her the cup of coffee.

"Thanks," Grace mumbled as Juliet returned to her side of the bed and sat down. Grace took a sip of the coffee and leaned her head back against the headboard, eyes staring into space.

"Do you want to talk about what happened last night?" Jules asked.

"Not particularly," Grace said dismissively.

"Ok," she nodded, deciding it was best not to push her on that issue just yet, it was still early, and Grace was obvious not stable enough. She would wait until Madeleine would start talking to her to try and get her own response.

The two of them sat in silence for what seemed like a while, until both of them finished their cups.

"Do you want a refill?" Juliet asked awkwardly.

"Sure," Grace shrugged and looked down, her good arm running over her cast and the words that were there. Juliet cursed under her breath at herself as she walked into the kitchen. What was she doing? She could barely communicate with her daughter this morning, probably because her mind was running rampant about everything that has happened and how on earth she was supposed to fix it and make everyone happy.

Juliet spotted muffins in the corner of the kitchen, brought over by McNab yesterday. Grace and Jules had eaten most of them but there were still a few left so she brought them along with the coffee.

She wasn't planning on keeping Grace hostage in her room, but they were going to talk about something before they left the room, Juliet was sure of it. Grace was still staring at her cast when Jules returned. Jules handed her the cup and set the muffins down on the bed.

"Grace I-"

"Mom I'm sorry," Grace blurted out before Juliet could finish her sentence.

"About what?" Jules asked. "Last night? I-"

"No," Grace looked up and there were tears in her eyes. "For how I acted before all of this happened."

"Grace sweetie you don't have to, it's fine," Juliet shook her head.

"No it's not," she suddenly started to cry and Juliet looked alarmed, immediately taking the coffee out of her daughter's now shaking hands. "You said I couldn't apologize before, so now it my chance." Grace looked directly at Juliet. "I'm so sorry for being a bitch, and disobeying you, and antagonizing you, and cursing at you. I don't hate you and I hate myself for even saying the words."

"You aren't the only one to blame Grace," Juliet was crying too.

"Yes I am," Grace sniffed. "You were being my mother, you knew what was best for me and I was just being a selfish brat. It wasn't fair how I treated you, at all."

"Did I do anything to calm our fights?" Juliet said. "No, I blew up at you just as much as you blew up at me."

"But then I go out and get drunk, I deserved to be arrested Mom, you did the right thing."

"I was doing my job, I don't know if it was necessarily the smartest or the best thing for our relationship," Jules shook her head.

"I always," Grace suddenly turned away from her mother and Juliet got concerned. "I always blamed the SBPD and your job for the tension between us, and I think it is ironic that that is now what saved me."

"What do you mean you blamed my job?" Jules said softly.

"When you got shot," Grace gulped. "I was only six, I didn't know what was going on, I just knew my Mom was hurt and that it was her job's fault that made her like that."

"I was fine Grace, you can hardly even see the scar now," Juliet reminded her.

"But that's not the point," Grace whispered. "When I got older I guess I just realized that, a few inches to the left and you would have been dead or dying, not just bleeding. And I felt that you were risking your life every day for people who didn't matter. That one day, this job would take you from me."

"Gra-"

"I'm not finished." Grace shook her head. "It was selfish I know, but I thought that if I could just get you to realize that you need to pay more attention to me that maybe you would quit and we could get along or at least coexist." She took a breath. "But I know how much you love the SBPD too, and how you protect the city and protect me by doing what you do, catching the bad guys."

"That's all I ever wanted," Juliet was crying harder now. Just hearing the words was very, daunting and real. "But there was something I always knew in my heart."

"What?" Grace asked, moving closer.

"I loved you so much the first time I laid eyes on you baby girl, I loved you before you were even here. But I knew we would never be close," Jules sighed.

"Why?" Grace's voice cracked.

"We were so alike, and so different at the same time. We clashed even when you were an infant, everyone just said it was because we were both stubborn. But I knew better…" Jules, despite the emotions that were running through her body right now, had to get this out. "The one who could calm you from a nightmare, the one who could get you to stop crying, or get you to eat, that parent would always be your favorite. You were Daddy's little girl since before I can even remember, I didn't even feel you kick before he-"

"Not now Mom," her voice was hard but it sounded like she didn't want it to be. But Juliet said it herself, Grace was stubborn, she wasn't giving up this attitude just yet. "Just… not now."

"Ok," she nodded and reached her hand out to grasp Grace's. "I forgive you Gracie, in my heart I always knew, now just say you forgive me too."

"But there's nothing to forgive," Grace protested.

"Humor me." Juliet flashed her a smile and Grace rolled her eyes, reciprocating it.

"Mommy I forgive you too," she sighed. "I love you."

"I love you more than you'll ever know baby girl." The two of them moved together in sync to embrace each other and Juliet felt a surge of joy that all she wanted to do was share it with her husband, but she couldn't. For now, all she could do was hold Grace, and pray that this was enough to get her to start opening up to her.

This wasn't the discussion Juliet was hoping for, it was so much better. It gave her hope.

So Shawn may have moved out, but he is not giving up, and with Gus on his side you will all find out just what Bridgewater did and said to get Grace to hate him sooner rather than later, and HOPEFULLY the sooner that happens the sooner her 'hating' him is no longer a reality ;)

Also, Jules and Grace have finally cleared the air about their relationship and now that Grace can fully open up to Jules because she no longer has this conversation in the way, maybe Jules will start getting to the bottom of her nightmares and the Shawn issue.

You won't know what happens if you stop reading, so please keep reading! Also, review, it makes me happy and makes me update faster, which is so hard to do back in college guys, SORRY (:

Advertisement: I said it once, I say it again, read Staying Strong by Psychlinite, like now, it's good and you won't regret it!

ALSO: Who saw the Back in the Game pilot? How great is Maggie Lawson in it? How great is it? I can't WAIT for September 25th!