OHMYGOSH HI! GUESS WHAT? THIS STORY HAS OVER A HUNDRED REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
By the way, did everyone watch the new Psych with the extended theme song? DID EVERYONE SEE THE SHULES KISS IN THE THEME? SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!
Not dating yet in this one, just BTW.
Disclaimer: Oh, didn't I mention I own Psych now? No? Oh, phew, cuz I'd be lying. ;)
Outage
Lightning split apart the sky, turning the gray sky blindingly white, just for a moment. This was followed by a crack of thunder, starting slow and ending with a rolling boom.
Shawn removed his hot chocolate from the microwave and took a cautious sip. He walked back into the main room of the Psych office and said to the room's other occupier, "Sorry, Jules, but it doesn't look like you're leaving any time soon."
Juliet had come by to drop off Shawn and Gus's paychecks and while she was visiting with Shawn, the storm had picked up from mild rain to full-swing, torrential rain complete with thunder, lighting, and hurricane-worthy wind.
"It's all right, Shawn, I'll be fine," she stood to make her way to the door.
Shawn stretched out his long arms and blocked the doorway out. "I don't think so. It's 11:30 at night, pouring, and I don't really wanna be stuck here by myself."
Any other night Juliet would've refused, but to be honest, she didn't want to go home and face the storm on her own. Besides, Shawn could make great hot chocolate and she'd been dreaming about a warm night with movies, popcorn, and Shawn for a while now.
"Earth to Jules? Can I have an answer? Or will I have to fight you?" Shawn called, an eyebrow raised and his fists playfully raised in a fighting position.
"No, I'll stay. Besides, I don't want to hurt you," she smirked, heading for a comfortable place on the couch.
Shawn laughed, "Is that a challenge, Detective?"
She sank onto the comfy overstuffed Psych couch and said, "Maybe some other time. All I really want to do is watch a movie."
"Sounds like a plan. Do you want some hot chocolate?"
"Yes please!" After she heard herself, she prayed that Shawn wouldn't pick up on the excited, pleading tone in her voice.
Shawn didn't seem to notice as he went into the Psych makeshift kitchen, "Okay. You pick out a movie while I whip up some of my world famous hot chocolate."
Juliet laughed and crossed over to Shawn and Gus's impressively tall stack of movies by the TV. After some debating, she selected Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Shawn entered, clutching a mug and smiling at her selection, "Good one. This is definitely the best Indymovie."
"I liked The Last Crusade the best, but that's just me," she answered, taking the cup from him with a smile and setting herself down on the couch.
Shawn sat down next to her with his own mug in hand and said, "Why? His dad's such a jerk."
"That's just from your personal experience, I liked his dad," Juliet argued.
"You liked that snooty, old, historical, mean, ol-," Shawn was cut off as Juliet placed a finger over his lips.
"We can argue about Indy's dad later. Let's start the movie," Juliet suggested, pressing Play on the remote.
The theme started to play and the first few credits rolled across the screen. At the same time, a loud, splitting crack of thunder shot from the sky and the power flicked off.
"Oh man!" Shawn cried, jumping up from the couch. "I'll go see if we have any candles."
The office was completely dark and Juliet could barely see the handsome man no more than two feet from her. The only light came from outside and even then it was dim and gray.
"I'll come help," Juliet offered, following the shadowy figure of Shawn.
In the dark, she tripped over some pile of something with an "oof". A pair of strong arms came from the dark and caught her before she fell. Lightning illuminated Shawn for a moment. He was holding Jules by her sides and smiling down at her.
"Sorry," Juliet said, flustered. She separated herself from Shawn, inwardly wishing that the moment had lasted longer.
"No worries, Jules. Next time I trip, I hope you'll be there to catch me," Shawn said with a laugh in his voice.
Don't read into that too much, O'Hara, she told herself.
"Oh! Look! Candles!" Shawn cried excitedly, handing a few candles over to Juliet.
They walked back to the main room and set the candles down on the table. Shawn set them all aflame and then they took their seats again.
"Well I guess that means no movie," he sighed. "But at least I can see you now."
Juliet blushed, for a moment disagreeing with him. "So what do you want to do?"
"We can continue our Indy argument, debate Lassie's new tie, glue Gus's stuff to his desk, or we can just talk."
"I kind of feel like just talking," she admitted.
Shawn smiled, "Me too. We never talk anymore, Jules. We're always so busy."
"Yeah, you're right. It's weird, we see each other every day but we don't talk a lot."
"Tell you what, next weekend, if we're both free and there's no storm like tonight, we can have our movie night. Or go to the beach. Or go to breakfast. Or street-race. Or rob banks," Shawn laughed at his own joke, his grin seeming warmer in the golden light of the candles.
Juliet laughed and replied, "How about just breakfast?"
The idea of being alone with Shawn at night made her both nervous and excited. She didn't know if she'd be able to do it again after tonight. That ominous, deep-hearted feeling that something big was going to happen tonight had settled itself in her soul.
"Okay. The diner where we met has decent pancakes. And orange juice," Shawn smiled at the memory of their first meeting.
Juliet opened her mouth to reply, but she yawned, long and loud, instead.
"You look tired, Jules," Shawn sympathized. "Why don't you try to get some shut-eye?"
She was about to protest, but her exhaustion overwhelmed her and she curled up on the couch. "Don't leave, all right?"
Shawn rose from the couch and grabbed a blanket from the armchair. Draping it over her, he answered, "Course not. I wouldn't leave you, Jules. You know that."
He blew out a few candles and then went to his desk to amuse himself before he got too tired. The last thing Juliet heard before she drifted off into sleep was Shawn playing trash can basketball with Gus's papers.
HHHHHHH
Juliet woke up in the middle of the night to find that the storm was over. The clock on the cable box was back on and read 1:43. Shawn was sleeping at the end of the couch sitting up with his head resting against the back of the couch.
He looked so peaceful and comfortable, but at the same time lonely. His arm was resting on the side of the couch, inviting her to rest against his chest like she had been dreaming about.
Giving in to her hopeless romanticism, she crawled over to him and rested her head on his chest, stretching out her legs on the couch. His arm draped lazily over her shoulders, folding her in a protective embrace.
As if sensing her presence, he smiled a bit in his sleep. She smiled too and then closed her eyes and drifted into a more peaceful sleep.
HHHHHHH
Gus walked in to the Psych office and was greeting by the sound of Shawn snoring. He rolled his eyes; Shawn wasn't supposed to sleep here.
He dropped his stuff down at his desk and then crossed the room to go see his friend. Upon seeing who else was with Shawn, he smiled.
Good for them, he thought. Though, I bet it's going to be awkward when they wake up.
Shawn stirred and looked around him, also clearly surprised by what he saw. "Gus, buddy, what are you doing her so early? And on a Sunday!"
"Shawn, you told me to come in early today!"
"I did? Why would I say a thing like that? I wouldn't make you come in early on our day off!"
"You said we had a case today! That we had to get started early!"
"Oh Gus, we already solved a case. That's why our paychecks are sitting on the microwave."
"You put our checks on the microwave?"
"At least I didn't put them in the microwave," Shawn countered. He yawned and looked down at Juliet, who was still sleeping soundly with her head on his chest. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed."
And with that, he placed a kiss on Juliet's forehead and closed his eyes, peaceful and content.
Gus sighed, knowing that he wouldn't dare disturb them. Besides, not like he would want to. They looked so good together, like they were meant to be. Collecting his check, he left the Psych office and left the two to sleep together.
