Daddy's Little Girl Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Don't own Psych, I do own all 7 seasons on DVD and a baseball signed by Maggie Lawson, but that's about it.

Let me apologize for how long it has taken me to update, this semester of college literally killed me but I am back hopefully for a while.

Hope you enjoy this chapter!


Shawn reclined in his chair and looked at the clear board that now had very little untouched space left by his dry erase marker.

12:51- Red Kia driven by Bridgewater (?) runs Grace off rode.

1:01- McNab arrives at Station with Grace's wallet.

1:11- Shawn arrives at Station and Bridgewater calls.

[1:11-3:15 unknown]

3:15- First video of Grace arrives. Grace still calls out for Dad.

He ran his hand over his beard. He didn't trust his shaving skills in the small bathroom at the Psych office and he only took enough time in the showers near the Lifeguard station, on the beach, to wash his hair and body. Plus, it was a new look.

Shawn's head was spinning as he looked at the timeline and pictures that littered the office. They had every known event that occurred in that basement written down, but it was the moments they were unsure of that concerned him. The moments were where Grace turned, where her methodical torture made her snap and hate him. But it was only one that it was really concerned, that damn mystery period from the last video to her rescue.

"Shawn, Shawn." Gus's voice cut into his thoughts. "SHAWN!" Immediately Shawn snapped up in his chair, his arm shooting out and knocking off the remnants of last night's smoothie, conveniently near the overfilled trash can.

"Gus," Shawn said with a half-hearted smirk. "That was luck, let's do that again and see if maybe I can make it in the trash can again and you can give me a heart attack?"

"Dude I've been standing here for five minutes," Gus said defensively. "And all you have been doing is staring at the board." Shawn stood up and walked closer to the board. Lassiter had been surprisingly helpful this past week, giving him photos and snapshots of the recorded videos with Grace. Covertly handing him Stevens' additional statement in a coffee shop. And he only had one conclusion.

Bridgewater had been planning his revenge on Shawn for years, with the help of his father. He had many targets but Grace was the one he finally landed on. His arrival at the coffee shop was a surprise, and Stevens didn't even know he was down there until the police showed up the second day.

Last night, Shawn discovered in the statement what Bridgewater's original plan was. And how it played into Grace's newfound hatred.

And maybe that is what made it hurt so much, because for the first time in her life, Shawn was the bad guy along with Jules when it came to her rebellion. He grounded her and didn't give her any slack. It was because of this Grace was taken as she was, randomly of the street.

"He was gonna take her from Malibu Gus," Shawn spoke up. "That was his plan. He was going to follow the Young's in his car and let the air out of their tires when they made a rest stop. He'd take Grace and tell her that he was doing a favor for me, that I asked him to watch over me because I didn't trust her. That I was stupid enough to not realize that he was not a good man."

"He really is an idiot, she never would have believed him no matter what he did to her," Gus said.

"Which is why Stevens said he had so much fun the second he took her as he did," he hissed. "It was better than he expected…"

"He was able to do what else Shawn?" Gus said. "Grace is smart, maybe not in English but she is perceptive and she wouldn't just blindly believe something he said, in whatever context."

"He had his proof."

"One picture of me and your father wouldn't have convinced her."

"There's something else Gus, something we do not know about, and that's what we need to find out. But we can't find that out by just sitting in here. We need more information. Like what his mother used to do to him in the basement, we need Grace to start talking to my Mom and Jules. We need to give her the truth in a context that offsets the lies she believes."

"Tell me what to do Shawn, and I'll do it," Gus said. "I'd do anything for you, you know that, right?" Shawn gave Gus a weak smile.

"Of course I know that buddy," Shawn said, his shoulders tense.

"You know what I want right now?"

"Pineapple smoothie from the place on State St?"

"You know that's right."

"Pit stop first?"

"Where?"

"To the station. Psych is back in business, didn't I mention that, we got a case….mundane but it's…"

"Something." Gus finished for him.

The words went unspoken between them but they were both thinking it. Over the past three weeks so much had changed. Grace was rebelling and Shawn had been put under protection. Grace was taken, they were suspended, Grace was pushing him away, and Shawn moved into the Psych office.

Things had been resolved but now it seemed like things were finally get back to normal, if you ignored Shawn's suitcase in the room over and their newest side job.

Despite everything, Shawn pushed his thoughts about Grace and the events of the past few weeks out of his head as he strolled into the police station as confident as ever. The people were different though. Their eyes weren't surprised or hostile, but they were filled with something else; sympathy. They all pitied him for what happened and what was happening.

Lassiter was even waiting for him in the Chief's office.

"Mr. Spencer, welcome back," Chief greeted. "Mr. Guster."

"Glad to be back Chief, what do you got? Murder? Elephant Theft? Missing person? A-"

"A couple of stolen cameras from an electronic store," she said, interrupting.

"Oh c'mon, that's it Chief!" Shawn complained even though he was expecting it, and was thankful. They'd get paid quickly once he went to the store and saw something obvious and then they could go back to tracking Bridgewater's thoughts and movements.

"You've been on suspension for the past two weeks Shawn, why not take it easy," the Chief said and just from the fact he was called Shawn, shut him up and he stuck his hand out for the file.

"I'll be at the crime scene if you need me, Chief, if anything better comes along," he sing-songed and head out the door.

"Spencer." Lassiter stopped him and jogged up to him as he started exiting the office.

"Yes Lassifrass," Shawn said and he saw Carlton narrow his eyes. He was trying a little too hard to make everything normal that even Lassiter was able to see through him. "I already gave you the Bridgewater file back, check your desk."

"It's not that," he said, sighing. "I just wanted to warn you, that today is Grace's first session with your mother. And she and O'Hara are coming in at 1." Shawn was thankful for Lassie for two reasons. One, for telling him and two for calling Juliet 'O'Hara' again, despite the fact that her name was Spencer, it hadn't ever felt right leaving Lassiter's lips.

"For an hour?" he asked and Lassie nodded. Shawn looked up and sighed before clapping Gus on the back. "Guess we are going to have time for smoothies after all buddy. See you after two Lassie." Without another word, Shawn walked back into the main part of the station, passing by Juliet's desk. "But I have another detour in mind first."


"You ready Gracie?" Juliet called into the living room where her daughter was currently sitting and still slightly angry. She seemed to have the idea that the talks with Madeleine, in the hospital, were as much, "shrink talk" as she called it, that she would get. Last night had been the first bout of tension between the two as Juliet informed her where they were going that afternoon.

"Nope." Grace narrowed her eyes at her mother, and Juliet rolled her eyes. She knew that Grace was still slightly groggy and out of it from the pain meds, because she had only just returned home from the hospital yesterday. Plus she was in considerably more pain then before, because of the mandatory exercises she had to do every couple of hours for her shoulder; however, teenager Grace had come back full swing. And while they weren't fighting as they were and most of Grace's attitude stemmed from just being difficult and not actually meaning it, Juliet was missing quiet Grace just a tiny bit.

But she couldn't miss her too much because a talkative and slightly moody Grace was a normal Grace, and Juliet would take that any day. Things, almost everything, were starting to return to normal and Juliet hoped that it was a start.

"Grace, c'mon honey, it's not going to hurt to just… talk about it to someone other than me," Juliet said, pleading.

"Says you," Grace said with a huff. "It's not talking to Grandma I am concerned with." Juliet reached for Grace's pain pills and a bottle of water before walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch next to her. Grace took the pills gratefully and swallowed them with ease, her eyes averting her mother's.

"Sweetie, what are you concerned with then," Jules said softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"The last time I was in the police station… I was doing community service," she sighed. "It was so embarrassing and I know that was the point, and I deserved it, but all the officers, Uncle Carlton, Chief, McNab… people I have looked up to even when I was mad at the SBPD. They looked at me with such disappointment or wouldn't look at me at all."

"That won't happen now Gracie," Jules reassured.

"Exactly, but they will look at me with pity." Grace tucked her knees up to her chest, a very defensive position. "And I think that's worse, it's so much worse. Especially knowing that they are only looking at me with pity because of what happened, and that it would still disappointment if this hadn't. And if this hadn't happened, we'd still be fighting and I'd still be blind to his-" Her mouth suddenly clamped shut and her eyes darted around the room.

"Blind to what Grace?" Juliet could practically hear her mother-in-law yelling at her in her ear. She knew she was only supposed to be Grace's confidant, but it was slips like this that made Juliet want to press harder. She was obviously talking about Shawn.

"Nothing," she mumbled. "Just… can't Grandma come here?" And there it was, switch back to the original conversation.

"She can't Gracie, she's a department resource and this is the only way she can 'officially' talk to you, you aren't supposed to treat family members," Juliet said. "I don't want you to worry about any of that baby girl, if they look at you with pity ignore them and stay strong like I know you are, they are stupid if they think they have to pity you. You survived."

"But still, I was-"

"Grace, you were a teenager and you still are, you are not perfect, you are allowed to make mistakes," Jules reassured and turned to hug her daughter. Grace squeezed as tightly as she could.

"Thank you, I- I guess I'll go," she said, mumbling.

"I'm glad, because I only want the best for you." Jules kissed her forehead and stood up. "Do you want to do some of your arm exercises?" She held up the stress ball she was supposed to squeeze in order to flex the muscles in her arm.

"Only if I can use it to throw it at your head," Grace growled playfully.

"Silly girl, you aren't allowed to throw yet," she chided mockingly, looking offended.

"But where's the fun in that?" Grace said, giggling and getting up. Juliet picked up a magazine and playfully swatted her daughter.

"Car, now missy."

"Yes ma'am!" She saluted. Juliet rolled her eyes but pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to Lassiter, warning him they were coming and to threaten any officer or desk clerk that if they treated Grace any differently than they used to, they'd have her and his wrath to deal with.

The car ride restored the playfulness even more strongly and Juliet was glad it was distracting Grace from something her daughter was obviously regretting. She knew she hated to talk about the hard things, and she was exactly like Shawn when he'd refuse to admit his feelings. Both of these personalities combined left a very timid and quiet Grace when bad things happened.

Right now though, they were fighting over radio stations and Grace was rolling her eyes.

Normal, but without the resentment that used to be behind the eye roll.

However, Juliet observed as her shoulders started to go rigid when they turned onto the street of the police station. The street where it all started. Her eyes landed on the post office, right where Bridgewater ran her off the rode.

"Idiot," she hissed under her breath.

"What was that?" Juliet said.

"He was an idiot, taking me where he did… in front of the post office of all places. Where many people would be no matter what time or day it was," Grace sighed.

"Let's not talk about that right now Gracie," Juliet said. She bit her lip, logistics would not help Grace's state of mind at all. "We'll be here until two, how about after we go see a movie or something?"

"Wouldn't that be against me being grounded?" Grace asked.

"Not when it is with your mother," Jules told her. "Though I'd really feel safer if you would just take your phone back."

"I'll take it back when you are planning on leaving my side and I leave yours," Grace said, appeasing her only. Juliet was thankful she never put a definite date on when Grace would stop being grounded, because once the month was up, she was going to put an end to all of Grace's self-punishment. That was not good for her state of mind either.

"Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?" Juliet said honestly.

"Mom stop," Grace blushed.

"No… you know what happened with Yin and Yang and that I was kidnapped. I was 28 years old and could barely handle it. You, my brave girl, are only 16 and have handled yourself so well. I could never have come as far as you have Grace," Juliet told her.

"How about I get through my first session with Grandma before you suddenly turn into a sap?" Juliet let out a laugh as Grace got out of the car and froze looking at the front steps of the police station. Juliet turned off the car and walked to her side.

"We'll go in together," she reached her hand out for Grace's good hand and Grace took it gratefully. She felt Grace's grip tightening on hers as they walked up the steps, noticing that some of the officer's outside looked terrified of her. Good, Lassiter's threat worked.

"What did you say to them?" Grace said softly. Still as perceptive as ever.

"I said absolutely nothing," Juliet said. It wasn't a lie, Lassiter did. Grace and Juliet made their way to the visitor's desk where Juliet quickly swiped Grace's visitor's pass from the woman at the desk. She observed as Grace went to clip it on her jeans before she froze and redirected it to clip on her shirt. Since Madeleine was likely in the building already, Juliet promised herself she would obey her mother-in-law's instructions about her role in Grace's healing process and not question it.

"Detective Spencer, Grace," McNab said out of nowhere. Juliet breathed a sigh of relief, if McNab would treat them normal, they could get through this hour relatively unscathed.

"Detective McNab," Grace beamed. "How are you?"

"Considerably skinnier now that Francine is sending her treats your way," he joked and Grace giggled.

"Tell her to keep at it, Mom can't cook for crap."

"I take offense in that," Jules glared at her daughter.

"When are you coming back to work Juliet?" McNab questioned.

"Chief gave me 4-6 weeks off," Juliet answered. "And it's been 2 so I still have maybe a month yet."

"Good to see you back here, you too Grace. Catch you later, got a case to solve." Juliet eyed Grace who was now considerably more comfortable walking around and who quickly spotted her partner sitting at his desk.

"Hi, Uncle Carlton, pretending to be too busy with paperwork to ignore me?" she approached him and Jules noted how quickly she was falling into her old routine of being around the station. It really only took their exchange with McNab to reassure her everything wouldn't change, although everything had. The police station was usually a Shawn-free place whenever Grace was there, because she was only there unless absolutely necessary or when there were no active cases and she was just doing paperwork.

That explained her behavior.

And as she looked across the station to the Chief's office, where her mother-in-law was standing, she could see that Madeleine saw it too.

"Grace," Madeleine's voice rising above the bustle in the police station seemed to cut Grace's vocal chords, because her daughter went silent and spun around. "Chief Vick has decided to let us use her office for the hour, why don't you come in? I have some tea." Grace's eyes met hers and Juliet nodded encouragingly.

Hesitantly, Grace approached the Chief's office, stepped inside, and Madeleine closed the door; effectively cutting them off from the rest of the station.

"O'Hara," Carlton called and Jules shook off her worry for Grace. She was in much more capable hands right now.

"Carlton, how are you?" she greeted.

"I saw you yesterday," he grunted.

"You are the one who called me over here, remember?" Jules rolled her eyes but her partner simply gestured to the coffee station. Wordlessly she poured herself a cup alongside him and followed him to his desk. She sat in a chair while he pulled out a stack of paperwork.

"Want to help me with these?"

"Off duty remember."

"Right," he muttered and put his head down. Her eyes wandered back over to the Chief's closed office door and took a sip of her coffee. She heard Carlton muttering before his fingers suddenly snapped in front of her face.

"What?" she snapped.

"I asked you how has Grace been. I saw you yesterday but I didn't see her," Lassiter said.

"She's… healing," she shrugged. "Won't speak a word about Shawn unless it's by complete accident or in her sleep. Refuses to do any of her shoulder exercises until I force her. Grace is being Grace, stubborn as always."

"And Spencer is…"

"I don't know, we don't necessarily talk anymore," Juliet sighed. "And if we do it's one sided. Mostly text conversations now. He says he is getting close to narrowing down the timeframe and he will go from there."

"Did you know that he and Guster started back today?"

"I did not." Juliet shook her head.

"He seemed, the same but…"

"But there is something about him, the light is gone from his eyes." Juliet finished for him. "And his voice too. Grace was the light in his life. The love of his life I think… she was Daddy's Little Girl and now…"

"You are the love of his life… and if you tell anyone I told you that-" Lassiter snapped and Juliet let out a laugh, a real laugh. These were the Carlton conversations she was used to. Him admitting that she and Shawn belong together, but refusing to let anyone else know that's what he believes.

"He lived for her," Juliet said, shaking her head. "He-"

"You are both the loves of his life, and he can't stand losing either of you. And right now, because you need to be there for Grace, he has lost you. But he will get you back, Grace can be stubborn but she's not that stubborn."

"She's not the only stubborn one." Lassiter looked confused and Juliet decided not to elaborate. Shawn was stubborn too. He would never stop trying to find a way for Grace to forgive him, trying to make it up to her. And that obsession could be a little volatile in Shawn's case. He would drive himself insane if it gave him a small chance of Grace's forgiveness. However, she was happy to hear that Gus was helping. That would help keep Shawn in check. Without another word she got up and walked towards her own desk.

It didn't look like any of the other times she had taken off.

Her photos were still sitting on her desk, untouched. With a sad smile she picked up the one from the day Grace was born. She looked completely unattractive, her hair sweaty and sticking out in odd directions. Shawn had a bandage on his hand from how hard she squeezed his fingers, but it was perfect. Grace looked happy to be in between her Mommy and Daddy at that point.

There was a family portrait her Mom had bought them from when Grace was three. It was simple. Juliet was holding Grace, but Grace was turned completely towards Shawn, giggling and sticking her hand out for him to join.

There was the one from the SBPD softball game of just her and Grace, but it was a double frame. The other side held a picture of Shawn helping Grace bat, back when she had said she wanted to play softball.

The last picture was from Grace's 'adult' 16th birthday party. Juliet had insisted if she was going to have the party in the fire hall with all of her friends, she would have to let her start the party 2 hours before her friends would arrive so that Grace could spend time with her family who would also be there. Grace had not enjoyed this but when Shawn came up to her with a camera and his smile, she conceded for one picture of the three of them. Grace insisted she be on the end, next to Shawn, but Juliet didn't mind. Really it had been her idea for a picture, and having a picture of Grace was so rare anymore she wouldn't even be in the picture at all. It was simple. Grace's smile seemed genuine, Shawn seemed out of place as usual with his insistence on being casual, and Juliet looked generally excited to have documentation of what looked like the perfect little family on the outside.

She was about to walk back over to Lassiter's desk when something caught her eye, something that was not there before.

A paper folded in half, and on the top read Jules.

It was Shawn's handwriting.

Jules,
Lassie told me you and Grace were coming in today so… hi.
I don't know what exactly this is, but I thought it might be
a better way to communicate than over text, because here
there is no way for Grace to read. I want you to know how
much I miss the both of you and how it is killing me to stay
away, but I hope you understand that this is for the best for
now, and that someday, we will all be thankful I took a step
back and let Grace heal. I haven't stopped and I won't stop
trying, just know that. I got to go, Gus wants smoothies and
he doesn't know that he is buying yet. I love you, I miss you.
I think I already said that but I needed to say it again.
Love,
Shawn
P.S. I tried to keep Gus away from your candy drawer, but if you
find a missing jelly bean or something it was him, not me.

Juliet had to blink away tears from her eyes because she missed him so much. She would much rather talk to him in person, but she understood. She knew what it was like for too long to bare most of Grace's hatred. There were times she wished she could run away from it all, and that wasn't even what Shawn was doing. She knew that now.

As quickly as she could, she took out a piece of paper and pen and scrawled a note down, folded it up, and left it in the exact spot Shawn left his. Just as she was finishing it up she heard the door to the Chief's office click open, so she stuffed Shawn's letter in an odd drawer before snapping her head up.

"All ready to go?" she asked Grace, who didn't look like she had a terrible time, she was smiling slightly.

"Yeah sure, what movie do you wanna see?" Grace asked.

"You pick," Juliet said, nodding to Madeleine who looked somewhat satisfied.

"See you in a few days Grace," Maddie said dismissively. Juliet waved goodbye to Lassiter and Buzz as she guided Grace out of the station, who was wondering aloud which movies were out, hoping that Shawn would see her note.


It was one of the employees. It always was when an electronic store was robbed, or at least it seemed that way in Shawn's case. He told the Chief where the evidence would be, collected their Psych check, and looked to make his way to Lassiter's desk to coordinate a time when he could collect the most recent evidence from the Bridgewater case.

But his mother caught up with him and Shawn's stomach almost dropped.

For a brief moment he wondered if Grace was still there.

"Goose, I am glad I caught up to you!" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"What are you still doing here Mom? It's 2:30, Grace's session ended a half an hour ago," he said and scanned the police station for any signs of his daughter or wife and caught only one thing. The note he wrote left on Juliet's desk, untouched.

"Detective Lassiter informed me you were coming back in and I waited," Madeleine said. "I wanted to see how you were."

"I'm good Mom," he said nonchalantly.

"Liar," she shot back.

"Ok not good, but getting by," Shawn shrugged, his eyes were still focused on the note. "Still have no idea why Grace hates me, but I am getting closer."

"I am too Goose, we'll figure it out one way or another, don't give up hope," she patted him on the cheek and swung her purse over her shoulder. "We'll catch up more soon, and then we can talk about why you are sleeping on the Psych office's couch." His eyes finally left the note as he stared after her incredulously.

"How does she know everything?" he said to himself before absentmindedly walking towards Juliet's desk. He wasn't sure why he was so upset Jules didn't read his note, and he felt stupid for writing it, wanting to throw it out before anyone else saw it. Why would she go to her desk when she wasn't working?

As he reached for it his hand froze as he read the front of the folded piece of paper.

Shawn.

A smile spread across his whole face as he picked up the note and sat in her chair.

Shawn,
While I don't know why this is better than texting,
at least it is a form of communication. I miss you so
much and Grace does too, even if she doesn't realize it.
Your presence is all around the house in ways she doesn't
even know, and I hope it's the little things like that, that bring
you two closer again. I'm holding on. Grace's arm is doing better,
despite her inability to cooperate with any of the PT exercises.
She's too stubborn for her own good. How are you? You never
say via text or didn't say in your note, so I expect an answer. I
love you and miss you, and yes, I am aware I already said that.
Love,
Juliet
P.S. Tell Gus those jellybeans were two years old.

Wordlessly, he folded the paper and put it in his back pocket before ignoring Gus who looked impatient for the check and began writing Juliet another.


I will repeat… so so so so so so so so so so sorry for my absence but I hope this chapter was good enough to make up for it, I don't think so, but regardless I am sorry.

Did this chapter give you any hope? Because it was supposed to! And I hope you all like how I am keeping Shules alive despite the fact they are living apart!

Thank you to nicolewriter for editing this chapter for me, if you haven't read her story The Shules Project, you definitely should. And thanks Psychlinite for the idea of the Shules letters.

Please review and let me know what you think (: