Hey all! I hope you are enjoying this story! Sharon is about 13 weeks pregnant at this point.

(On a different note, I'm going to start posting wips and completed fics on ao3 under the same username. I have a 6k word Star Trek Spirk fanfic that I would like to debut on there. If anyone would like to give it a quick beta read for me, plus pm me!).

Enjoy!

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Chapter 11:

*Monday, May 17th*

Sharon took a deep breath as she looked around the Psych office. While she had occasionally dropped stuff off with Gus, this was the first time in over a month and a half that she was alone in the office. Gus had just restocked the kitchenette with various snacks and drinks (although Sharon would barely call some of the healthy stuff snacks). Luckily, there was a wide variety of yummy food on the boardwalk, so she was able to get something good for brunch before coming into the office.

Still working on her pineapple smoothie, Sharon pulled the first file out of the most recent cases box and got to work.

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*Knock knock*

Sharon looked up with a start to see Henry standing in the doorway. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering your phone and Gus said you would probably be here."

Sharon moved some files around and finally found her phone. There were 3 missed calls and a dozen messages. "Oops."

"Yeah." Henry went and sat behind Gus' desk. "So, how are the cases going?"

"I solved three with just what was in the files. For half a dozen cases, I found more info online, but I still need to go out and snoop around. Then there's a real brain twister with barely anything to go on. I'm not sure if I should even bother since it's been almost a year. I haven't even gotten to the older cold cases yet."

"Sounds like a good start."

"Yeah." Sharon shrugged as she wrote on a sticky note.

"Have you decided where you are going to stay while you're in town?"

"I was thinking I would stay at your house most of the time and go to Gus or Lassie's place a few nights a week. Gus's early mornings won't work for me and it's not fair to Lassie. Plus, since Gus shot down my proposal for a second Psych car and you two stole my motorcycle keys and helmets, your house is the closest so I can walk to the office from there."

"Sounds good." He checked his watch. "Are you at a good stopping point? I was planning on grilling some burgers for dinner and told Gus to be at the house by 6pm."

"Yeah, give me a minute. I need a bathroom break first."

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Sharon sat on a bench by the beach while her dad cooked the food. She was so engrossed in reading a book that she did not realize that she had company until said company cleared their throat. Sharon jumped slightly and quickly turned around. "Lassie! What are you doing here?!"

Carlton nervously loosened his tie. "Henry invited me to dinner. Well, more like threatened me"

"Oh. He only told me Gus was coming."

"Yeah. Hey, Henry doesn't, by chance, own a shotgun, does he?"

Sharon laughed, "What, you don't want a shotgun wedding?"

"Henry is notorious for being overprotective of Shawn; I can only imagine how protective of you he would be while you're pregnant."

"Don't worry, Henry knows I am nowhere near ready for marriage. Being pregnant is enough commitment for me at the moment."

"Good to know; although you didn't answer my question."

Sharon grinned as she stood up and stepped closer to him. "And if he does have one?"

"I would like to know where I stand with the man." Carlton replied as he placed his hands on her hips.

"Well," She wrapped her arms around his neck. "As far as I know, he doesn't technically own one. He does have a confiscated BB gun for shooting at rats and other vermin. So, you might want to be careful you don't get hit by any BBs."

"At least it's non-lethal."

"Usually. Henry believes that you should only have guns in the house if you are prepared to use them; so he only keeps a few for protection. Oh, and he does have a couple of stun guns around."

Carlton groaned, "Why am I not surprised?"

Sharon laughed and leaned closer for a kiss. "Maybe we should just eat dinner out on the beach by ourselves."

"I was thinking we sneak around the block, get in my car, and leave without Henry noticing."

"I don't think you're going to win any brownie points with Henry that way."

"I'll take my chances." Carlton smirked as he leaned in for another kiss.

"Tempting, but I'm really hungry and can smell the cooked burgers from here. So you're on your own, buddy." She gave him one more quick kiss before stepping back and picking up her book. "Are you coming?" She asked as she held out her hand.

"Yeah." Carlton replied as he took her hand and they started back towards Henry's house. "So, what were you reading?"

Sharon laughed as she showed him the cover of the pregnancy book. "My mom gave this to me, she thought it would be enlightening."

"And is it?"

"Oh yeah. Especially where it says that once the pregnant person's libido starts to kick back in, that all the extra weight can make it more satisfying for both partners." She grinned as Carlton blushed.

"It does not say that."

"Maybe, but we can still test it out and see if it's true nonetheless."

"How about we not talk about this out in public?!" Carlton whispered as they neared the gate to Henry's yard.

"Sure thing, sweetie!" She grinned.

"It's about time you two got back!" Henry called across the yard as he sat down at the picnic table with a beer. "I was about to send Gus out after you."

Gus shook his head as he filled his plate. "No way, Mr. Spencer. I don't need to be scarred by whatever they must have been up to."

"We were on a public beach, Guster!" Carlton huffed.

"That's never stopped Sharon before."

"Gus!" Sharon gasped as she took the spot next to Gus. "You don't need to spill all of my dirty secrets!"

"Especially not while we're eating." Henry grumbled.

Carlton reluctantly took the seat next to Henry and across from Sharon. "Thank you for inviting me over, Henry."

"Thank you for the beer." Henry countered. "At least someone knows how to act like a guest."

"Since when are Gus and I guests here?" Sharon asked as she grabbed food. "Besides, you're the one who picked me up; when was I supposed to buy something?"

"You two can make it up by washing the dishes."

"Ugg, really?!" Sharon groaned.

"Would you rather clean the grill?" Henry asked.

"No sir." Gus replied.

Henry shook his head before turning towards Carlton. "So Carlton, how's work?"

"Nothing new to report, sir. Although, O'Hara, Dobson, and McNab all volunteered for the High School's career fair last Thursday. O'Hara tried to drag me along too, but luckily I had an interview with the DA about a case."

Sharon laughed, "You chose the DA over a bunch of teenagers?! You could have just stood there glaring at them from behind your sunglasses, being all sexy and intimidating, and no one would have bothered you."

"The point is to encourage them to sign up for the summer program, not dissuade them." Gus said.

"If a bunch of sexy detectives had been at my high school career fair," Sharon grinned, "I totally would have joined the program."

"I was at your career fairs, kid." Henry commented.

"Exactly." Sharon rolled her eyes. "Imagine how differently things might have turned out if Lassie was the one there instead of you?"

"You would have gotten knocked up sooner and dropped out of high school."

Sharon shrugged. "Possibly, but we'll never know now, will we?"

"So Henry," Carlton interrupted. "How is Spencer? Shawn?"

Henry glanced at Sharon before shrugging, "As far as I can tell, Shawn is fine. He's not exactly one for phone calls or checking in with his father."

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"I assume whenever the family medical issue is over; and I would rather not talk about it, okay?"

"Sure. Would you care to shed some light on Sharon's history instead? She doesn't share much, just claims that it's complicated."

"It is." Sharon mumbled as she grabbed more food. "I would rather not have to relive anything."

Henry crossed his arms as he took a deep look at Sharon before saying, "I agree with Sharon, no need to revisit past hurts. What I will say is that Sharon first started living with us when Shawn was 13. Sharon knows that my door is always open and that I treat her like my own kid. And if she doesn't want to talk about it, then you can either respect her wishes or get the hell off my property. Your choice." Henry stood up from the table. "Now I'm going to go get another beer."

Gus glared at Carlton once Henry left. "You need to drop it, Lassiter! Clearly she doesn't…."

"Gus?" Sharon interrupted while tearing apart a hamburger bun. "Would you mind getting my medicine? You can ask my, um, you can ask Henry where it is."

"Sure, Sharon. I'll be right back."

Once they were alone, Carlton placed a hand on Sharon's arm, "I'm sorry. I should have realized sooner that it was probably something hurtful that you didn't want to talk about."

Sharon shrugged, "I get it. You're a detective, you want to know all of the facts. I promise I will tell you when I'm ready."

"Okay. I won't ask again."

"Thank you." She sighed and looked at the mess on her plate. "I really want some chocolate right now."

"Do you want me to ask Henry if he has anything?"

"I already checked earlier. The closest thing is cocoa powder, and I'm not making that mistake again. I bet Gus has some sweets in his car. Wanna come check?"

"I'm not helping you commit a crime."

"It's not B&E of you have a key!" Sharon grinned as she stood up. "Besides, Gus doesn't lock it when he's here. Something about in case he needs a quick gateway."

Carlton shook his head as he started picking up the plates. "I'll pass."

"Will you at least distract Gus as I go look?!" Sharon asked as she quickly went around the outside of the house.

As Carlton entered the house with an armful of dishes, he found Gus and Henry arguing quietly. When they noticed Carlton, they quickly stopped.

"Where's Sharon?" Gus asked as Henry headed upstairs.

"She was complaining that Henry doesn't keep any chocolate in the house." Carlton responded as he continued into the kitchen.

"Of course not. Sharon has a habit of eating all the chocolate that she can get her hands on. That's why I keep my emergency chocolate in…*groan* my sample case! SHARON!" Gus yelled as he quickly went out the back door. "Get the hell out of my car, Sharon!"

Carlton just shook his head as he put down the dishes.

As Carlton went back outside to get the rest of the dishes, Sharon ran through the yard and out towards the beach, with Gus running and yelling after her. Carlton decided it was a good time to leave.

Before he could leave out the back door, Henry cornered him in the kitchen.

"I would like a word with you, Carlton."

"Yes sir."

"There's about a dozen things I want to say to you, but now is not the right time for most of it, and it's not my place to say some things. You and Sharon need to figure this out together, make decisions together. But at the same time, it is Sharon's body right now that is doing all of the work, so you need to respect her decisions. Don't push her too hard or too fast, because she might run. Honestly, I would be surprised if she manages to stay in Santa Barbara for the reminder of the pregnancy. Just know that I will protect her in whichever ways she will let me. So if you mess up, you will have to deal with me, got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. I expect either you or Gus to pick her up Thursday night. I have a fishing weekend planned and don't want her messing up my house while I'm gone."

"I can most likely pick her up, assuming I'm not in the middle of a case."

"From what I've heard, Sharon will be working with you on cases."

"While I don't think private investigators should be allowed at active crime scenes, I hope she behaves better than Spencer."

"Good luck with that." Henry laughed as Sharon came into the room, holding her arm.

"Carly! You need to arrest Gus, he assaulted me!" Sharon pouted.

"If I arrest Guster, I would have to arrest you for stealing."

"He's got you there, kid." Henry grinned.

Carlton smirked as he put on his sunglasses. "So unless you both want to spend the night in a cell, I'm going to head out. Have fun with the dishes. Henry, thank you for the meal." He quickly left before she could reply.

Sharon tried to follow him, but Henry grabbed her shoulders. "Sorry, kid, but you have dishes to wash. Where's Gus?"

"Probably enjoying the candy bar he wouldn't share." Sharon grumbled as she started running the water. "Why don't you have a dishwasher?"

"Because you broke it too many times and I got tired of fixing it. Besides, you never pre-rinsed the dishes so I always had to go back after you."

"I accidentally used the wrong dish soap one time and you never let me live it down."

"Try 3 times, kid." Henry shook his head as he took out some plastic wrap and containers. "Do you think Gus wants any leftovers?"

"Yeah, assuming he's not outside finishing all the food right now."

Henry sighed, "It's like you two just stayed stuck as teenagers. I'm surprised you can afford to feed yourselves."

"That's why we have you, Papa Bear! Besides, I gotta start eating for two."

"Your mother already debunked that for you, so don't you dare try it with me! You're supposed to be eating healthier, not more calories. I saw the takeout containers in the trash at your office."

"Sharon!" Gus scolded as he entered the kitchen with the last of the dishes. "I told you to stop getting greasy food from the boardwalk! It's not healthy for you or the baby!"

"Ugg!" Sharon groaned. "Why is everyone policing what I eat?! Maybe I should stay with Lassie."

"That reminds me, I need to have a talk with Carlton about what you should be eating." Henry smiled as he left the room.

"So not fair." Sharon grumbled as she grabbed a plate.

Gus laughed as he handed her a towel. "Here, I'll wash and you dry. That way we can be sure that they're clean the first time and not have your dad make us wash them again."

"Fine by me." Sharon smiled as she moved over. "Thanks, by the way, for not bailing on me."

"I thought about it, but decided none of us needed the grief that might come from you not doing the dishes right the first time."