The piece of popcorn flew through the air, into the hoop and sank into the wastebasket.The next kernel Shawn popped in his mouth, momentarily savoring the buttery saltiness on his tongue. Outside he could hear the familiar hum of someone mowing the grass and the all too chipper cheer of the birds. Inside he felt as if he was slowly swirling down the drain of despair, right back to where he'd been mere days ago. Seemed that as hard as he tried to find his way back to the loveable, yet somewhat annoying, goof he'd been he failed to gain any ground.

For every step forward, he took another back.

Earlier, back at the crime scene with Lassie and Jules watching, he'd done his usual thing, trying to fake a psychic vision. One that would bring the case to its next step, if not to a conclusion. After all, it was just the sort of thing Lassiter asked for, what he requested. But while in the throes of his fit Shawn had a startling realization. He didn't have a single clue who to point the finger at, not unless... He'd spied a little something secreted away under the couch, a little something he kicked out of sight so he could go back later to investigate.

Without the cops around.

Without Gus.

Because if it was what he thought it was... He jammed a whole handful of popcorn in his mouth as if the snack was enough to fill the hollow within. The implications whispered at first, telling him things he refused to hear. So they screamed, making it hard for him to ignore the truth. The terrible truth. His gut twisted. He sucked in his bottom lip.

Shawn shifted his position, his gaze straying to the bandage.

Stop. Just stop. Theres no going back in time to fix this, what's done is done. Live with it.

Back at the scene he'd done the only thing he could think of, telling them he'd lost the vision, that things got blurry. Jules pushed him a little and Gus gave him a curious questioning look. Lassiter, oh sweet Lassie, his expression wound up being perfect for a game of poker.

Don't ever play it with him, remember that, unless of course it's strip poker. Then totally go for it.

They trooped out of the house, went their seperate ways. With each passing second this... What was the word he wanted? Gus would know. It gnawed at him. As he yanked open the car door he hazzarded a glance back at the detective of his dreams.

I let him down. Again.

"Dude, what the hell, Shawn? What gives?" Gus asked immediately as they were alone in his car.

"What?" He tried to play dumb.

"You know damn well what. Since when do your visions just stop?"

He shrugged. "Happens to the best of us, Gus."

"Except your not a real psychic, and I can't recall you ever doing this before."

"There's a first time for everything." Gus gave him a look, one that said way more than Shawn cared for, and it needeled at the guilt buried just below the surface. The guilt he'd likely carry for the rest of his life. "I'm fine." He was already tired of those words. "I just jumped the shark-"

"Gun."

"I've heard it both ways."

"Jumping the shark is TV slang."

"If you say so. As I was saying, there are a few pieces of the puzzle missing and I need to figure them out first. Something isn't jiving."

"Jiving?"

"Are you going to quesrion everyrhing I say?"

"Maybe."

"Can you drop me by the office?"

There was that look again.

"I swear I won't do anything but think."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

But Gus had done as requested and after a handful of reassurances--boy, wouldn't it be nice to have people believe him--left him alone. Shawn stayed long enough to be sure Gus had left for good before doing the same. Instead of heading back to his place he went to the one spot he knew he was always welcome. Also where he'd least likely be tracked down.

The sound of the door opening and closing below gave him pause. A heartbeat later his dad called out, "Shawn, are you here?"

"Upstairs."

The thud of steps on the stairs, then his dad appearing in the doorway. Shawn tried to pretend he didn't see the fleeting panic in his dad's eyes. "Everything okay?"

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"It's this case Jules is working " he said, tossing another popcorn kernel toward the hoop. "I was there today doing my thing and... Dad, I don't know what to do next."

Henry remained in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, leaning on the door frame. "Explain."

Shawn quickly played back over the details of the case, his dad remaining quiet the whole time, no doubt his years on the job absorbing everything and fitting the pieces together just as Shawn had done. But there was one final nail in the coffin. "I stopped. I told them the help from beyon, we lost our connection."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't know how else to tell them the truth."

"And what's that?"

Shawn could tell by the tone of his dad's voice that he'd already, somehow, come to the same conclusion despite Shawn having left out one minor detail. He met his dad's gaze. "How do you already know?"

"Tell me what you're thinking, Shawn."

He shifted on his bed, hand buried in the remains of his popcorn. The words felt as bitter on his lips as they did bouncing around in his mind. "A cop did it."