A/N: My therapy shows through a bit on this one, lol.

For anyone who read the last chapter shortly after I posted: I did make a slight edit, changing the time between Ch1 and 2 to two months instead of three. I couldn't see Shawn staying out of trouble for that long and it was bothering me.

TW: Nightmare and panic and painfully blatant callouts.

"I have to ask," Chief Vick said as she signed their check, "how did you make the connection between the brother and the blood?"

"Like I said, Chief, the spirits felt a connection when we saw Marlowe. I guess they were antsy after having a couple of months off…" Shawn grinned as Vick narrowed her eyes and handed over the check.

Gus could feel her trying to connect the dots in the knife tapping on his arm, right over the light scars from the basement. He kept his hands locked behind his back, trying to hide how they were shaking.

"Well, excellent work you two. It's good to have you back." Vick smiled slightly and nodded towards the door in a clear dismissal before looking back at her desk to flip open a new file.

Shawn raised his eyebrows and craned his neck slightly to try and get a look at the case. Gus rolled his eyes and grabbed Shawn's arm, dragging him out of the office and away from the knife. "Come on, we haven't eaten since breakfast. Let's go spend some of that at the jerk chicken place."

Shawn pointed at him, "Good plan, love it." He pointed towards Juliet's desk, "girlfriend first."

Gus raised his hands in annoyance as he hissed, "You're already together, you don't need to flirt with her every time we're here!"

Shawn ignored him and walked away to lean over Juliet's desk with a bright smile. She rolled her eyes and asked him a pointed question, moving her hand in a strangely provocative movement that Gus realized was supposed to be her stabbing something with a wooden stake. Shawn snorted and she quickly dropped her hand with a blush.

Gus rolled his eyes and looked away, his attention catching on the other detective and his blonde lady. Marlowe sat next to Lassiter's desk, giving her statement, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. Lassiter moved one of his hands from the computer keyboard to cover hers before giving her a searching look and asking a quiet question. Gus snorted at the visual of a Clint Eastwood film rising from the gunpowder smell. She answered meekly and Lassiter grinned, making him look five years younger. Both thoughts flared pink.

"Apparently Adrian talked her into helping him get blood directly from other people when they couldn't find the black market… Lassie was her first mark." Gus jumped, he hadn't noticed Shawn coming up behind him. "She's a terrible con artist if she fell in love with the first guy she tried to dupe. I think they're a good match."

"She's not going to jail?" Gus asked.

"The worst she did was make a few shady phone calls and keep some information from the police. Not great, but she's agreed to cooperate, so she'll probably just get a slap on the wrist. Good thing we figured stuff out when we did. If she'd actually robbed the blood bank Lassie would've had to cuff her."

"Have you heard about her brother?"

Shawn answered, "Adrian confessed to everything once he was told there was leftover blood in the needles we found at his place, the DNA should match the body they found this morning. The good news is, he'll be able to get the treatment he needs now that he's in the system."

"Good." Gus turned to give Shawn a look, "Can we get food now or do I gotta wait for you guys to make out in the filing room?"

"Gus… we are much more discreet than that. Clearly make out sessions are for the interrogation rooms."

"Oh boy." Gus sighed out.

Shawn grinned, "From Blacula to Bacula…" He squinted his eyes, "Wait, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Gus smirked and thumbed his nose, "I've been waiting for an opening all day."

"Nice." Shawn said appreciatively. He nodded towards the door, "Jules says she's gonna be here for a while, jerk chicken then drop me off at my bike?"

"Works for me. Let's go."

Shawn and Gus sat in a corner booth at one of their favorite restaurants, each with a large plate of chicken in front of them and a wall behind their backs. Gus made quick work of his food, he hadn't even been able to finish his cereal that morning. He finally looked up when he noticed the silence. He saw that Shawn had mostly just been moving his food around on his plate, spending most of his time studying the restaurant and the other customers.

Gus put down his last piece of chicken, watching his quiet friend. "Ok, what's wrong?"

"Who says anything's wrong?" Shawn shot back as he quickly stuffed his mouth with food.

Gus decided it was better to point out the facts instead of just saying he could feel the cloud of emotions coming off of the nearly-constant cresting waves. "You've hardly cracked a joke since we got here, you've barely eaten, you haven't told me to stop inhaling my food…" A person walked into the restaurant and the waves crested louder, "and you keep inspecting every single person coming in here like they're a bad guy."

Shawn wrinkled his nose and suddenly looked like he regretted his last bite of food as he tried to swallow it down. "It's dumb…"

Gus shrugged, "We dressed up like vampires today. Unironically. We do dumb all the time. Tell me."

"The case is done, we did awesome, Lassie got the girl, the bad guy wasn't really all that bad, we didn't even get a gun pointed at us. But…"

Gus nodded, "But you still expect someone to jump us anytime now."

"You too, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Shawn made a face, "All of the other bad guys we've dealt with, we were able to get back to normal right away. I was able to get back to normal. Why's this asshat different?"

Gus opened his mouth before closing it again, realizing he was about to answer the wrong part of the question. He thought and tried again, "Were you actually able to get back to normal?" At Shawn's questioning look he elaborated, "You get defensive anytime anyone even so much as looks at your mom since Yang, you got insanely reckless after the first time with Yin, you don't investigate on your own nearly as much since Longmore…" Gus shrugged, "Maybe we're not supposed to get back to our old normal after something like this."

Shawn put down his fork and pushed the food away, whining slightly, "I don't want this to be our new normal…"

Gus snorted, "Yeah, I know. Maybe it'll get easier though, it was our first real case after all. We know what we feel and why, I guess we just gotta acknowledge it and move on." He smirked, "Avoidance isn't the right play."

Shawn rolled his eyes, "You sound like my mom."

"Eh, I've been doing some research…" Gus snorted at Shawn's surprised look, "It's not like I can go to therapy or anything." He smoothed his voice out and pretended to be talking to someone on the other side of the table, "Yes, that's right. I see and hear things no one else does. Hmm, what's this? A questionnaire to screen for severe mental illness? Thank you, do I get the straight jacket now, or later?"

Shawn gave him a humorless smirk, "Yeah, fair enough."

Gus knew better than to ask if Shawn would get professional help, his friend had made his views on it quite clear over the years. It was awesome for anyone who did it, but he was never going to be comfortable opening up to a complete stranger. The restaurant door opened again and they both turned to check out the newcomer. Shawn shook his head, "I'm done, let's go."

They left the restaurant and climbed into the Blueberry. Gus drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and looked over at Shawn, "Smoothies and movie night?"

Shawn grinned, looking more like himself now they were back on familiar ground, "Sounds good to me. You've got Blacula, right?"

"Of course I have Blacula, it's iconic! Come on son."

"You come on son."

"No, you come on son."

At least some things were still the same.

Gus sat in his apartment finishing up a late-night dinner as he contemplated the last busy two weeks. Chief Vick had apparently meant it when she'd told them it was good to have them back, she'd quickly given them several small cases that they'd been able to solve without even leaving the station. Then they had been caught up in a case with a real-life vigilante.

Gus sighed. He almost wished he hadn't been psychic for that one, it would have been so much cooler if he hadn't known the reporter was their guy right from the beginning.

A knock at his door caught his attention and he quickly jumped out of his chair, focusing on the person in the hallway. He relaxed as he felt his skin tingle and saw bubbles in his peripheral vision. He walked over and opened the door, his jaw immediately dropping as he took in Juliet's outfit.

Juliet grinned and spun around, showing off her near-perfect old-school Star Trek uniform. "I just got it in, Shawn told me I had to show you."

Gus raised his eyebrows, "It looks good, but… he didn't say anything about you picking red?"

"Uhura wore red!" Juliet exclaimed, sounding like she'd already had to argue her point once already.

"And a lot of people who died wore red too." Gus smirked and stepped aside to let her in. "You look fantastic, you going to the convention this year?"

Juliet grinned and walked through the door with her head held high, the pop rock fizzles flaring with pride. "Even better, I'm being paid to go to the convention this year!"

"What! How did you manage that!?" Gus thought for a moment, "Can we come with?"

"And risk Shawn pulling out Psych-man again? No." Juliet elongated the last word like Shawn often did. "Ever since the whole people-nearly-being-blown-up-by-a-writer thing, the convention has requested a few plain-clothed officers to mingle and keep an eye out for trouble. I… happened to pull a few strings to get my name on the list." She grinned, "And plain-clothed for a convention…"

"Means a dope costume on the department's dime. Nice!" Gus grinned at her contagious excitement, the smile quickly morphing into a smirk when he realized he could see lists already lined up in several of the bubbles. "It's two weeks away and you already have your cover figured out, don't you?"

Juliet's eyes sparkled as she dropped her shoulders slightly and raised her eyebrows. She spoke with a slight Minnesotan accent as she tucked her hair self-consciously behind her ear, "My name is Penelope Rush, I have two big bros and I always wanted to be like them. They're the reason I got into star trek, dontcha know. Uhura is my spirit guide and I want to be as bold and as confident as her, she's the reason I studied engineering. But you know how the job market is, I'm having to make ends meet by working at Radio Shack."

Gus blinked in surprise, "We still have a Radio Shack?"

Juliet dropped her act, "Yeah, the one on State street, remember? We just had a call out there a few months ago, someone held it up for all of their mp3 players…"

"...Why?!"

"I have no idea…" Juliet shook her head at the questionable intelligence of some of their criminals before checking her watch, "I just dropped by because I knew you'd appreciate the costume. I need to get home, it's late."

"You know I've gotta ask… You get the earpiece?"

She grinned, "Of course I did, it should be here this weekend."

"Nice!" Gus walked her to the door, "Goodnight Juliet."

"Night Gus!" She walked confidently down the hall in her geeky mini skirt and Gus had to admit, she really pulled it off.

He smiled and locked his door as he tracked the happy bubbles until they were out of range. The smile was quickly replaced by a frown as he realized Shawn had just arranged for him and Juliet to be busy at the same time.

Gus immediately reached into his pocket for his phone and sent off a quick text: "Still not dead?"

It only took Shawn a second to answer back: "Still not dead."

Gus breathed out a sigh of relief and put his phone away, glad that his friend hadn't gotten into too much trouble on his own. He cleaned up his food and walked to the bedroom, feeling hopeful about his chances at going four nights in a row without a nightmare.

He was falling. Buildings rushing by him, wind whipping through his hair, stomach clenching in fear. He flailed frantically, trying to find anything he could grab to slow his fall; his heart pounded as his hands found nothing and the ground rose up to meet him. He was going to die, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

He squeezed his eyes closed as panic clawed in his chest, not wanting to know when he was going to hit the pavement. He'd seen the bodies of people who had died like this. It wasn't going to be pretty.

He felt heat on his skin and opened his eyes again in surprise, the ground nowhere in sight as he continued to fall into the void. Rings of fire rushed by him, each one smaller than the last until he could feel the flames burning his flesh as he fell through. One ring tightened suddenly, squeezing around his neck and pulling him to a fast halt as his knees hit cement.

He wheezed for breath as he tried to see through the darkness, his arms pulled and cuffed behind him. He tried to stand and found his ankles cuffed as well, a short chain running between the two sets of restraints, forcing him to stay kneeling on the ground. He shivered as the cold seeped into his bones and he tried to shuffle around, feeling for anything to help him get out of the cuffs.

A clinking sound was his only warning before metal pulled tight around his throat, stopping all movement. His breathing picked up in a panic as he realized he was attached to the wall behind him by a chain leash that was wrapped around his neck.

A voice spoke up with a Russian accent, "I hate to use such a crude method, but we are on a clock. It's nothing personal, just business."

Lightning crackled through the metal chain and pain arced through Gus' body, sparks burning his neck as his body locked up. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think; forced to just endure the pain rushing through him. The electricity stopped and he found his body leaning to the side, held up by the chain currently cutting off his air. His muscles shook as he tried to sit up, gasping for breath.

"Again."

Gus didn't have time to brace himself as pain ran through his body again, his yell dying in his chest, unable to be vocalized as he seized up. His lungs were burning by the time the electricity stopped, his full weight sagging against the chain. It took several tries before he could control his muscles enough to force himself back to his knees, wheezing around the metal now burning his skin. He could feel someone walk up next to him.

"Now… tell me." The Russian voice morphed into an American one with a manic edge, "How does it feel?"

The metal chain erupted into flames. It consumed his body as GUs was finally able to scream.

Gus woke up, thrashing and fighting his blankets, trying to get free from his restraints. He kicked frantically and rolled to smother the flames he could feel on his body as the bed shifted under him. Suddenly he was falling again, his hands and knees hitting the carpeted floor.

He stayed on all fours, unable to move as he gasped for breath, fire and lightning mixing across his skin. Tremors ran through his body, as though from electric aftershocks, and his neck and wrists prickled uncomfortably.

Bloody wrists, a scalpel running along the back of his neck.

Gus flinched and felt a whine grow in his throat. He dug his fingers into the carpet, trying to remind himself where he was. His whole body shook.

The chair vibrated around him and he realized he was the one shaking. A scientist made a note in his book on the application of electricity in future experiments.

*buzz*

Gus jumped at the small sound, the vibrating of his phone bringing him back to his bedroom instead of the basement. There was only one person he knew who would be texting this early. The thought gave him the courage he needed to move his hand and grab his phone from the side table in front of him, the movement unplugging it from the wall and the speakers. Silence surrounded Gus on all sides as he pressed the call button, not even bothering to read the message.

"Hey buddy…" Shawn's voice was tired and wry, "happy three month psychic-versary."

The words barely made sense, but Gus clung to them like a lifeline as he pressed the phone to his ear and tried to quieten his gasps for air.

Shawn apparently noticed the frantic noises, "Crap. Gus, hey, it's ok. Can you talk to me?"

Gus moved his mouth wordlessly, trying to override his instinct telling him he had to be quiet. "Sh-Shawn. I- I can't…" He flinched and the words died in his throat as he squeezed his eyes shut, certain he'd just seen a syringe on his side table.

"Yeah, you can. Just keep breathing. Remember, we got out, we're safe, right? Can you say it for me?"

Gus shook his head, hearing a giggling man breathe into his ear. He had to stay quiet, or Shawn would pay.

"Ok, I'm coming over. Gus, I'll be over in a few minutes, but I gotta hang up. Hang in there, ok?"

The phone went dead and Gus whimpered, trying to fight back thoughts of manic grins, glass syringes, static, blood dripping on the floor. Electricity through his body, fire in his veins. A door opened and closed, "Hey Gus, I'm here, I'm coming in."

Gus relaxed slightly at the voice, Shawn could talk again. Quiet Shawn was bad.

A closer door opened and Gus could feel someone come up next to him. He kept his eyes closed, shying away even as he recognized the clicking thoughts.

"Easy, it's just me. It was just a dream. A doozy of a dream it looks like, but it wasn't real. We got out, remember? He's gone, we're safe. You just gotta click your heels three times and you'll be back to home sweet apartment."

Gus let his friend's voice wash over him and it became easier to breathe.

"Ok, look, I know the rule is usually no touching during one of these, but you know me and rules. I'm gonna do our thing, ok? Don't freak out, it's just me…"

Gus felt a hand rest on the back of his neck and he couldn't help but flinch before leaning into the touch. Shawn's thoughts suddenly grew louder, shielding Gus and surrounding him with feelings of trust and safety.

The memories of fear and pain were pushed back and Gus braved opening his eyes. Carpet, not cement. Bed, not chairs. Side table, not kitchen counter. Shawn, safe.

"Well hey there sleepy head, you back with me?"

Gus breathed in, smelling sugar cookies instead of blood. He felt the warm hand on his neck instead of a knife. He heard the soft words of his friend instead of pained grunts. The basement finally faded back into his memories. He answered Shawn shakily, "Y-yeah. Back."

"Ok, good. Cause I gave you the best fact ever and I'm not moving until you give me one back." Shawn slowly shifted so he was sitting instead of kneeling, his hand never breaking contact with Gus' neck.

Gus sighed, hesitating slightly before moving so he was sitting up instead of on all fours. He spoke in a low voice as another tremor ran through him, "Fun fact, nightmares suck."

Shawn nodded in agreement, "Sure, but that's just a fact, it's not fun. You gotta try harder than that or I'll think you're just phoning it in… You know, that phrase doesn't make nearly as much sense now that smartphones are a thing."

"It really doesn't." Gus agreed, the conversation helping to anchor him to the real world and chase away the last of the memories. He took another deep breath, feeling more in control. "Ok, fun fact, the term Bluetooth is from a mistranslated Norwegian king's name. The logo is a couple of runes that spell his initials."

"What is it with you and facts about old people?"

"History is important." Gus reached over to his phone, making sure to not break contact with Shawn's hand, and checked his messages. "A polar bear's skin is actually black. Really? That's like the first thing anyone learns when they walk into a zoo…"

"Here I thought the first thing anyone learns when they walk into a zoo is that animals are smelly…" Shawn smirked and pointed behind them, "If we go out there and start knocking on doors to ask people which they care about more, polar bears or Bluetooth… Wait."

Gus huffed in amusement, "I win."

"And I thought it wasn't a competition. We're both learning things."

"I already knew your fact, so I still win."

"By that logic, I'm the one that won, since I'm the only one that learned something." Shawn pointed out with a grin.

"...Suck it."

"You suck it. Think we can move to the couch? My butt's getting numb."

Gus nodded and pulled away from Shawn's hand as he stood up. They both walked out of the bedroom as Shawn asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

Gus snorted as he sat on the couch, "You hate talking about these things."

Shawn sat next to him, "Sure, but it's like you said, we can talk about it with anyone else."

Gus had a sudden realization and looked at the clock on the wall, noticing just how early in the morning it was. "You had a nightmare too."

"Apparently three months since being kidnapped is a big anniversary for the ol' subconscious…" Shawn made a face before looking over at Gus, "but it wasn't that bad. You haven't woken up like that for a while."

"This one was different…" Gus rubbed the back of his neck, trying to chase away the feeling of electric burns, "It was like living someone else's memory with bits of my nightmares thrown in."

Shawn frowned, "Has that happened before? I know you can ride along for memories, but that's not a dream thing…"

Gus sighed, he had really hoped to keep this part of being psychic to himself. "It's happened a few times. When I fall asleep near someone…"

Gus could hear waves cresting at the new information. Shawn's face cleared in realization, "When you fell asleep in the car. The hanging dream."

Gus nodded, "That was the first time… before the noose I was being strangled in a gas station while Lassie and Henry argued outside." He looked over apologetically as Shawn's thoughts jolted. Gus continued quickly, "It's not just you. I saw stuff from Lassie's past too, when he was staking out my place."

Shawn swallowed and pushed on, "That's why you couldn't sleep at the hospital. I thought it was just too loud."

"That was part of it, but yeah. Not-fun fact, Buzz's worst fear is losing his wife."

"You don't have to be a psychic to know that…" Shawn sighed, his eyebrows furrowed as he thought things through, "You didn't have a date or anything, right? Jules didn't mention anyone being here…"

"Nah, I was alone. Juliet showed me her costume, she left, I went to sleep."

You don't think…"

Gus thought hard, "Maybe. It did start off with me falling… but she's never been electrocuted before, has she?"

Shawn winced, he knew how vividly Gus felt things in his dreams, "I don't think so. But I've never been hung before either…"

"Great." Gus grabbed the tv remote and forced himself to just press the power button instead of chucking it across the room, "My brain sees a falling nightmare and decides, 'you know what this reminds me of? Being chained up with a fucking shock collar.'"

"... Sorry man." Shawn leaned over slightly to bump their shoulders as Gus started flipping channels.

"Yeah. Thanks for coming over."

"What are friends for?"

The sun rose as the two friends argued on the couch.

"They are not the same thing! Different ratios, different recipes, different taste!"

"Dude, It's a hard shell, chocolate coating and peanut butter insides. No one would ever be able to tell the difference if it wasn't for the little 'm' or the colors."

"Reeces pieces are clearly the superior product." Gus started ticking his reasoning off on his fingers. "It's been around for longer, it's sweeter, the shell isn't as hard and the peanut butter m&ms are obviously the knock offs."

"I can't even with you. If you put a blindfold on and I put both of them in bowls in front of you, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

"I wouldn't trust you, you'd just fill both bowls with the m&m's."

Shawn threw his hands into the air. "Gus! It's a hyperbole-me, not real-me!"

"... Really? You'll say 'hyperbole' but not 'hypothetical'?"

"I've heard it both ways."

"You have not!"

"Don't you ever get tired of saying that?" Shawn asked curiously.

Gus smirked, "Of telling you you're wrong? No."

Shawn clicked his tongue as his lips twitched with a hidden grin. He glanced up at the clock, "Food carts should be opening soon, what's for breakfast?"

"I want waffles." Gus declared.

Shawn stopped trying to hide his grin as he replied with a Scottish accent, "That'll do donkey, that'll do."

Gus rolled his eyes before he saw Shawn stand up, already heading for the door. "Wait, Shawn! I am not going out in my pajamas!"

"Why not? Firetrucks are always in fashion."

Gus groaned and stalked back into his bedroom. He came out a few minutes later, properly dressed, and saw Shawn talking on his phone.

"Yeah, I know where that is. We can be there in ten minutes. Actually, make that twenty, Whistling Willy's Walking Waffles is on the way. Try saying that three times fast…" Shawn listened to the reply and raised an eyebrow, "So? There's always a dead body. You're telling me you've never made a Starbucks run on the way to a crime scene?"

Gus sighed and grabbed his things as he tried to ignore the new pink thoughts bouncing around. It was amazing Shawn could ever get anything done when Juliet was around.

"Yep, see you there." Shawn hung up and grinned in excitement. "Guess what! There's been a…" He raised his eyebrows and deepened his voice dramatically, "muuuuuuurdeeeeeer."

Gus blinked and asked in a deadpan voice, "...What was that?"

"It was cool, is what it was. It could be our new thing!" Shawn started walking out the door.

"No." Gus snapped out, rushing to follow him and lock the door, "There is no way that becomes a thing. Do you have any idea how many times we say 'murder' in a week?!"

"Five times?" Shawn guessed. "Are we counting every week, or just the weeks with a muuuu-"

Gus cut him off, "I mean it, no. Besides, it's probably already someone else's thing!"

"... Who could possibly already have that as a thing?"

"I don't know!" Gus thought quickly as they went down the stairs, trying to figure out a way to talk Shawn out of his idea, "Maybe a podcaster, they always have weird bits. A Mentalist rewatch podcast! That show deals with murders just as often as we do!"

Shawn stopped and gasped at him, "Gus! We agreed! We do not mention that show unless it's to make fun of it!"

"You just don't like that it's more popular than you."

"They stole my life! That should be me on the TV!"

Gus grinned as an evil thought occurred to him, "Every time you try that murder thing, I'll quote that show. In the car. Where you can't get away."

Shawn narrowed his eyes, "Fine. Truce."

"Truce." Gus agreed, holding his hand out.

Shawn studied it for a moment before reaching out and shaking on it. "Ok, let's go check out a dead person who was…" He held up a finger and said plainly, "murdered."

"... But we're getting waffles first, right?"

Shawn opened the door to the outside, "Gus, don't be a limp limpet, of course we're getting waffles first."

Gus smiled at the thought of breakfast as they walked together to the car.

It might have started rough, but the day was starting to look up.

"Uh, Gus?" Shawn stared down at the corpse.

"Yeah, Shawn." Gus answered faintly as his heart began to race.

"Tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing."

"I can't…. I'm seeing it too." Gus managed to squeak out.

"Well. Shit."

Gus nodded in agreement as they looked at the body of a woman who had been shot in the head. He barely noticed the obvious cause of death, too busy taking in the faint restraint marks on her wrists and ankles and a large bruise on her neck, surrounded by electrical burns.