April, Come She Will
By: Aubrie1234
After Alex had finished crying, the three of them continued to sit on the bench, both men focused on Alex, even though they were itching to know what was in the case. Alex had his hands clasped, head down, not wanting to look either in the eye.
"Feel better?" asked Shawn.
"Yeah." Alex nodded, "Things just caught up with me when I saw them."
"Who were they?" asked Gus, "I've never seen them around."
"Tulip Jones and John Crawley. They're from England."
"Obvious because of the accent, but how do you know them?" Shawn gave a small gesture to make his point.
"You wouldn't believe me." Alex muttered.
"Try us." Shawn said.
"We've been shot at, nearly drowned, had a face-off with several psychos more than once, solved more murders than we can count, including the murder of a sea lion-"
"Which I still don't understand how you got me involved-"
"-and we've faced off with ghosts." Gus finished, "I think we might believe this." Alex glanced at him, then shrugged.
"Whatever floats your boat, but okay." He swung his legs, "They're nice people, really, but-"
"Spencer!" Before Alex could finish, Lassiter was calling their names, "Guster! Rider!"
"Wonder what he wants." Gus murmured.
"Probably something got him in a twist at the crime scene and he wants us to check it out."
"But why me?" asked Alex, a dark feeling settling in his stomach. Shawn shrugged.
"Dunno." He got up and held out his hand, "But c'mon, I'll make sure mean ol' Lassie won't hurt you!" Seeing Shawn's reassuring smile made Alex feel slightly better, and so he tried to make the fake psychic happy by smiling back. He took Shawn's hand and the three of them found Lassiter and Juliet in the Chief's office, waiting for them.
"Hello, Alex." said Chief Vick, "It's nice to meet you, but I'm afraid it won't be for long."
"Why?"
"We have reason to believe that you may have done something that made the house explode." said Lassiter, and he seemed to bite out the answer instead of just stating it, like usual.
"What?!" Shawn couldn't believe this, "You saw how he looked after what happened! There's no way-!"
"Shawn." Juliet said, stopping his tirade before it could escalate, "I hate this as much as you do, but he's our only witness and the last one to have left the house. We have to look at all angles."
"For now, you'll be tried as a minor unless we get more evidence in." added Lassiter. He reached behind him for a moment and Alex shook his head.
"No need for cuffs. I'll come quietly." He gave a sigh, "Knew this would happen..." The remark made the adults a little confused, but Lassiter lowered his hand. He trusted Alex wouldn't do anything. It wasn't like he had anywhere to run to, anyway. He couldn't even drive yet, either.
"Um, Shawn?" Gus had decided to take a peek in the suitcase while the group were talking about Alex's new circumstances.
"Not now, Gus." Shawn was about to set off on a speech that he knew would make them change their minds about Alex which Gus interrupted him.
"Shawn, you need to see this." He pulled a folder out of the case and handed it to his best friend. There was a note attached to the front and Shawn read it over, whispering it to himself as he did so, and it surprised him.
"Chief, I think this can clear Alex of any charges." He handed the folder over to Vick. The note on the front said:
To whom it may concern,
This folder contains documentation that Alex Rider has done no wrongdoing in the past 24 hours.
If in disbelief, cross-check these references with the CIA.
Signed, Mrs. Jones
"Spencer, where did this come from?" Vick wanted to look through it but didn't dare to, glaring at Shawn instead. The man glanced at Alex for a moment, seeing the boy meet his eye and nod, and so he began to answer.
"It was inside this suitcase that two people gave us. Alex knew them." The officers all raised their eyebrows in disbelief.
"O'Hara, please ask around the station for these two strangers and see if you can catch them." ordered Vick, "What were their names?"
"Mrs. Jones and Mr. Crawley." said Alex, crossing his arms as he landed in a chair, a small smile on his face, "But you're not gonna find 'em too easily."
"And how do you know that?" asked Lassiter, "Don't forget that you're still under charges until we've seen the folder."
"If they don't wanna be found they won't be found." Alex answered, "It's that simple."
"Lassiter, take this to one of the conference rooms." Vick handed him the folder, not wanting him to start a fight with a child, of all people, "I want you to start looking over the contents as soon as you get in that room. I'll meet you there shortly." The head detective nodded, glared at Alex, and left the room. After retrieving the folder, Shawn and Gus were looking through the rest of the contents of the suitcase to see what else was hidden inside it, whispering to themselves. Vick left them alone, eyeing Alex.
"Anything else you wanna tell me about these visitors?" she asked.
"Well, they're not your perpetrators, certainly." Alex glanced away, "At least, I don't think so. They couldn't do this to me, would they?" His voice had gotten quieter for the second sentence and Vick almost didn't catch it.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." Alex muttered, voice a little bitter, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"I think I would, Alex." She glanced at Shawn and Gus, "It's because of those two I've seen my share of weird things. I don't think you'll shock me." Alex met her eyes, where she saw a haunting darkness in them, very much a surprise for a boy his age. He was only, what, 15? It wasn't right.
"Alex, please-"
"Crap!" squeaked Gus.
"This cannot be happening." Shawn was as pale as a ghost.
"What's going on, gentlemen?" Vick didn't want this to turn into something stupid and silly, so she was nipping it in the bud. Both men jumped and hid what they were looking at behind their backs. Now she knew it was something suspicious and probably dangerous in their hands.
"Nothing!" They chorused.
"Spencer and Guster, show me what's behind your back before I have to make you do it, and in front of Alex, no less." They shared a glance.
"W-well, Chief, y'see..." Shawn was nervous, very much unlike himself, and in turn, it made Vick very nervous. She hated this.
"Spit it out."
"Shawn and Juliet adopted Alex!" said Gus, who then bolted out of the room so as not to face the Chief's wrath. She blinked, then blinked again.
"...Please tell me he's lying." Alex spoke quietly.
"I wish he was." Shawn pulled the papers out from behind his back, "See for yourself." As Shawn handed the forms to Vick, Alex glanced over them, an angry look growing across his face. Suddenly, he leapt out of the chair and ran out of the room. Both adults were surprised, but not for long, as Shawn ran after him, yelling, "Alex!" Vick looked down at the forms and flipped through them, trying to analyze them. The forms were completely filled out and the signatures were there, but it couldn't be possible. Shawn certainly didn't believe this, so he had no idea about it. And they looked like they'd been filled out that day, even! It made no sense. Vick rubbed her temples. Another mystery about the British boy that made the investigation into a murdered sea lion seem like the most normal thing the department had ever done.
"Alex!" Shawn ran after Alex, both exiting the station and running down the street. He was surprised at how fast Alex was going, even though it was obvious Alex was in way more shape than he was. The kid was like some sort of nimble cheetah, running around obstacles with ease and not slowing down. Shawn was barely able to keep him in sight, let alone catch up. He wished Gus was here so that they could tag-team the kid, but no luck. He was alone on this and the odds were not in his favor. Yet, to his shock, Alex eventually slowed to a walk and allowed Shawn to catch up. The thirty-something man was panting by the time he caught up and Alex gave him a smirk.
"Oh...shut up." Shawn panted, "What was...that about?" Alex's smile dropped and he turned away.
"Jones knew it was gonna happen." Alex kicked a small rock off the sidewalk, "She prepared all of this long before she got to the station to make sure I'd be safe. I don't wanna be adopted again! I didn't want it the first time, but it was 'for my own good,' she said!" Alex was snarling now, "Why can't she just keep out of my damn business and leave me alone?!"
"Easy, easy!" Shawn tried to calm Alex down, "Is she, like, some sort of childcare agent for you?" You never told us who she and Crawley really were.
"I wish." Alex snorted, "That'd make things so much easier."
"Then who is she? A banker?"
"Wanker, more like it." Alex murmured, his British side showing. Shawn smiled a little.
"I've heard it both ways." His smile dropped, "But seriously, Alex, please tell me." The boy opened his mouth to speak, but his voice seemed to have died in his throat as he spotted something over Shawn's shoulder. The man looked back and saw Lassie's car pull up. Juliet was driving it. He wondered how she managed to con the keys off her partner and knew she'd taken his car instead of a regular cop car, so as not to spook Alex, but even at that, the kid looked ready to bolt again.
"Shawn!" she called, stepping out of the car, "I heard what happened."
"Jules-" Alex began running again, "Damn it, Alex!"
"Guys!" Juliet was forced to run after the two as Shawn chased Alex once again. As she ran, she had to duck between people to keep up, glad she wasn't wearing heels today. However, out of the blue, a gunshot rang out and someone right behind her fell to the ground.
"GET DOWN!" she yelled, going for cover behind a garbage can. She grabbed her walkie-talkie and began speaking into it as she looked around for the shooter, "Someone, come in! This is Detective O'Hara, over!"
"Officer McNab here. What's your situation?"
"10-71, a shooting at the corner of Garden and East Carrillo!" Juliet looked around for the downed person, "One person down-" Another shot rang out and there was a scream, "Make that two. Send backup!"
"Understood." Juliet put the talkie back on her belt and looked around for the second victim, her stomach dropping when she saw that it had been Shawn. His arm was bleeding from a bullet wound, but he was now under cover, thanks to Alex, who himself had adopted a similar defensive position to Juliet. He was crouched, careful to keep himself and Shawn out of sight, his stance showing that he was ready to bolt at any moment. His eyes were angled upward, causing Juliet to follow his gaze and find the shooter. She couldn't get a good look at them, too far for her to shoot, but she knew they were holding a rifle. They seemed to be trying to aim at Alex and Shawn again. There was another shot and the two ducked, Alex dragging Shawn down with him to protect the older man. There were a couple more shots before Juliet tried firing back, and that seemed to scare the shooter off, for they quickly disappeared from the top of the building. Juliet, for all she wanted to check on the boys, had to do her job and ran to the building to cut off the shooter. There was only way up, the stairs inside, and she was cautious as she went up, gun drawn. She shouldn't go alone, but she had no choice if she wanted to stop the shooter. However, there was no sign of them as she went up. Even on the roof she couldn't find hide nor hair of the person. Seeing officers arrive, she went back to ground-level to give her statement and check on the boys.
"There you are!" Lassiter saw her first and went over, examining her quickly, "You're not hurt?"
"'Course not." Juliet assured, "What about civilians?"
"One dead, one injured." Lassiter summed up. Juliet knew that Shawn wasn't dead, so it must've been the person behind her that had been killed. She swallowed nervously.
"That could've been me..." she muttered. Lassiter raised an eyebrow but didn't press on it.
"It's over now. Did you get a look at the shooter?" Juliet shook her head.
"They were on top of the building." She pointed, "As soon as they left the top, I went after them, but I didn't see any sign on the way up. It was like they disappeared into thin air."
"Crap." Lassiter massaged his temples, "First Rider and now this." He observed Juliet, watched how she twitched nervously and continued to look over at Alex and Shawn as the ambulance could be heard in the distance. He nodded, "You can take the rest of the day off for them."
"What? I'm fine-"
"No, you wanna go over to Rider and Spencer and make sure they're okay." Lassiter nodded his head at the two, "Go ahead and see them. I can handle this part of the investigation."
"Lassiter..." She smiled, "Thank you." And she scampered over to Alex and Shawn. Lassiter allowed himself a smile before going back to his stone face and turning to the officers, "Someone get the investigative team inside that building!"
"Damn it, I hate getting shot." Shawn hissed to Juliet while in the hospital, waiting to get discharged. Gus had offered to keep an eye on Alex while the two went to the hospital, but luckily, the wound wasn't terrible. Juliet had suspected that Alex had something to do with the shooting and so had asked Vick if the boy could have a small guard of officers until she was able to keep an eye on Alex. Vick had allowed it, understanding what she was getting at, and so Alex was no only being watched over by Gus, but also two other officers. Juliet hoped he was treating them well.
"Which is why you should stay out of the line of fire." She suggested, patting his unhurt arm, "Be glad it's not worse."
"True." agreed Shawn, "But you saw the forms?"
"Yeah." Juliet frowned, "It was our signatures, but how-?" Shawn shook his head.
"Jones and Crawley." he said, "Somehow, they've been involved with this every step of the way, deciding everything for Alex and giving him no say."
"What disturbs me the most is how they could forge our signatures and how they managed to have us adopt him the same day the Pleasures are killed. I don't like this."
"I also don't have a preference for pointy things, but what can I do?" Juliet smiled but gave him a little jab in the side.
"Knock it off, Shawn." Her smile dropped and she looked away, "We just got married, though. How can we even take care of him?"
"We just have to do our best." He swung his legs, "Have you guys tried looking up stuff about Jones and Crawley?"
"Yeah, but we couldn't get anywhere. We also managed to cross-check the folder on Alex and found that he was guilt-free of exploding the house."
"Why did you guys think he was responsible, anyway?"
"There was an increase of pressure for gas power in the house just before the explosion, so we think that someone did it on purpose. Or we could be wrong." She shrugged. Shawn glanced down and caught sight of the ring on her finger, causing him to smile.
"Thanks again for marrying me." He kissed her cheek. Juliet blushed.
"Like I said, I'd marry the crap out of you, Shawn."
"Mr. and Mrs. Spencer?" They looked up. Hopefully it was time for Shawn to be discharged.
Gus peeked his head into the living room, catching sight of Alex watching the television. The blond had been quiet ever since being passed into his hands and sat on the couch all afternoon, watching crime shows. Gus didn't know what to do about the kid except feel sorry for him. He got the feeling Alex hated being pitied, though, and so tried not to show it. As it was, Gus felt a little safe, knowing that there were officers keeping an eye on Shawn and Juliet's apartment.
"Need anything?" Alex shook his head, silent. Gus watching him for another moment, then went over and sat with him, "You okay?"
"What do you think?"
"Well, if I'd been forced into being adopted hours after my parents died, I'd have a crappy day, too." Alex gave a snort. Gus smiled, glad to have made the boy laugh, if just a little.
"That's not everything, though." Alex stated gloomily, "The shooting today also makes me feel horrible."
"It wasn't your-"
"Don't say it wasn't my fault." Alex sighed, "It was completely my fault. The shooter was after me, not Shawn, not Juliet, not the guy who got killed, just me." He hung his head, "Death never wants to leave me alone for a minute..." Gus was surprised by this. How was Alex so sure the shooter had been after him?
"Maybe you need some sleep, kid."
"Maybe. But I'm not getting any until Shawn and Juliet are home. I just wanna make sure Shawn is okay."
"I'm sure he is. He's my best friend." said Gus. Alex looked at him.
"How long have you two been friends?"
"Since we were kids, younger than you. Why?" Alex glanced down.
"I have a friend in England that I haven't seen since I moved. He and I kinda got into things like you and Shawn seem to, and it makes me miss him." Gus nodded.
"Do you still talk with him?" Alex shrugged.
"Sometimes, but it's not the same as seeing him in person."
"Maybe he could come over and visit you sometime."
"Maybe, when he's not dealing with his divorced parents." Gus winced. That sounded terrible.
"Well, why don't we watch something cool?" Gus flipped channels until he settled on The Bachelorette. Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"What? I like reality TV!" Alex rolled his eyes but didn't argue, watching the show with the darker man in silence.
So, I did continue this. I haven't finished Psych (even though I'm in the middle of the last season), so some things may not be right and I had to take them from the Psych Wiki. Juliet is Shawn's wife, but they didn't move to San Francisco. Shawn also never told anyone the truth about his 'psychic powers' (Juliet, Gus, and Henry are the only ones who know the truth) and Psych has been re-employed to help the SBPD on cases. Those are the only changes, I think.
Please read & review!