April, Come She Will

By: Aubrie1234

"We're home!" Juliet called, opening the door for Shawn and herself.

"We're heeeeeeere!" Shawn said in his best Heather O'Rourke voice. Juliet rolled her eyes. When there was no answer, they closed the door and looked around the house, searching for Gus and/or Alex, and it was Juliet who found them first. Spotting them in the living room, she smiled and quietly beckoned Shawn over, where they saw a sleeping Alex leaning on a very tired Gus, who himself looked ready to conk out. The couple left them alone and retired to their bedroom, trying not to disturb the two. Juliet helped Shawn dress for bed before examining his bandaged arm one more time, making sure everything was okay. She also had to slap his hand to keep him from scratching the bandage, even though she knew how much it itched him. As she dressed, Shawn respectfully turned his head away, despite having seen her naked before.

"Hmm..."

"Something wrong?" asked Shawn.

"You're being quiet. Quieter than usual, definitely." Juliet looked at him, "Something on your mind?"

"Actually..." Shawn glanced downward, as if trying to avoid her gaze, "If it wasn't for Alex, I'd be dead right now."

"What?"

"When the first shot rang out, both of us stopped. I was trying to search for the shooter when he pulled me down just in time. If he hadn't..." Shawn shrugged. He didn't want to say it aloud, "Juliet, I have no doubt that Alex is hiding something big. He was treating the situation just like you did, and that scares me. What the hell did this kid go through to know what to do in that kind of situation and survive?"

"Maybe he just had good instincts." Juliet said, but her words were weak. She couldn't even believe herself. Shawn shook his head.

"You know that's not right." Shawn glanced up at her, glad she at least had her underwear on by now, and stared with a sort of fear in his eyes, "All of this landed on us at once. First, Alex loses his family. Then we learn he knows these mysterious people who both got him out of trouble and forged documents that say we adopted him the same day he lost his family. Finally, we get caught up in a shooting that's left someone dead. It's like the kid is some sort of weirdness-magnet, and I can't help but say I'm afraid for his life, not to mention us. We don't know how to raise a kid, let alone a British teenager! What are we gonna do?" Juliet leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Whatever we can. Right now, he needs us, so we have to do what we can to help him." She smiled at him, "I know you can do this, Shawn. We both can." Her smile dropped, "Besides, we don't have much of a choice. Until we can prove that we didn't sign those forgeries, he's under our custody. We have to make the best of it."

"Then no way am I letting my Dad know that I've got an adopted son." Shawn flopped back on the bed and winced when it bothered his wounded arm, "I don't wanna subject Alex to that torture."

"I suppose." Juliet, now dressed, stretched, "I'm gonna go and help Gus put Alex to bed. You stay here and rest, get comfortable. Tomorrow's another big day." Shawn nodded and watched his wife leave the room. He knew he should be resting, but his brain kept thinking up things about Alex. The kid was British, he had ties with certain mysterious people (government?), he could possibly best Lassiter in a shootout (he had the same, always ready-yet-steady hands the detective had), and there was little info of his previous life. Even after several searches, the department had barely been able to come up with anything substantial. The kid was born in London, his parents died in a plane crash when he was a baby, he'd lived with his uncle for fourteen straight years, he'd lost his uncle and lived with his housekeeper who he'd known for seven years, then she died and he'd been adopted by the family of a friend, who had then died that day. He'd also gotten sick a lot during the past year-and-a-half, suspiciously so, but there was nothing to tell him why Alex had mysteriously been out of school otherwise. He was an avid soccer player ('football,' he'd called it, as many Britons do), great martial artist (Black belt by the age of twelve was quite the accomplishment), climber, sportsman (except for riding horses, he seemed to despise that), and so many other things. He was also charming, sort of like Shawn could be, in his own way.

In fact, Alex reminded the fake psychic of Despereaux a little. Or Despereaux before the thief revealed himself to actually be a spy working with Interpol (which could or could not be true, Shawn and Gus still weren't sure on that). And both reminded Shawn of James Bond, being British, charming, and certainly capable of elegantly navigating their way out of a fight (though Alex was less so). As he thought more about Despereaux's spy/thief skills, they continued to connect to Alex in the way that Juliet's and Lassiter's had. Alex was more than a boy who could get himself out of a gunfight with such a cool head that he'd make Lassiter seem about to blow a fuse (which wasn't hard, honestly), he was an enigma, and he was keeping Shawn up and away from resting. The man sighed, rubbing his temples and trying to distract himself from thinking about Alex when Juliet came back in, a frown on her face.

"I just got Alex situated on the couch and Gus left, but not before he mentioned something worrying."

"Yeah? What'd he say?"

"He talked with Alex, and the kid thinks he's at fault for the shooting?"

"What?" Shawn sat up using his hurt arm and immediately regretted it, "Ow, gotta stop doing that. Anyway, why would he say that?" Juliet shook her head.

"I don't know. Gus didn't try to ask him any more about it." Juliet tilted her head as she examined her husband, "And it looks like you've been thinking a bit about him, too."

"Well, he's just not the kind of kid you see everyday. Something's not right here, Jules. Remember what I told you about Despereaux?"

"The famous art thief?" Shawn nodded.

"Yeah, him. Alex reminds me a lot of him, or at least some kinda young James Bond."

"Like the series?"

"No, like the real Bond!" Shawn rubbed his temples, "I can't stop thinking and worrying about this. I know something's very wrong, but I just can't put my finger on it and it's driving me crazy!"

"Easy." Juliet soothed, sitting on the bed with him and placing her hands on his knees, "Maybe he'll tell us a little more about Jones and Crawley tomorrow and that can help us learn a bit more about him."

"But-"

"Shawn, please. You're not gonna heal if you don't get any rest!" He had to concede to that point. He kissed her.

"Juliet, I don't deserve you."

"I know, but I'm here anyway." She brought the covers over them both and turned off the lamp that had been keeping the room lit, "Goodnight, Shawn."

"Sweet dreams, Jules." He rolled over and tried to get to sleep, he really did, but thoughts of Alex were making that really hard. Dreams weren't making it any better.

Alex was with him, both crouched, wary of being shot at. Alex led him out of the building, where they had been trapped. As soon as they were safe, he was on his hands, panting, while Alex was checking for someone who might've followed them.

"Shawn?"

"Yeah?"

"Catch me." He didn't know what the kid meant at first until Alex suddenly fell forward And he moved forward to catch the blond. As soon as his arms closed around Alex, the boy disappeared in an explosion of blood.

He woke up in a cold sweat. He hated nightmares, especially when he couldn't remember them. Rolling over, he put an arm around Juliet and fell back asleep. Even if he was in pain, he didn't feel it, a sluggish mix of sleepiness and adrenaline numbing him to his wound.

Handle with care, stamped across his body, I'm lethal yet fragile. That's what Alex's body language conveyed when Shawn saw him awake the next morning. He was tense, yet still a teenager, strong and weak at the same time. It disturbed Shawn on so many levels, so he tried to lighten the mood while making breakfast. Usually Juliet was the first one awake, either making breakfast or going out for a run, but she was still asleep, and so Shawn was left to deal with this.

"So..." Shawn racked his brain for something to say, "How's your morning been?" Alex glared at him. Shawn winced, "I'll take that as a bad thing. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't blame you. Really, the only thing I like about getting up early is the breakfast."

"I'm also still not used to the new timezone." Alex muttered, rubbing his eyes.

He's from England, who are several hours ahead of us. No wonder he looks so crappy. Shawn thought.

"I thought you'd been living here for a few months." Alex nodded.

"Yeah, but it still takes a while to get used to the change. Especially when you've lived the past year in my place..." Alex quieted and said the last part in a whisper, but Shawn still caught it. He raised an eyebrow and wanted to ask about it but then decided against it. Alex probably wouldn't have answered him anyway.

"Here." He put some breakfast on a plate, "Bacon and Eggs, scrambled, not stirred." Alex snorted and Shawn smiled. The boy picked up a fork and began eating, which the man was glad for. He was afraid Alex wouldn't take a bite for two reasons. One, he wasn't exactly the best cook, that went to Juliet. Two, Alex didn't seem like he wanted to eat at all. Maybe he had to look a little closer than just the surface to figure out Alex.

"So, how do I say this..." Shawn sat opposite the blond and ran a hand nervously through his hair, "Y'know how that thing said that we adopted you? I mean, it seems we did, but Jules and I have never been parents before, we just got married a few months ago, so be nice on us, please?"

"It's okay." Alex said, "Besides, I know you two weren't the ones who wrote those documents, it was Jones. She wants to make sure that I'm safe, and if it means I spend the rest of my teenage years with a psychic and his detective wife, then so be it." He angrily munched on his bacon, frowning. Shawn contemplated his answer.

"So she's kinda like one of those childcare workers, but she's way more than that, am I right?"

"Who knows." Alex shrugged, "I don't know anymore. But you never can tell with people like her."

"But who is she? And I don't mean her name." Shawn tilted his head, frowning worriedly, "Since Juliet and I are now your parents, you know we're here to help you. I'm not saying you must, but you can always tell us anything, whether or not we're your parents. We-"

"You want me to be okay, I know. Like I said before, though, you wouldn't believe me."

"Then tell me, before we get another interruption!" Shawn tried not to raise his voice or sound angry, but he saw Alex's eyes flick up to him in surprise before turning to irritation.

"I get that, you don't have to harp on me for it, it's not my fault."

"Alex, I didn't-" Shawn put his head in his hands, "Oh, now I know how my dad felt with me."

"If you were anything like me as a kid, I feel sorry for your dad."

"Yeah, but if you grew up with him, you'd have acted the same way." Shawn rubbed his hands down his face tiredly. I was still the morning and already he felt tired. Where's Jules when I need her?

"Morning." Speak of the devil. Juliet was yawning and stretching as she entered the room. She took a quick look over the scene in front of her before grabbing her breakfast and saying, "I don't know what's going on but I don't wanna have any part in it."

"A little late for that." Alex quipped.

"Gonna go for a run after breakfast?" asked Shawn, trying to de-stress himself. The kid hadn't stressed him before but now things were different. Maybe it was because he wasn't a morning person. Maybe because he didn't wanna deal with shit today. Maybe because he didn't get a lot of sleep last night.

"Maybe." Juliet said, "It's a little later than usual for that." She sat down at the table with them and began eating, causing everything to quiet down for a few minutes. Then Alex spoke up again as a thought occurred to him.

"After you guys go to work, what about me?" Alex asked, getting their attention, "Are you gonna leave me at home or what?"

"I'm sure you can go with Shawn today." Juliet gave her husband a look, "Right, Shawn?"

"Sure, Jules." He nodded. He knew she couldn't take Alex and they weren't about to leave him at home alone, even though he was sure the blond could take care of himself. He just hoped he didn't snap at Alex or anything, "What'll you be doing today, anyway?" Juliet glanced at Alex, who looked away, knowing that she was about to speak of his situation.

"Looking more into the explosion at the rental house as well as the adoption documents, the shooting from yesterday, Jones and Crawley, and whatever else might cross my desk." Juliet didn't take her eyes off her new 'son,' "And Alex, I promise that we'll get to the bottom of what happened to your family, along with whoever pulled this terrible thing over on you."

"What terrible-?" Juliet jabbed Shawn in the side with her elbow and he got the point, "Oh. Oh right."

"Any way to get to your office, then?" Alex murmured, trying not to barge in but wanting to know how his day would go.

"I've got a motorcycle-" Juliet jabbed him again, "-which you won't be riding on, ever, so we'll ask Gus if he can pick us up. Which means I should probably call him now and make sure he hasn't left for his job yet." Shawn stood up and walked out of the room to use his phone without disturbing his family.

"But doesn't he work at the same place Shawn does?" Alex questioned.

"That's true, but before they started the Psych business, Gus had his own job." Juliet explained, "He doesn't work there as often now, but he's still gotta go to work during the week. And I don't know if I can drop you guys off, since it'll be a bit out of my way to work at the station."

"I'm fine riding on a bike." Alex said, "You don't have to worry about that."

"Maybe so, but you're our child now." Juliet reminded, "As much as I know you don't like this, we have to look out for you, and that includes not riding on Shawn's deathtrap."

"It's not a deathtrap!" protested Shawn as he returned.

"You've gotten into several crashes with it." she pointed out, "We don't need childcare services on our tale if you two suddenly get into a crash and get seriously hurt!"

"Pretty sure we wouldn't, but it's not like you'd take my opinion into consideration anyway..." Alex mused.

"What do you mean?" Juliet turned back to him, confused, as was Shawn.

"Jones, not only is she the one that made the documents that said you two were now my parents, it's also all in her power to keep me from being touched by any service she doesn't want, including childcare." Alex gave a shrug, staring down at his breakfast as he moved it around with his fork, "I'm too valuable to her for her to let anything happen to me that she can prevent."

What the hell is he talking about? Shawn shared a glance with his wife but she didn't seem to understand either.

"Is she like, all-potent or something?"

"Omnipotent, Shawn."

"I've heard it both ways." Alex shrugged again.

"As far as I know, that's mostly true. She can do anything she wants with no-one the wiser, even outside the law."

"Hmm..." Juliet thought for a moment, taking this information in.

"Only trouble is," Alex could tell what Juliet was contemplating, "you guys are mostly gonna get nowhere. Like I told your Chief, if they don't wanna be found, they won't be found. They're sneaky like that, the whole lot of 'em."

"Of who?" Shawn asked. Alex paused, as if seeming to consider his answer carefully.

"Who Jones and Crawley work for. I can't really tell you."

"If you're scared-" Alex shook his head at Juliet's words.

"I'm not scared. I'm just not allowed to really explain the whole thing without getting you in trouble." He hung his head, "It's bad enough you were involved in that shooting because of me, I don't wanna make things worse for you."

"Gus mentioned that to us last night, right before he left." Shawn was now very concerned, "How are you so sure that the shooting was your fault?"

"Simple: the gunman was hired to come after me, to finish the job that the house explosion started. And that, I'm pretty sure, was caused by revenge." Alex seemed to curl in on himself, as if getting ready to reject anything they were about to ask him.

"Shawn, a moment?" Juliet took her husband by the arm and they left the room, going down the hall to make sure they were out of Alex's earshot.

"Okay, he definitely knows what's going on, but he can't tell us because of whoever Jones is working for." Shawn stated, "All leads that make no sense right now."

"I'm sure I can figure them out at the station after telling everything to Lassiter. Some of this sounds familiar, honestly, like I've seen or heard it before." Juliet shook her head, "Just keep him safe today, okay? If he's right about the gunman coming after him to 'finish the job,' then other people will probably come after him. I just don't want him getting hurt."

"You and me both." Shawn glanced past her to see Alex eating again at the table, more gloomily, "I mean, he's just a kid. He's lost everything in the course of a year, almost, and now he might be hunted down by people who want serious, life-ending revenge on him? It makes my skin crawl."

"Hopefully everything he's given us can give me a good enough idea of what's going on so we can get him some more protection." Juliet glanced back too, "I get the feeling that it's gonna take more than just the two of us and some officers to protect him."

"And maybe, if he says a little more, you can put all the pieces together." Shawn suggested.

"Don't force him though, okay? Forcing him to tell us isn't gonna get us anywhere. He has to tell us himself, when he wants to." Juliet looked at a clock on the hallway wall and grimaced, "I really need to get going now. Is Gus coming?"

"Yeah. He's got his job today but he can come and drop us off at the office." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, "Stay safe today."

"You too." She hugged him, then went back to the bedroom to get dressed. Shawn returned to the kitchen to keep an eye on Alex and finish his own breakfast. When Juliet was done dressing, she grabbed a piece of toast, hugged Alex goodbye, and continued out the door. She had her own car to get to work, so now the two were left alone. Alex stared at Shawn. Shawn stared back. He came up with an idea.

"Hey, you ever seen My Cousin Vinny?"

"Is that a movie?"

"More than that! What about Poltergeist?"

"I get the feeling that if I get a negative answer, you're gonna spend the whole day with me, watching them."

"That's the spirit!" Shawn gave him a pat on the shoulder as his phone buzzed.

'I'm here.' was the text from Gus.

"Alex, how soon do you think you can get dressed?"