Disclaimer: I do not own Psych or any of its characters.

Enjoy!

Carlton was surprised when he had received the invitation in the mail. Sure, he and O'Hara had stayed in touch since she moved to San Francisco, but they hadn't actually seen each other, in person, for over a year. Now, here she was, inviting him to her apartment for a New Years Eve party.

He had already texted her his RVSP; he was glad for an excuse to make the trip and see his former partner. But, he wondered if Shawn and Gus would be there. Juliet had told him about six months ago that she and Shawn had broken up. It was the right decision, she said, he was making her miserable and she drove him crazy when she didn't go along with his whims. Carlton had offered to drive up there, grab dinner and talk things out with her, but she said she didn't want to inconvenience him. He didn't want to drop it, but he did.

Now, here he was, about to see her again.

Carlton knew that he couldn't deny his feelings for her. When he was willing to give up being Chief to be her partner, when they hugged good-bye, it was such a deep-rooted feeling, he knew it wasn't something that would dissipate with the distance between them. That's why he wasn't able to commit to anyone else in all those years. Why he and Marlowe fizzled once the novelty wore off and she had returned to the real world.

He wondered what the dynamic would be now, between the two of them. Surely she couldn't be closer to her new partner than they had been, could she? Did she have new friends in San Francisco that replaced his friendship? Shut it, Lassiter. She calls or texts you multiple times a week. You still matter to her. Carlton rolled his eyes at his inner voice.

…

He left his apartment on New Years Eve at four. The drive was about five hours to San Francisco, and he hoped to arrive at Juliet's house right at nine, when the party started. He had her belated Christmas gift on the passenger seat and glanced at it every so often throughout the trip. He wondered if she'd like it.

She mentioned recently that her new apartment, which she began renting after her break up with Shawn, was still not completely decorated. So, he got her a framed picture of the two of them standing in front of the SBPD. It was taken a few years ago, when she insisted on celebrating their five year anniversary as partners. He wasn't sure if it was stupid or too sentimental. He also put a silver candle holder and a peach-scented candle in the bag, too, in case he decided to take out the picture at the last minute.

By the time he arrived at her apartment, he had removed and replaced the picture frame in the bag about ten times. He finally left it in there, tired of overthinking things. He noted that Chief Vick's car was already parked in the driveway, along with four other cars. As he wondered how many people would be at the party, he knocked on the door.

Juliet answered, her eyes lighting up as soon as she saw him. "Carlton!" She ushered him in to her apartment, immediately pulling him into a tight hug. Though he hadn't ever been to this apartment before, Carlton felt like he was returning home in that moment.

"It's good to see you, Juliet." He wrapped his arms around her briefly before pulling away.

He was about to hand her his gift when Spencer came out of nowhere, "Lassie! You made it!"

Lassiter cleared his throat, "Hello, Spencer." The man was hardly dressed for a New Years Eve Party; where Juliet was wearing a deep cranberry blouse and black skirt, and he was wearing a grey suit (also with a cranberry-colored tie), Spencer had on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and was wearing an over-the-top, bright gold party hat.

When Carlton turned back to speak to Juliet, she was already being pulled away by Chief Vick, who seemed to have hit the champagne a bit early. Juliet offered him an apologetic look and said over her shoulder, "you can put your coat in the guest room, its that door there."

Carlton looked to where she gestured and walked over, placing his coat and his gift on the bed. When he walked into the living room, he was immediately cornered by Shawn, "So Lassie, how's the old SBPD doing?" Before Carlton could answer, Shawn continued, "I bet it's nothing like it is here; you won't believe the case we just solved. It involved a jewel-thief that had stashed diamonds in a…." Carlton stopped listening to Shawn, instead watching Juliet from across the room.

She had let her hair grow out, so it now fell a few inches past her shoulders. She was laughing at something the chief had said when she caught his eye. She said something to Karen, excused herself, and made her way over to him.

"Hi," she said again.

Carlton smiled at her, "Hi."

"Sorry about Shawn interrupting." She added quickly, "I just… I invited Gus and I felt weird not inviting him. I just hope he doesn't get the wrong impression."

"I should hope not," Carlton said, "Imagine, him trying to win you back while dressed like a teen from the 80s."

Juliet laughed, and it was music to Carlton's ears. They didn't have much time to talk, however, before the doorbell rang and Juliet had more guests to greet. Before she left, she placed a hand on his arm and said, "I'll find you later."

As the evening went on, Carlton spent some time catching up with Chief Vick, then met O'Hara's new partner. He seemed nice, polite. He said Juliet spoke about Carlton a lot, which made him smile just a bit.

Carlton had brief moments with Juliet throughout the night, and each time she would touch his arm as the talked, or place a hand on his shoulder when he made her laugh. He liked it. But every time, they were interrupted all too soon.

About 3 minutes to midnight, Shawn was already beginning the countdown, and Carlton felt a tug on his arm. "This way," Juliet led him out, through the kitchen onto her patio. It was small, just enough room for the two of them.

"Won't your guests miss you as they ring in the New Year?" He asked.

She shrugged, "They'll be fine. I'm sure Shawn is enough of a distraction. I'd rather be out here."

"Me too," he agreed. They were quiet for a minute, then he mentioned, "I finally met your new partner. How's that going?"

"It's not too bad, nothing like my old partner though," she nudged him playfully. "And he doesn't drink coffee, says too much caffeine is bad for him. Carlton, it's the most frustrating thing when we're on a case and he doesn't understand why I want to grab a coffee before getting back to the station."

"Must be torture," Carlton agreed. "Do you remember that one time when we had to stay late for the McCarty case about two years ago?"

Juliet laughed, "Yes! You had left so abruptly at midnight and came back twenty minutes later with two coffees for each of us!"

"I only left in the first place because you were nearly passed out over the case file. Trust me, we both needed that caffeine."

They continued reminiscing, not even realizing the new year began until they heard Shawn and Gus belting out Auld Lang Syne (accompanied by the even-tipsier Chief Vick).

"I guess we should head back in," Carlton said.

Juliet seemed disappointed, as if she didn't want to return, "I guess we should."

Within an hour, most everyone had left the party. Carlton noticed a large stack of plates next to the couch Shawn and Gus had recently vacated. He was going to tell them off, but Juliet was already pushing them out the door. He went over to her kitchen and moved the trash can to the living room so he could start cleaning up. She walked in and froze, pleasantly surprised at the domesticity of the scene in front of her. Carlton, in her apartment, helping her clean up after a party.

"Sorry," he said, "I'll be out of your hair in a few minutes. Just figured I'd get rid of the dynamic duo's mess for you."

"You don't have to do that," Juliet said. Then, she quickly added, "But please, stay." While she was frustrated that Shawn and Gus had lingered so long, she found herself wanting Carlton to stay.

"I don't want to keep you up," he said, "let me just grab something really quick."

Juliet watched him walk over to her guest room, at first afraid that he was getting his coat to leave. Instead, he returned with a gift bag.

"Here," he handed it to her, "a belated Christmas gift."

Juliet's cheeks warmed, "You didn't have to do that."

She sat down on the couch and gestured for him to join her. Carlton surprised the both of them by sitting right next to her, not leaving an extra space in between them as he would have before.

Juliet first pulled out the candle and holder and thanked him for it, then pulled out the picture. "Carlton, this is perfect!" She leaned over and placed it at the center of the coffee table in front of them. Then, she directly moved to hug him. "Thank you," she breathed into his shoulder.

When they separated, she looked into his blue, blue eyes and said, "When I took you out to the patio earlier, I have to admit I had an ulterior motive."

Carlton raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"I was hoping that we would start in the New Year together. And, we did, and I wouldn't trade our conversations for anything, but, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I was hoping-"

Carlton cut her off, kissing her softly. Juliet responded, kissing him more firmly, pulling him closer to her, moving her finger into his hair.

Eventually, he pulled away, grinning. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"I think you got the gist of it," she smiled, leaning into him again.

"Happy New Year, Juliet," he said between kisses.

"Happy New Year, Carlton."