A/N: wow, two chapter in a row…this never happens.
Chapter Fifteen
"Shawn, is everything okay?" Gus asked worriedly, when he saw the expression on his friend's face.
"What? Oh, yeah…I'm fine," Shawn said, struggling to keep his voice cool as he pocketed the ribbon. "Thank you Mr. Glendale. We'll be in touch soon."
"No," Mr. Glendale said, "Thank you."
"Okay, what's wrong?" Gus demanded, once they were out of the house and headed for his car.
"Not here," Shawn said, staring ahead.
Gus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, but didn't say anything else, until they got back to Psych.
"Will you tell me what the problem is now?" Gus asked, going over and sitting at his desk.
"I can't feel her," Shawn said, desperation in his tone and worry in his eyes. He pulled the ribbon out of his pocket and waved it in front of Gus's face.
"Does that mean she's…" Gus couldn't finish the sentence.
"I don't know," Shawn said, pulling away and running his hand through his hair. Holding the pink ribbon tightly in his fist, Shawn sat down on top of his desk. "I don't know," he repeated quietly. Then he continued talking, almost as if to himself, "Usually I can feel if someone is dead or not. Death has it's own feel…but this… There's nothing."
"Have you…" Gus had an idea of what might be going on, it was worth a shot at the very least. "Have you tried feeling anyone through their clothing since…you know?"
"What's that got to do with anything?" Shawn asked, looking up at his friend.
"Well," Gus said, choosing his words carefully, "maybe the problem is psychological."
"You've got to be kidding me," Shawn groaned.
"No really," Gus said, jumping up from his chair. Quickly he loosened the tie he was wearing and then, taking it off, held it out to Shawn.
"What exactly is it that you're wanting me to do?" Shawn asked, eyeing the blue tie, but not taking it.
"Just take it," Gus said, trying not to sound to irritated.
Shawn took one more look at the tie, before he set the ribbon down next to him and took Gus's tie. He gasped.
"Gus," Shawn blinked a couple of times, "nothing. I don't feel anything."
Gus smiled like he had just figured out something big.
"But what's that supposed to mean," Shawn yelled, not meaning to get angry, as he threw the tie back at Gus.
"It means," Gus said, ignoring his friend's outburst, "that you are either A) loosing your powers, or B) you're not feeling anything on purpose."
"What?" Shawn asked, not really sure of what Gus meant.
"You're mind is a powerful thing, like I need to tell you that, and, well you've heard of the saying 'mind over matter' right? Well, if you still have your powers, then maybe you don't want to 'feel' so badly, that your mind has made it so that you can't."
"But I want to 'feel'," Shawn countered. " 'Feeling' is the only way I'll be able to find the girl."
"Yeah," Gus argued, "but subconsciously you still really don't want to do this."
"But I do," Shawn yelled.
"Well obviously you don't," Gus shouted back, "because if you did, then you would be able to feel where she is. Shawn," he was no longer shouting, "your brain isn't going to let you 'feel' again, because deep down you really don't want to, and this is your body's way of protecting yourself."
"What about my body's way of protecting her?"
"…"
"…"
"Maybe you just lost your powers then," Gus shrugged, going for another tactic.
"No," Shawn said, shaking his head earnestly, "trust me, they're still here."
"Do you really want to feel her?" Gus asked, picking up the ribbon and holding it in front of Shawn.
Shawn stared at the ribbon for a moment, before he took it from Gus. "Yeah," he said, "I'm sure." And then Shawn tied the pink ribbon around his wrist.
"You getting anything?"
Shawn shook his head sadly.
"Let's go back to the station," Gus suggested, "maybe we can help them there."
With a nod of agreement, Shawn followed Gus out to his car and they drove back to the station.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
"Shawn," Juliet greeted when she saw the two men enter the building, "did you get anything."
"Unfortunately no," Shawn admitted running a hand through his hair.
When Juliet caught sight of the pink ribbon that was tied around Shawn's wrist, she almost asked him what that was about, but changed her mind at the last second.
"So, has anyone been able to get a hold of the uncle?" Shawn asked after an uncomfortable silence had stretched for a minute.
"No, but we checked with the airlines," Juliet shook her head, "and he did get on the plane."
"And," Lassiter said, coming over to the group, "to answer what is inevitably your next question, the uncle's plane left hours before the girl disappeared."
"That's all I wanted to know," Shawn said.
"What the hell is on your wrist?" Lassiter asked, upon seeing the strip of bright pink cloth.
"What," Shawn asked, "you don't like it? I think that it brings my whole look together. Jules, what do you think?"
"Uh…" she didn't respond quick enough.
"Really Lassie, you don't have to be jealous. We can find something pink for you to wear too."
"He's just trying to get a reading from it," Gus said quickly, stepping between the two men.
"Oh, yeah," Lassiter asked, his tone a bit harsh than he had actually meant (yes he hadn't meant to be to mean to the psychic) "and how's that working out for you?"
For a moment Shawn's whole face went blank. The same blank that it had gone before he disappeared for two weeks. But the moment passed and it was gone.
"Let's take another look at the files and see what I get," Shawn suggested, his tone a bit cooler than what it had been a moment ago.
Shawn and his three companions (Lassiter had threatened to kill him if he continued calling them his three buddies) worked well pass working hours. It was three in the morning when the chief, who had things of her own that she had to do, came out of her office and told all of them to go home and get some sleep.
Reluctantly, they did. Well, most of them. Shawn had Gus drop him off at Psych so that he could work a bit longer and Gus, who was to tired to argue, did so.
It was going on four in the morning, and Shawn was still awake. The case file and any other information that he could possibly even think about wanting, was spread out on his desk in front of him. But Shawn wasn't looking at anything that lay on his desk. No, he was staring at the pink ribbon on his wrist.
Why couldn't he feel the girl? Why couldn't he feel Cammy? Was he really blocking himself? No matter how many times Shawn had told himself that he wanted to feel the girl, he never did. Time was running out, he needed to do something.
Without meaning to, Shawn slowly found himself falling asleep. When he woke up, he was in a field of flowers.
A/N: Dun, dun, dun. Hm, randomly waking up somewhere random…wonder what that could mean. Hey only a few chapters left, please review, they make me happy.