AN: Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome! And to WKA, I tried to write the POV from Gus and Henry, but didn't think I was doing them justice. Sorry!


What had she been thinking? Juliet rested her head in her hands, letting the sound of the police station roll over her. Shawn hadn't deserved to be snapped at like that. Truth was, she was tired and on edge. And with the possible exception of Lassiter, Shawn was the only one who had noticed. He'd been doing goofy things for the last few days, all with the goal to make her laugh. She could tell. Even if she wasn't watching him when he pulled a stunt, she still caught him in her periphery. Which meant she also saw when he glanced at her, to see if she'd been watching or to see if he had made her smile.

She needed a break; she knew she did. So when she'd been asked on a date, she'd latched on to the idea like a life preserver. She wanted one night where she didn't obsess over the Yin/Yang files, one hopefully nice night to chase away all of the negative feelings that were building in her.

Darn Shawn, for trying to take her night of freedom away from her. It didn't matter that he had offered to take her out instead, she had been counting on that date for days, and he was trying to get her to cancel it. And darn Shawn…for not asking her out first.

"Shawn, enough! I'm going out tonight! It's not my fault you don't have a date because you and Abigail broke up! Now leave me alone!"

She'd gone too far. She knew she had, as soon as the words left her mouth. Shawn's mouth fell open in shock. Hurt flashed across his face, as the warmth and humor that made his eyes dance, dimmed. She'd felt her stomach twist as she saw his always expressive face go blank. Juliet had left him like that, spinning around to return to her desk. The next time she looked up, he was gone.

Juliet huffed as she shifted in her seat. She should have known her date wouldn't go well, after that. She had thought about Shawn the entire night. In fact, when she and her date had reached the beach that night, he had made a comment about how…unfocused she was. She remembered the comment had been funny, an attempt to draw her out, and it had worked. She'd laughed. Right until she saw the dark figure on the beach, which caused her to promptly forget exactly what her date had just said. Even though it was dark, she could see him. Not well enough to see what emotions were playing across his face, but she didn't need to. His abrupt departure on his bike told her everything she needed to know.

Juliet had tried to call him that night and the next day. It went straight to voicemail. Eventually, she called Gus.

"Burton Guster."

"Gus, it's me."

"Hey, Juliet."

His usually up-beat voice was now tired and dull. And she knew. Shawn had left. She still had to ask, though; that little bubble of hope almost impossible to burst. "Have you seen Shawn?"

Gus cleared his throat before answering. "Well, uh, Shawn's visiting some friends. Up the coast. He said he'd be gone a few days."

Juliet's eyes had closed when she heard this. "How long will he really be gone?"

Gus hesitated before saying, "You sound like you have an idea as to why Shawn's taking some time off." He waited for Juliet to answer, but she couldn't confess that is was her fault that he had left, that she had been unaccountably cruel to him. When she didn't reply, Gus answered her question. "Before he had Psych, I would say a few days would actually be a few months. Now, a week…may just be a week."

Juliet's gaze fell to her calendar. That phone call had been a week and a day ago. She shoved back her chair, ready to leave the building for a break. She wasn't getting any work done anyways. Maybe she'd grab some lunch and a pineapple smoothie, and give herself enough time to pack away her guilt. Maybe she'd tell Buzz to trace Shawn's cell-phone and she'd drive to wherever he was staying.

Could she do nothing right when it came to Shawn? First, she turned him down repeatedly; then she asked him on a date when he was already on one, and now this.

He wasn't coming back. Not anytime soon. She needed to accept that, and move on.


AN: Huh. Didn't really resolve anything here. Good thing I have another chapter to put up soon :) All reviews are appreciated and totally make my day!