After a few more moments of talking, then filling out paperwork, the River's murder case was officially out of Juliet's hands. It was only a matter of time now before they had the killer in their hands. Casting a glance over at Shawn, Juliet found herself smiling a litte. "And on the agenda next... back to your place... oh no, that sounded bad." Chuckling quite nervously, she averted her gaze elsewhere for a moment. 'Can you at least attemt to find a better way to put things?'

Shawn let out a small chuckle and then stretched. "Right, my place so I can change and whatnot." He glanced down at the small spot of blood on the knee of his jeans. "I'm suddenly very happy I didn't wear my torn jeans today."

"Yeah, that's a smart move... gosh thinking about that's making me squirm..." Juliet cringed a bit and shook her head, attempting to erase the thought of someone else's blood on her. "You want to drive again?" she asked, looking at Shawn with a slight smile. 'Surely I don't mind if you say you do. It'll give me a chance to watch the scenery go by and think. Not that there's much to see...'

Shawn shrugged. "I could drive again. Doesn't really matter to me. Though," he paused, bringing a hand to his cheek and gently scratching at the stubble on the side of his face. "It makes sense... Seeing as we're going to my place... I sort of can get us there quicker."

"That's true..." Juliet cast a smile in Shawn's direction and gently rubbed the back of her neck. 'Probably oughtta stop back by my house too and get out of... work attire...' she thought and yawned. "After you're done at your place, I think I want to swing by my place and get out of this stuff..." she said, hinting at her work attire. "Sound alright?"

Shawn nodded, smiling over at Juliet. "You could slip into something a little more comfortable." He stopped and smirked as he reached out and plucked the car keys from Juliet's pocket (yes, FROM her pocket). He unlocked the driver's side door and slid in, casting a sly smile her direction. "Pun totally intended to make you blush."

Juliet did just that, blushed. And it wasn't one of those tiny little cutesy blushes either. Instantly she lowered her head and continued to walk, keeping her eyes on her feet. "Unlock my door, will you?" she asked, not even bothering to look up. "And since you put things that way, is it more comfortable for me, or more comfortable for you to see me in?" Biting her lip lightly, she shook her head and chuckled. "I don't know about you Shawn..."

Shawn laughed and unlocked Juliet's door. "Aww, Jules." He chuckled still, and covered his mouth to stifle it. "You know it'd be more comfortable for you to wear, because if I were seeing it, I'd be quite a bit... uncomfortable." He chuckled again. "I'd be far too embarrassed and shocked that such a gorgeous girl was dressing down for me."

Again, Juliet blushed and opened her door, slipping quitely into the seat. Oh she was quite, for about thirty second before she managed to burst out into a fit of giggles. "See, that would be interesting... making you uncomfortable. It'd be payback for making me blush, not once, not twice, but three times now." Putting a quirky little smile on, Juliet looked over at Shawn for a moment, then looked back forward. "I'll come up with something."

Shawn laughed again and started the engine, pulling the car out of the precinct parking lot. "Someday, Jules, you might be able to get me back." He smiled. "Doubtful, but who knows."

"So in other words, you're doubting I can get you back, is that it?" The Junior Detective shot the psychic one of those looks that could kill. All out of pure play though, Juliet smiled. "We'll habe to see then, won't we?" Smirking, she focused her attention out her window. 'Your whole little comment about mistakes earlier got to me... It'd jeopardize a lot of things...'

Shawn continued down the road toward his apartment, chuckling lightly. "I don't think you'd have the guts to do anything that'd embarrass me to the point of blushing. Because it would be highly wild and unlike you, what you'd have to do." He shrugged and turned the corner to his street.

'Damn, he's right... she thought, and drummed her fingertips nervously on the door panel. "I'll think of something, trust me." Smiling slightly, even at her momentary defeat, Juliet looked over at Shawn for a moment. A thought clicked, and caused an impulse action. Carefully, she brought her fingertips up to the side of his face and brushed them over his cheek, not saying a word. 'I'll just start small.'

The movement caught Shawn offguard and he closed his eyes briefly, snapping them back open almost immediately to keep them on the road. The feel of Juliet's fingers on his cheek in such a... loving touch... had made him shocked, to say the least. He'd always imagined he and Juliet, alone in her car, her hands wandering his body while his mapped out every inch of her skin. But now, he was driving, and this was clearly Juliet trying to get into his mind. So far, it was working, but he refused to show it. "Sure, I'm sure you'll come up with something," he said, as though the fingertips hadn't affected him at all.

Juliet smiled, taking note in the reaction she'd gotten from such a light touch on his cheek. Curiousity (/potential stupidity) had gotten the best of her. Letting her fingers brush back the opposite way on his cheek, she let them wander down his neck, grinning the whole time. 'Might have already found something but the looks...' she thought, innocently letting a single nail trace a path down the side of his neck.

Shawn sighed as he (thankfully) pulled up to his apartment complex and parked. "Jules," he murmured softly. "What are you doing?" His neck had always been a very sensitive place. It was by simply licking his neck that the waitress at that restaurant had convinced him to take her home all those months ago. And he knew full well how that had ended.

Smiling innocently, she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders causually. "Nothing really..." she said softly, but still continued to run her fingernail down the side of his neck. 'Apparently it's working... you seem to be enjoying this Shawn... and I'm having fun with it.' Looking over at him, she smiled a little more. "Should I stop?"

Shawn closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat. "You know how a kitten will calm the hell down if you scratch it in just the right spot?" he asked softly. "That's what you're doing there for me. Only, unlike a kitten, I can get ferral really damn fast, even with someone scratching me under the chin." He figured the cat analogy was perfect for Juliet, seeing as she was a big cat person.

"Really now? That seems like grounds to test my luck..." Very lightly, she let the tip of her finger slide up underneathe Shawn's chin and scratched lightly with her fingernail. This of course, brought a slightly more than amused grin to her lips. "If that's the case... you're a charming ferral being..." 'I hope I know what I'm getting myself into...' she thought, continuing to scratch ever so lightly under his chin.

"Jules?" Shawn's voice quavered just a bit as he tilted his head back to allow her more room to scratch. It really did feel good and he smirked lightly. He chuckled and looked to Juliet with a soft gaze. "You sure you wanna test your luck, coz I might just take it as a hint that you want this hunk o' man..."

Chuckling softly, she continued to scratch underneathe his chin with the same sweet and serene smile she'd had before. "Hm... I haven't stopped yet have I?" she purred, and let her gaze meet his. She could feel her heart flutter like crazy in her chest when her eyes met with his. She was seriously just pressing her luck now, waiting to see what would happen.

Shawn sighed and turned to face Jules, a serene smile on his face. "No, you haven't." He leaned forward into the "very close talking" space and sucked air into his lungs before closing the gap and kissing her softly on the corner of the lips. I'm probably overstepping my boundaries right now.

Juliet continued to scratch under his chin and smile. "I bet you're wondering what your boundaries are..." she whispered softly, the feel of his lips against hers sending a chill down her spine. 'Although, I wish you would have just... gone with the gut feeling which I know you had, and that was just to go with it...' she thought lightly running a solitary nail down his throat. 'Be ready for whatever comes at you Juliet, you started this.'

Shawn chuckled and nodded, pulling away to look at Juliet. "Well, it's kind of difficult to know where my boundaries lie when I don't even know what your real feelings for me are." He shook his head. "But, we really should just do what we'd planned. I mean, we only know each other through work, and I'd really like to get to know the real Jules, not the work Jules... You know?"

"Let's put it this way Shawn, I didn't move the first time, and I didn't move the second time. Apparently, there's gotta be something there." Smiling softly, she nodded in agreement to what Shawn had just said. "And I agree. Only, I want to get to know the out-of-work-Shawn instead of... well, you know what I mean."

Shawn sighed. "You keep sending me mixed-ass messages, Jules. One minute, I think you like me, the next you're calling things wrong and mistakes, then you're all, 'I like you, Shawn' again." When he'd said that last little statement, he'd raised his voice to that high-pitched weird voice he tended to use whenever imitating any woman.

Juliet stayed quiet and didn't say a word. She'd even turned her attention away from Shawn and on to the steering wheel. He was right, though, and that's what got her. She had been sending all sorts of mixed signals his way. Biting her lip, she sighed and turned her blue-grey eyes back to meet his gaze. "I... I'm... sorry. I don't know. I like you, there I said it. But I'm afraid of that. I'm afraid things'll get all messed up and we'll wind up in a situation that not only makes things awkward, but makes them uncomfortable too."

Shawn let out a sigh and opened the driver's side door. He slid out of the car in silence and started walking toward the apartment. If I sit in there, I'll say things I really don't think I'm ready to say. Truth be told, Shawn really did like Juliet, but all the constant turn-downs had disheartened him so much that now, when she said that she did, in fact, like him, it didn't feel real to him.

Juliet sighed and snatched the keys from the ignition before opening her door. Closing it after exiting the car, she took a deep breath in and let it back out. 'Say something Jules... seriously. You need to. No more mindgames, mindfucks, whatever they are. Just be honest about everything.' she told herself. Closing her eyes, she managed to muster up the courage to say something. "Shawn, wait." Moving from her spot where she just stood, she caught up to him, but stayed a few feet behind. 'Please... let me do this... and get it out into the open...'

Shawn closed his eyes and stopped, not turning to look at Juliet, just standing there. "What, Juliet?" he asked softly, running a hand over his face in a sign of exhaustion. That's what he was, after all. He was exhausted with this little game, and he was hurt by that slightly unsure sound in Juliet's voice, even now. Just let me change, let's get some food and forget this happened, he begged the sky, glancing up a bit.

He'd kept her back to her, which was fine. In a slightly more than awkward situation, she ran up behind Shawn and put both arms around his waist, placing her head against the center of his back. 'Please... take this as a hint Shawn, I'm done with the mindgames...' Her grip on him didn't loosen up at all. In fact, if anything, she tightened it in an attempt to prove her point. 'You... you've gotta believe this... me... everything.'

Shawn let his head droop and gazed down at Juliets hands clasped around his middle. He placed his own hands over hers and just stood there, very still and very quiet for a long moment. Finally, after a lot of thought, he let out a soft sigh. "Jules, I really like you. I have since I first saw you, back in that diner the first time. I thought, 'Hey, here's a girl I want... and I don't want throw her away when I'm done, because I'll never be done.' And I tried so hard.." He took a deep breath. "And it was nothing but rejection after rejection, but I still kept trying, because I thought there was that spark there. But, it's been weighing on my mind ever since that stupid moment in the precinct, when you said that..." He trailed off. "I'm starting to think that I might not be the right guy for you, because you're so hesitant with everything. It's like, you're scared to say yes because it's going to make your life horrible if you do."

Juliet still didn't let go of Shawn. And it wasn't because she didn't want to. She wouldn't let herself. She was so tired of all her little games with him. Slowly but surely it was wearing on her, and she knew it. Juliet really did want Shawn in her life. Hell, she wanted him to be in her life as a more permanent part, she'd admit it if given the chance. Keeping the side of her face against his back, she sighed. "It's not that I want to keep doing this little game at all... believe me, I don't. I know what I want, I know what I've got. I know what I need too. I know I want you to be here as a more permanent part of my life, I know I've got you as a friend. I want you as something more. Damnit, I'm really trying... really I am. I'm just so afraid that there's going to be that one time things just get a little nuts, and then every link in the chain is going to become separated. I don't want that Shawn, really I don't." Taking a deep breath in, she closed her eyes for a moment, then proceeded to speak once more after she opened them. "Shawn, I like you. A lot more than I show. But the thing is, we're co-workers. I don't want to make things awkward... or difficult. I do care deeply about you, truly I do... I just don't want to lose you if things go wrong..."

Calmly taking a breath, Shawn gave his neck a soft roll one direction, then the other, cracking it a bit. "That's just the thing, Jules. We're not co-workers. I'm a consultant for the police. I'm not an officer. I'm not a detective. The only way I tie into that is that my paycheck comes from your boss, but we are, in no way, co-workers. Co-workers work in the same office together, go to the same potlucks, the works. And even if we were co-workers, what makes you so scared?" He slid carefully from her grasp and turned around, staring straight at her now. "If things go wrong, they go wrong, but I don't want to lose you as a part of my life, Jules. I know for a fact that if anything were to mess up between us, it wouldn't be because I was tired with it. I'm willing to stick it out through so much with you, Jules. Shit, if we knew each other better and if you weren't so against marriage, I'd get down on one knee and ask you to be mine forever. Except, I know I'd get that same scared look. That look that tells me you're not ready." He shook his head and sighed. "Maybe I should... just go upstairs and you should go home." He hated that he was doing this, but he wanted Juliet to be fully ready and willing to go into a relationship with him. She was still spouting those fears though, and that hurt him deep down. Am I such a terrible person that you automatically assume stuff's gonna go wrong? Where's your spirit, Jules? Can't just jump right into something for once?

Juliet, keys in hand, moved her hands into her hair and closed her eyes. Without saying a word she turned away from Shawn, only because those blue-grey eyes of hers were quickly filling with tears. Why the hell was it so hard for her to just put everything past her? She wanted to have him in her life, she... needed him. And it'd taken her all of this time to see that. Biting her lip and taking a deep breath, she started back towards her car. 'Goddamn it. This just won't get any easier will it? He's right Jules, you're too afraid. You can't just one fucking time set this all aside and go blind into anything can you? It's not like he's going to hurt you or anything, Christ. How many times in the past has he done something to hurt you? A kiss and you call it a mistake, but secretly in the back of your goddamn mind you wanted it more than anything. Is it so hard for you to just take a risk?' Tipping her head up towards the sky, she almost screamed in frustration, but instead just dropped to her knees and slid her hands over her eyes, hoping that they would somehow stop the tears that wanted to fall. "I'm trying... I really... I really want to do this. I want there to be something more. I'm so sick of hurting you all the time because I'm afraid..."

Shawn tried to stand still, to just watch Juliet walk away, but the instant her knees hit the pavement, he was at her side, pulling her into his arms and just holding her. He didn't speak; he didn't feel that words would help the moment. Instead, he just held onto Juliet and brushed his hand through her hair, kissing softly along her hairline. Goddamnit, Shawn. Lookit what you did because you let yourself get all hurt. Now she's in a worse state than you.

That's where she stayed, right in Shawn's arms. There hadn't been a time before where she'd felt... more comfortable or more safe there. She hadn't meant to start crying, really she hadn't. More or less, that had snuck up on her and hit her hard. Juliet didn't want to play the games anymore, she didn't want to keep hurting Shawn, none of that. Shaking from the tears that fell, Juliet tried to locate the right words to say, but lacked the ability to find them at that moent in time. So instead, she stayed in his arms, hoping that somehow Shawn would get those tears to stop. 'I'm sorry... I didn't... I don't... I shouldn't be crying right now, but I'm hurt because I keep hurting you.'