A/N: I altered the interaction between Shana and Juliet to answer some questions. The bold numbers represented the seasons/years that went by and the others were the amount of cases Shana and Gus solved. Sorry, I never expected anyone to get it, I was just bored and felt like torturing you all. Warning: I may add a few songs (not too much) that I feel relate to the story. Also, I grow more confident in this story, I might make it a series. And who likes the banner I made?
Chapter 5: I Won't Be a Pest! I Promise.
"Make that 136 people! Boo yah!"
Shana then proceeded to fist-bumped her partner-in-crime, Gus, who had already given up on trying to look exasperated at his friend's obnoxious bragging. They had just closed a case involving a string of robberies that was just a cover for a drug trafficking gang. No one saw the connection but Shana because she was the only one to even consider listening to one of the victim's 15 year old compulsive liar daughter who claimed to be a witness. After reading through most of her lies, Shana saw a glimpse of truth in the amount and descriptions of the perpetrators, including an identifying tattoo that most of the gang members had. A check-in the database and they had enough to get a warrant to search and arrest members at a well-known hangout for the gang.
Shana stuck her hand up in the air a shout, pumping the air and danced around the bullpen. She felt someone bump into her.
"Are you done making a fool of yourself now Spencer?" Lassiter said, brushing past with another case file, pushing Shana arm down as he went by.
Shana grinned despite the insult and turned to face Gus.
"Am I done?" she asked with false seriousness.
Gus shook his head no and Shana spun back to Carlton.
"No, no I don't think I am, Lassie."
Shana ambled over to Carlton, who had reached his desk, sat down, and started reading the file, with Gus followed close behind. She leant over his seated figure.
"So, whatcha got there," she asked, trying to pear over his shoulder.
He instantly shut the file with a snap and glanced up, growling at her.
"Look here, you may be a guy who wants to be a cop and pretends to be a cop. But you aren't a cop and you sure don't act like one. So, why don't you go scurry away and find someone else to bother?"
"Hold it, squeeze it, and pass it around… I lost my train of thought. Oh, I remember. There are three things that you got wrong in your pretty little speech. I don't want to be a cop, I don't scurry, I prance, and you're my favorite person to rub the wrong way, my dear Lassifrass. Rub the wrong way, that a weird saying, it sounds wrong, don't you think Gus?"
Gus took his cue with precision.
"Definitely, and I don't get the saying, 'It's raining cats and dogs.' Cats and dogs do not fall from the sky. Can't they just say it's raining heavily?"
"I wish it rained dogs when I was younger. My dad refused to get me a puppy. He wouldn't be able to say no if it fell into my arms from the sky. He wouldn't human if he said no, not that he is anyways," Shana sighed, pretending to pet a dog in her arms in thought.
Carlton rubbed his eyes, moaning.
"Are you two idiots done yet?" Lassiter groaned.
"I take offense to that. I'm more of a hooligan than an idiot. And Gus… well, I can't really say anything… ow!"
Shana rubbed her shoulder, pouting, and punched Gus back, starting another fight between them consisting of punches, slaps, and yelps.
"I went to college Shawn, unlike you," accused Gus.
Shana laughed.
"Hah! Like that makes a difference. While you were off partying with your college buddies, I was too busy working my butt off trying to make a living, thank you very much."
Gus scoffed, "I wasn't partying, I was studying, something you could never comprehend, and since when is being an ice skate sharpener at On Your Toes Skate Shop in Santa Cruz making a living?"
"It was hard-work and you don't know how many times I have almost lost a finger. So, it's considered a hard-working job and can be called making a living, right Lassie?" she said, turning to Lassiter, hoping for his agreement.
He was gone and so was the file but his chair was still spinning in slow circles. Shana stopped it and turned back to the room.
"Lassie?" she called.
She received no answer and she stood there looking lost. A few seconds later, Juliet came walking around the corner and sat down at her desk with her own manila case file. Shana caught sight of her and grinned. She walked over, pulling up a chair and plopped down in it. Not looking up, Juliet let loose a small smile, satisfying Shana a little. Straightening her cap and tapping away at Juliet's desk, Shana started beat-boxing until she looked up. Juliet sighed and pushed her file to the side, turning her full attention to Shana.
"Can I help you Shawn?" she asked finally.
"Where's Lassie?"
Juliet sighed, smothering a chuckle. She thought about what to tell her before answering.
"If he wanted you to know, he would tell you. And he doesn't want you to know, if anything is to be told by how fast he ran by me," she said with a smirk, knowing her partner wouldn't forgive her.
Shana feigned shock. She spluttered.
"Of course, Lassie wants me to know that he is in Interrogation Room B," she dead-panned.
Juliet's jaw was close to dropping but she caught it. She instead chose to lean forward.
"Now, how do you do that?"
Juliet didn't realize that Shana took a wild guess and that she just confirmed it. Pointing at her head, Shana replied.
"It's a gift, a curse, and a bargaining tool."
And it helped that Juliet had said that she was going to the filing room before leaving Shana and Gus to collect their signed check from the Chief. The Filing Room is near the stairway leading to the Interrogation and Record Rooms. If Carlton ran past her, he most likely went down the stairs. You can't really sit down and concentrate in the Records Room so he must have chosen the Interrogation Rooms. It had to be Room B because a group of officers, that Shana had walked by when she entered the station, were gossiping about the embezzler that McNab brought in. The crook was placed in Room A.
I should congratulate Buzz on his successful bust, she thought.
"Forget I asked," Juliet retorted.
When Juliet said nothing else, she hummed and tilted her head to the side, biting her lip. It was a habit she formed. She did it when she had a question that she was hesitant to ask or if she wanted to say something she wasn't sure about. She couldn't break it, no matter how hard she tried. The old saying old habits die hard wasn't joking. She can't take a knife to it… so… nothing.
"So, Jules, any cases you might want to share with me?"
Exasperated, Juliet said, "You just closed a case. Don't you want to just go home and relax like I'm sure Gus did?"
"Wait, what?" Shana shouted, perplexed.
She sprung up, instantly scanning the room and taking everything in. Not finding the person of her interest, she frowned before dropping back into her chair.
"I can't believe Gus left me. He's my ride," she complained.
Juliet covered her giggle with a fake cough and leaned back into her chair.
"Well, if you can wait until six, I can drop you off home, if you like."
"Would you? That's fantastic! Thanks Jules! Now that that problem is out of the way, we were discussing something about cases…," she trailed off suggestively.
Shaking her head, Juliet subconsciously pushed the file a little farther away from Shana.
"I'm sorry, Shawn. No can do. I just can't share this one with you this time. The Chief ordered me, Carlton begged me, and Henry… well Henry just said no."
"Please," she begged pitifully, whining and pouting.
Juliet shook her head and went back to her reading, leaving Shana to do as she pleases. Sighing dramatically, Shana leaned back, staring at nothing, arms draped over the chair arms and legs splayed out. Seeing nothing else to do, she zoned out, thinking.
Lassie ran from me… not the first time, that's for sure but… I might… possibly be a little too hard on… jerkish to him. He's ego is definitely taking a beating and I haven't really given him a chance to solve cases much. I should ease up on him a little. He's my friend, whether he believes it or not, and I haven't really been acting… like one. I know he can solve cases and he can do this one on his own. Well, as on his own as he can having Jules, his partner, working besides him. They are detectives and the best ones Santa Barbara can ever ask for. I should… no I will let them have this one. And that's…
"Shawn?"
She broke out of her musing and focused on Juliet's swimming face. She blinked, clearing her vision.
"Uh, what, um, yes Jules?"
"Are okay? Do you need something?" she asked concerned, looking ready to jump up and fetch at Shana's request.
"No, I'm good. Why?"
Juliet bit her lip and looked nervous.
"Uh, well, I… I never saw you sit so still and stay quiet that long… before."
Shana smiled, "I was just thinking. I'm fine… thanks."
"Oh, okay, great."
Shana stood. Juliet looked up again.
"Where are you going?"
Shana was tempted to tell her she was going to see Lassiter but thought against it. Juliet would try to talk her out of it, thinking she would only bother him.
"I'm going to the bathroom," she finally said.
"Well, don't take too long. I leaving…," Juliet glanced at her watch. "…in fifteen minutes."
"Sure."
Shana feigned going to the bathroom, heading in its direction, but turned foot as soon as Juliet went back to her papers. She passed the Filing room, aiming for the stairway, jumping down them, and turned right. She stopped at Interrogation Room A and glanced in. Through the one way mirror on the farther wall, she could see the embezzler handcuffed to the table. She forged on and stopped at the next room, entering and moving to the one-way glass. There she saw Carlton studying his file, taking notes, and chewing on the tip of the pen. He stuck it behind his ear and continued reading, faced scrunched and eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She stood there watching him for a few seconds, then walked over to the door separating the two rooms and knocked. His head shot up, he scrutinized the door, and barked out permission to enter. Shana opened the door lightly and stepped in. Lassiter sighed and kneaded his temples.
"What do you want Spencer? I'm not letting you so much as breathe on this case," he sneered.
"That's the exact reason I came done here, Lassie," she plowed on, unruffled by his bad attitude. "I am… I'm not going to barge in on your case."
"Well, I don't care that… wait what?" he asked, flustered.
"I'm not going to butt into your investigation. It's yours and I should respect that. Well, at least this time, because come one, of course I'm going to work on some of your future cases whether you like it or not. I'm me, it's my nature, solve cases and bug you, my two favorite things to do. But, this one is yours to keep," she said with a small, modest smile.
He studied her suspiciously.
"This better not be a joke or so help me…"
"Carlton!" she interrupted. "Lassie, I'm serious. Now believe it or I'm taking everything back. Now, good luck, you don't need it… but still, good luck. You can do this, I know you can."
He nodded at her solemnly and continued his work. She sighed and turned, walking out the door. She can swear she heard a soft thank you follow her out the door. She continued on like it didn't happened and that was exactly how he would have wanted. She sprinted up back to the stairs and took them two or three at a time, speeding past Buzz. She stopped and spun around.
"Hey Buzz Buddy!" she yelled down to him.
Buzz stopped and turned to face her too.
"Yes, Shawn?"
"Congratulations on your embezzlement case! You did good stuff," she praised.
He beamed ear from ear, a slight blush on his cheeks. She waved at him and exited the staircase. She sped to Juliet's desk to find her packing her bag and retrieving her coat. Juliet jumped when she tapped her on the shoulder.
"Oh my gosh, Shawn, you startled me. I was just about to call you. What took so long? You said you were going to the bathroom," she accused.
Shana shrugged and waved it off. Juliet rolled her eyes and Shana snagged her coat.
"Are we going?" she asked.
Juliet led the way and they climbed into her green buggy. As they drove, they made idle conversation and Shana hopped out when the car stopped in front of her apartment.
"Thanks Jules and see you later!" she said.
"You're welcome and yeah, see you."
Juliet drove away and Shana unlocked her door, going in. Throwing her coat onto the couch, she pulled her cap, wig, and wig cap off, flinging that on the couch too. She scratched her now long hair.
"So itchy," she moaned to herself in her normal voice. "Now, about Gus, I'm going to call him and yell at him."
She dialed his number on her from and progressed to do so.
"Gus! I can't believe you…!"
A/N: I hope that wasn't too OOC. Thank you for still reading. And please, forge on!
Answer to BlkLunaDragon: If you wrap the chest area, it should flatten them. It's is said that it is uncomfortable but efficient. And I used a mixture of an Anime Creator, Photobucket, Paint application on the Computer, and Word Document. It took more than three hours to do that and that was the second version. The first took about two.