Ch. 3

Gus Erickson and Shawn Duquette weren't the only new neighbors to the Green Haven neighborhood. There were probably the only neighbors with an unexplained bank account of over two billion dollars in fortune. And possibly the only house with a safe room and a gun locker hidden in a secret compartment of the pantry. And certainly the only men on the street with a book of phrases that translated into messages like "Twelve o'clock, danger", "Run fast and silently", and "Hide until you hear my voice".

And if Gus thought it was weird, he added it to the list of questions to ask Shawn when he sat down long enough to catch his breath. It was no secret to Gus that Shawn was running and hiding from something or someone. He knew it had something to do with his mysterious, heavy bank account. It was the only explanation to why, the second thing Shawn had insisted on when they'd arrived, after explaining Gus' new identity, was teaching Gus how to use a gun.

Shawn had scored Gus a job at a law firm. He handled contracts for private business matters. A boring job but quiet enough and private enough his salary couldn't be guessed. Shawn worked in "buying and selling rare artifacts". It was so quiet that nobody could really ask questions. They had to explain their "income" somehow. The more private their "jobs", the easier to avoid suspicion.

Gus came home from work on his ninth day to find a red Mercedes in the driveway. He kept the worry off of his face and opened the front door to see a tall brunette standing in the foyer. She was wearing a black tie-dress and sleek heels and if Gus hadn't become so fond of his new life, she would've been precisely his type. She turned around and Gus recognized her as the girl from the hotel parking lot about two weeks ago.

She practically bounced up and down as she ran to give him a hug. "You're him! Hi! I'm so excited to meet you. I'm Addison, an old friend from college. Shawn has told me everything about you. He failed to mention how cute you were." She squeezed a little too tight for comfort before pulling back.

Gus exchanged a look with Shawn, watching as he tried not to laugh. "Nice to meet you." He said dumbly.

"Oh, yes it is." She repeated, smile faltering for a moment, just long enough for Shawn to note. He frowned in observation, standing up. He started to lead her to the door, guiding Gus by his lower back into the house, the look on his face clearly saying "we'll talk about this later". "I'll see you soon, Gus."

Gus watched as they spoke swiftly and quietly in some silent language. He watched as Shawn used his words, expressions and his body to communicate. He watched her kiss him almost achingly tender on his forehead before nodding a farewell and getting into her car. He waved numbly back and she backed out.

Shawn frowned as Joss left, deep in thought. She'd come to tell him his abrupt departure had sparked a frenzy in several departments. People were searching for him, the evidence he left in Canada had bought him some time. To be on the safe side, he should stay put at least another three months before lifting his head. That meant he would be able to keep Gus in the dark for longer.

Also erring on the safe side, Joss had set up residence a few blocks away. She was going by Addison Coleman for the moment. No doubt another protagonist from those romance novels she wrote. The neighbors thought she traveled a lot for business. They didn't know those "business conventions" involved excellent blade work and more often than not, someone left in a body bag.

Shawn pulled his sweater closer to his body and entered the house, closing the door slowly behind him. "Hey." He said, sitting beside Gus on the couch. "So, about Joss-"

"Joss?" Gus asked, confusion obvious and Shawn wanted to kiss him so badly.

"Yeah, Addison is Joss. I've known her for years. She's just here to keep an eye on us." She's here to keep and eye on you, he corrected. "Make sure we're not being too obvious." Yet Gus' lack of subtly was becoming Shawn's favorite part of him.

"Right. Because I forgot my name a couple of times yesterday. I'm sure it was pretty noticeable. They called my name about four times before I remembered." Gus admitted quietly.

Shawn coked his head, trying to decipher if Gus was serious. He grinned and laid his head on Gus' shoulder, loving the way his warmth blocked out the world in at least one ear. It slipped out before he knew, "I love you."

And it was silent; not necessarily awkward because Shawn wished it that way. "Shawn…" Gus trailed off, not knowing what to say. And it felt like proper manners to say it back. But when he opened his mouth, his throat clamped shut.

Shawn closed his eyes and relished in the fact that Gus was trying to let him down gently and hadn't yet shrugged him off. But he wouldn't be this way with me at all if he knew just what I'd done. What I had to do to keep him safe. So I'll take what I can have. "You don't have to say it back. Not now, anyway."

"What do you mean not now?"

"Mrs. Grey invited us to dinner this Thursday. We've got to look like a loving couple. Kisses and all." Shawn said wistfully as he felt Gus tense.

"I'm surprisingly not that surprised you agreed." And he wasn't. Shawn had been trying so hard to come across as sickeningly domestic. Much like he had years ago when he thought it had been what Gus wanted. Before he broke his heart anyway.

"You've got to play the game. You have to be so excruciatingly normal so that they don't suspect a thing. This one time, my friend Wilson was working in Pittsburg and he had this neighbor, Mr. Tillman I think, and he would constantly sit at his window with this ridiculous set of spy binoculars he'd won in a raffle or he got them out a cereal box or something. Anyway, they actually worked and Wilson, he was never really good about keeping his curtains closed. He… he used to come home and …" He trailed off and after a moment Gus looked down and saw that he'd fallen asleep. And much like Shawn did all those nights in the car, Gus let him dream. He picked him up as gently as he could and carried him to bed and if his heart pulled as he left the room, he ignored it.

***

"I know! Damn it!" Gus shoved at the railing and left the safe room. He was pissed. At Shawn, at Joss, at himself. He wasn't a great shot, he knew that. He'd only been practicing for the past three weeks. He was working on it and he didn't need Shawn breathing down his neck telling him how important it was that he got better. If he didn't know that, he wouldn't be here.

He stomped his way into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of milk. He was calming down, his eyes lazily coming back to the phone over and over. He knew his parents were probably worried. He wasn't able to call them. Shawn hadn't specifically forbid him but it was a pretty easy guess.

Gus had just pushed off from the counter, deciding it couldn't hurt if he called, just to let his mother know he was okay. Just less than thirty seconds like he saw in all those cop shows. He'd just decided on it when Shawn came in, hair messy and sticking to his head in places. His mind ran over that night years ago and so many times before that.

"Gus, look I'm sorry, okay? I don't mean to yell but I get worried. I get scared that when you really need to protect yourself, you won't know how. And I won't be there to protect you." He stopped, seeing Gus was adamantly focused on his feet. "What?"

Reluctantly, "I wanted to call my parents. They don't know where I am." He noted the strained look on Shawn's face and immediately took it back. "But its okay; its fine. I don't have to. They shouldn't be worried about me anyway. It's not like I'm ten-years-old."

Shawn shook his head, pushing Gus towards the phone. His hands lingered on his back and Gus could feel the apology there. This had become their life now. Gus saying or doing something that showed just how unused to secrecy and subtlety he was and Shawn would call him on it much like his father used do to him and the rest of the day would be spent apologizing and forgiving. Usually Shawn was the one apologizing. "No, go ahead. Feel free. There's no way to track this line. Just remember not to tell them anything about where you are. Lie if you have to."

Shawn stalked off, a lonely, solemn look on his face. "Okay, thanks."

Halfway through a ring, his mother answered. "Burton Guster, that better be you or so help me-" She started, her voice coming out in a rushed whisper.

"Yeah mom, it's me." He said sheepishly, knowing his mother could probably hear the shamed shrug over the phone. "It's a long story actually…"

Shawn listened in the foyer though he was sure Gus wouldn't give them away. He trusted him; more than Joss sometimes. He'd lied to her to get her here. He'd told her he informed his superior that he was going off the grid for a while. It was more of an insurance policy to gain Joss' trust back. And yeah, it wasn't really fair. He was asking too much of both of them. He really should've known Gus would feel guilty for worrying his parents. He was too preoccupied lying to Gus to realize what he was doing to the people Gus cared about.

After a while, he made his back to the safe room. Joss was taking practice shots with the simulator, not a single shot off the mark. "I'm so glad you love me." Shawn teased, coming up beside her. "I'd hate to be on the other side of that."

She smirked, barely pausing in her practice. "Keep treating him like a naughty schoolgirl and you will be." She fired off a few more shots before ceasing. She straightened her hair, eying him with the same challenging look she gave in response to any and all orders. "You're too hard on him." Short, sweet and to the point.

Shawn shook his head and stepped towards her. "I'm not. He needs to know what's out there."

"And how can he when you won't tell him anything? You never tell him where you're going, who you're with, or why you're here. He's getting restless and you just keep telling him 'Stay in house', 'Don't answer the phone unless it's me or Joss, 'Do as I say, not as I do.' Maybe if you just-"

Shawn snapped and cut her off, "Maybe if I just, what? What- tell him who I am? What I've done? The people I've killed? That'll go over well. Maybe he'll be scared stupid and I'll get a head start before he calls the cops."

Joss rolled her eyes and widened her stance, defensive. She was taller than him now. "Shawn, you can't keep expecting him to wait and-"

"He doesn't trust me now? How can I expect him to even trust being in the same room with me if I tell him I'm the reason several people, whole families, are dead and rotting in the ground?"

"Oh, now that's just a bit extreme-" She started, a wince on her face.

"Is it?" Shawn smiled grimly, a smile Joss was regretfully getting used to. She'd learned to rely on Gus if she wanted to see a real one from him. There were so rare these days.

Joss met his gaze stress creating unforgiving shadows on her face. She looked so real Shawn almost forgot how to breathe. "You're not a bad person." She stepped closer to him and held his face in her palms. "If you were I wouldn't be here."

Shawn dropped his eyes to his hands. He wanted to tell her what he'd done. He'd wanted to for so long but he kept telling himself it wasn't the time. It wasn't just him that needed her, Gus did too. There was never a choice between protecting himself and Gus. Before and after that night he'd crawled into Gus' bed. "You love me. You shouldn't."

Joss sighed and turned back to the simulation. "Go easier on him. He's not like us and you should pray he never is."

Shawn turned his back on her and started to go upstairs again. At least he'd be safer, he thought.