Thanks to everyone for the reviews.

Cupcake: I don't own a iPhone, so I never considered the battery couldn't be removed.

This chapter is of a more reasonable length than the last two.

Enjoy.


Sunday

Nikki gently eased open the back door of the Psych office. She smiled to herself. Shawn had been getting better about remembering to lock the front door, but still forgot about the one in the back. She slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind her.

The office was empty, which wasn't surprising. Last night had been another late night for everyone. Shawn and Gus had driven her back to Henry's place to find the ex-cop waiting up for them. Henry had taken one look at Shawn, swaying on his feet, and sent him home, saving all of his lecturing for Nikki. That had lasted for a good half hour. He ranged in topic from how irresponsible she had been to how lucky she was not to have gotten hurt. She tugged lightly on the bandage on her arm. Shawn had let her borrow his sweater to cover up the injury, both of them agreeing that it would be best to hide it from Henry. If he had seen it, he would probably have yelled at her all night. And he probably would have dragged Shawn back over to yell at him too. It was really just better if Henry never found out.

She went over to Shawn's desk and sat down, yawning. Despite how exhausted she had been last night, she had barely gotten any sleep. The pain of her arm had kept her awake and what sleep she did get was broken by nightmares. Sometimes she wished she didn't have a photographic memory. It made the nightmares that much more vivid. She had eventually given up on sleep and come down here. She figured Shawn would show up at the office eventually.

She slowly spun the chair around, wondering what to do until he got here. He had looked really tired last night, so would probably sleep in. That left her with some time to kill. She wondered if he had anything good on TiVo. Her glance fell on an envelope sitting on the desk. She stopped spinning the chair and picked it up.

It was from the hospital in Denver. She recognized the name on the return address as one of the nurses who took care of her mom. Curious, she dumped the contents of the envelope on the desk. A picture and a folded piece of paper fell out. She picked up the picture first. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw who was in it. After a long moment, she placed it carefully back on the desk. She then picked up the paper and unfolded it. It was a letter to Shawn. When she saw who it was from, her eyes widened. "Why would you write a letter to Shawn?" she asked quietly. Completely mystified, and a little unsettled, she started to read.


He was in the abandoned building, tied to a pillar. Newton had taken off after Nikki, gun in hand. One shot had already been fired. He sat there breathlessly, hoping Nikki was safe.

Another shot rang out, followed by a cry of pain. "Nikki!" he shouted. He started tugging on his bonds, drawing blood in his attempt to free himself.

He heard the sound of running footsteps, then someone stumbled into view. It was Nikki, bleeding heavily from a shot to her abdomen. "Shawn," she gasped, looking at him accusingly. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. "You said you would keep me safe." He watched in horror as she collapsed to the ground. Her eyes turned glazed and lifeless. "Nikki!" he screamed, trying desperately to wrench himself free.

Suddenly Newton was standing in front of him, gun pointed at his head. "One more complication to take care of," he said, before pulling the trigger.

Shawn woke with a gasp, heart pounding, the echo of a gunshot still playing in his head. He sat up, groaning as his abused body protested the movement. Still disoriented from the dream, he glanced around quickly to figure out where he was. He relaxed slightly as the familiar view of his bedroom met his eyes. He was safe at home. Newton was dead. He and Nikki were fine. He kept repeating that to himself as he took deep, shuddering breaths, trying to slow his racing heart. Slowly, the dream started to fade, the fear and anxiety along with it.

He glanced at the alarm clock and sighed. It was way too early for him to be up, after the night he had had. Actually, the last few nights. He hadn't gotten a full nights sleep in a week. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. He knew from past experience it was no use trying to fall back asleep. The nightmare would just come back, as vividly as the first time. It was one of the drawbacks of having a photographic memory. Sure, it meant he could solve crimes and play at being a cop. But it also meant waking in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, haunted by what he had seen. Some days it just didn't seem worth it.

He forced his mind away from that depressing thought and levered himself out of bed. If he was going to be up this early, he needed coffee. He paused as he took in his disheveled and dirt smeared appearance in the mirror. He had been too tired last night to do anything besides fall straight into bed. First a shower, then coffee.

He stood under the hot spray for what felt like hours, letting the soothing heat relax his tense muscles. He only got out once the water ran cold. Afterward, feeling refreshed and slightly more human, he walked into the kitchen, He found a note taped to the coffee maker.

Shawn,

Needed at the station. Didn't want to wake you.

Try to get some rest.

Love,

Juliet

She had put a little heart instead of a dot over the 'i' in her name. He smiled. He had never figured out how he had been lucky enough to end up with Juliet. They had been dancing around each other for years, never available at the same time, constantly missing out on each other. He had almost given up hope it would ever happen. Finally, his chance had come. He had summoned up his courage and asked her out. It had been the best decision he ever made.

Still smiling, he went to the cabinet to get the coffee. His smile faded when he saw a bare spot where the coffee was usually kept. He dug through the whole cabinet, but still came up empty handed. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew where the coffee had disappeared to. Luckily, he had a Plan B He went to the pantry and dug around behind the can goods. He kept a hidden stash of coffee back there, just for this situation. Still nothing. Grumbling, he went back to the coffee maker and grabbed the note. Flipping it over, he found more writing on the back.

I knew about the pantry, Shawn. Try some tea.

He couldn't help giving a wry grin. As much as he loved her, she could still drive him crazy. She was getting much better at figuring out his secrets. Soon he wouldn't be able to keep anything from her.

He went into the living room and grabbed the remote. Flopping down on the couch, he started flipping through channels, looking for something to watch. After the third time through the guide, he gave up and turned the TV off. 200+ channels and still nothing on. Bored, he sat there, wondering what to do with his day. The house was quiet and peaceful. It was starting to get on his nerves.

He looked at the clock. It was midmorning. Considering their late night, Gus was probably still asleep and wouldn't appreciate Shawn waking him up. But he needed to get out of the house. His bike was still at his dad's place, so it was either Gus or walk. He grabbed the portable phone. He was pretty sure he remembered the number to Gus's new work cell.

The first time the phone rang five times before going to voicemail. The second time it rang twice, then to voicemail. The third call went straight to voicemail.

"Fourth times the charm," he said, dialing Gus's number again. This time he finally got a response, if a short one.

"No, Shawn," Gus said, followed by a dial tone.

Shawn called him again. "Dude, I didn't even ask anything yet," he said indignantly as soon as Gus picked up.

"What do you want Shawn?" Gus asked irritably.

"I need a ride."

"No," Gus said, hanging up.

"Some people are grouchy in the morning," he muttered, dialing again. "Dude, stop hanging up already," he whined once Gus answered.

He heard Gus sigh. "Do you have any idea how late I got home last night? I had to wait three hours for Juliet to show up before I could leave your place."

"You didn't have to hang around," he said, surprised. He could barely remember getting home last night. He hadn't realized Gus had stayed around. "You could have just gone home."

"Shawn, you most likely have a concussion," Gus reminded him. "Remember what the paramedics said? Someone needed to check on you, make sure you were ok."

"Aww, Gus, how sweet," he said, using his most cutesy voice. "When did you turn into a girl?"

"Shut up Shawn," Gus said crossly.

Chuckling, he asked, "Now, how about that ride?"

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Gus asked wearily.

"I can rest at the office," he argued. "Besides, I have to call that PI today, remember?"

"Not for another couple of hours," Gus pointed out.

"Come on, it's so boring here," he whined. "Would you rather I walked? I don't think that would be very safe, considering my head injury." He grinned to himself. Gus couldn't say no now.

Gus was silent for a moment, then sighed in annoyance. "Fine," he said, causing Shawn's grin to widen. Gus was so predictable. "I'll pick you up in twenty minutes."

"Thanks dude," he said. "Any chance we can stop for coffee along the way?" There was silence, then a dial tone. "Guess that's a no then," he said, hanging up the phone.


Shawn slurped his drink happily. "Suzy really does make the best smoothies." He took another long slurp. While Gus had said no to the coffee, he had managed to convince his friend to drive across town for smoothies. "Don't you agree?"

Gus just grunted, pulling into their parking spot in front of Psych. Shawn rolled his eyes. "Come on, man. You can't still be hung up about this."

Gus shut off the car and looked at him. "I don't think it's right conning free smoothies out of her."

"I'm doing no such thing," Shawn said indignantly. "She's merely expressing her gratitude for the work I do helping the citizens of Santa Barbara." He took another sip of his free smoothie. She really had a talent for fruity drinks. "Besides, cops get free things all the time."

"You're not a cop," Gus pointed out.

"I'm practically a cop," Shawn said conceitedly. "I solve crimes like a cop and catch bad guys just like a real cop." He smacked Gus in the shoulder excitedly. "Dude, you think the chief would make me an honorary cop? Like with a badge and stuff?"

"No," Gus said shortly, getting out of the car. He started walking towards the office.

Shawn jumped out of the car and jogged to catch up with Gus. "You're grumpy. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"You woke me up," Gus said, scowling.

"No, I don't think that's it," he said, contemplating. He snapped his fingers. "I bet it's because you had to pay for your drink, while mine was free." He took another long slurp from said drink to prove his point.

"It's not like you solved those cases on you're own," Gus grumbled. He pulled out his keys to unlock the door.

"I knew it," Shawn crowed. "You're jealous!"

"Maybe I am," Gus admitted, opening the door. "But that's not the point. You're taking advantage of her. She was flirting with you the whole time."

"Really?" Shawn asked innocently. "I hadn't noticed." He finished his smoothie and threw the container out in the can by the door.

Gus looked at him skeptically. "You have a girlfriend." He sighed when he saw Shawn had left the door open. "Really dude?" he asked sarcastically as he went to close it.

"Relax Gus," Shawn said. "Flirting never hurt anyone."

They walked into the main area of the office and stopped short. Nikki was standing there, arms crossed, waiting for them. She looked angry and her gaze was fixed on Shawn.

"Hey Nikki," he said uncertainly. No response. That was a bad sign. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gus sidle away from him, getting out of the danger zone. "How are you?" The silence was starting to make him nervous. "Do you want a smoothie? I'm sure Gus could go get you one. Right Gus?" He looked at Gus, who glared at him, clearly not wanting to get involved.

"How could you Shawn?" Nikki asked finally. He was surprised by the level of anger in her voice. "How could you do this to me?"

"Do what?" he asked, completely clueless.

"Don't play dumb," she said angrily. "How could you lie to me?"

"Lie to you?" he asked. He was starting to sound like a parrot, repeating what she said back to her. The lack of sleep must be getting to him. Usually he was more articulate than that.

"Yes, lie to me!" she shouted. "I don't know why I didn't see it coming. You spend your whole life lying. Why would I be any different?" She laughed bitterly to herself.

Shawn was completely baffled. He had been more honest with her than he was with Gus. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what she was so mad about. "Okay, maybe I wasn't an actual sheriff," he said, trying to break the tension. "But the people of Old Sonora loved me."

"Just stop with the jokes," she said, eyes blazing in fury. "I found the letter." She went over to his desk and picked up the envelope from the hospital. "How long have you been hiding this from me?" she asked, waving it at him.

"Look, I just got that yesterday," he said defensively. "I haven't even read it yet."

"I don't believe you," she said, tears forming in her eyes. She wiped them away angrily, still glaring at him. "I thought I could trust you." He could hear the betrayal in her voice.

"Nikki, I've done nothing but try to help you," he said soothingly. He cautiously moved closer to her. She glared at him, wiping her eyes, but remained silent. "I never wanted to hurt you," he said. He couldn't stand seeing her so upset. Knowing she blamed him made it even worse. He wanted to fix this, but didn't even know what he had done wrong. He moved closer, almost within touching distance.

She looked away, tears running down her face. "I don't believe you," she said softly.

"You can trust me," he said, giving her a small smile. "I promised to keep you safe while I looked for your dad, and I will."

Apparently it was the wrong thing to say. Her head snapped up and he took a step back at the raw fury in her gaze. "You know what? Screw you Shawn!" she yelled. She thrust the envelope into his hands. "I should have never saved you from Newton." Sobbing, she stormed out of the office.

"Nikki!" he called, starting after her. The slamming of the office door was his only reply. He stood there in shock, wondering what had just happened.

Gus walked towards him cautiously. "What was about?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," Shawn replied. He looked down at the envelope in his hands. "But I think I know how to find out." He walked over to his desk. Turning the envelope upside down, he dumped out the contents. A folded piece of paper and a photograph fell out.

He picked up the picture first. It showed a younger Nikki with a woman who was clearly her mother. He stared at the photo. The woman seemed oddly familiar. Puzzled, he put the picture down and picked up the paper. Unfolding it, he found it was a letter. He looked at the signature. "It's from Nikki's mom," he said in surprise, looking up at Gus.

"What does it say?" Gus asked urgently.

Shawn read the letter. Partway through, he stiffened, eyes widening in shock. "No way," he muttered.

"What?" Gus asked eagerly.

Shawn didn't even hear Gus, too overwhelmed by what the letter contained. When he reached the end, he read the letter a second time, then a third. Each time it told him the same thing. He saw the paper shaking and realized he was trembling. He sat down heavily, dropping his head into his hands. It was too much to take in, especially after last night.

"Shawn?" Gus asked anxiously.

He raised his head. Gus was looking at him worriedly. "Are you ok?" he asked carefully.

"I didn't see it," Shawn said, half to himself. "I'm supposed to be so observant and I never saw what was right in front of me." He thought back to all the little things he had noticed in the past week. Her infectious smile. Her tendency to babble when nervous. The photographic memory. And her eyes. The same eyes he saw in the mirror every day. He started laughing. "No wonder that PI found the situation funny." His laughter had a slightly hysterical edge to it.

"Shawn, what's going on?" Gus asked, sounding alarmed by his behavior.

His laughter died off. He picked up the picture and handed it to Gus. "That is Sarah Peterson," he explained. Gus nodded slowly, still looking puzzled. "About 15 years ago, a young guy on a motorcycle was traveling along the east coast. One night he was stranded by a rainstorm in a small town in North Carolina. Luckily, one of the waitresses at the local diner was kind enough to let him stay the night at her place." He pointed to the picture in Gus's hand.

Gus looked at him in shock. "You mean – "

"Yeah," Shawn said. He leaned back in his chair, grinning wryly. "Nikki's my daughter."


Shawn was all for chasing after Nikki right away. He understood now why she had been so upset. He would be too, if it looked like someone he trusted had betrayed him. Especially if that person was family. He needed to talk to her, explain his side of the story. The whole thing was his fault and he couldn't rest until he made things right. Gus had argued against it, saying it was best to give her some space. She'd come back when she was ready. Shawn knew he was right, but he couldn't just sit still. He compromised by limiting his search to areas around the Psych office, hoping she hadn't gone far. When the search turned up nothing, he returned to wait.

"Calm down," Gus said from his desk. Shawn had been pacing around the office for the last ten minutes. "Everything is going to be fine."

Shawn glanced at the clock. "It's already been two hours," he said worriedly. "What if something happened to her?" His mind raced through all the things that could befall a 15 year old girl wandering the streets alone. He started pacing faster. "She could have been hit by a car, or attacked in an alley, or kidnapped – "

Gus got up from his desk and grabbed Shawn, pulling him to a stop. "Snap out of it," he said, looking Shawn straight in the eye, making sure he had his attention. "Relax. She's smart. I'm sure she's fine."

Shawn took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Once he started to relax, Gus let him go. "Thanks man," he said. "I guess I was overreacting a little." He grinned sheepishly at Gus.

"You think?" Gus asked, arching an eyebrow. He walked back to his desk, giving Shawn time to regain his composure. "She needs some time to sort things out. It's a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it," Shawn muttered. He plopped down in his desk chair, looking for something to keep him occupied. He spotted a tennis ball on the shelf behind him. Grabbing it, he started bouncing it off the wall. Thunk.

"You know, the only person I've ever seen yell at you like that is your dad," Gus said thoughtfully. Thunk. "I guess she gets her temper from him." He shook his head in mock pity, trying to lighten the mood. "Sorry dude."

Thunk. "I'm more worried about what she got from me," Shawn said, staring at the wall. Thunk. "I don't exactly have the best track record with emotional situations." Thunk. "What if she decides to run?" Thunk. The ball hit the wall at an angle, veering off across the room. It hit the lamp in the corner, knocking it over with the sound of breaking glass. "Perfect," he said with a sigh. He got up, grabbing a trash can.

"Shawn," Gus said worriedly.

"Kind of busy Gus," he said, kneeling down by the broken lamp. He started picking up shards of glass and depositing them in the trash can. His right hand slipped on one of the more jagged pieces. "Damn it!" Blood was quickly welling up, dripping to the floor. "Can't anything go right today?" he muttered darkly. A first kit fell in front of him. He looked up. "Thanks."

"No problem," Gus said, averting his gaze. "Make sure to get the blood off the floor." He grabbed a broom and started sweeping up the broken glass.

Shawn quickly bandaged his hand and wiped up the blood. "All better," he said, holding up his hand to show Gus. He grabbed the first aid kit with his other hand and stood up. He went to put the kit back by the sink.

Gus dumped the last of the glass shards in the trash can. He put the broom back and looked seriously at Shawn. "Do you really think she'll run off?"

Shawn sighed, looking away. "It's what I would do." He snorted. "Hell, if it was me, I would be long gone by now." He grabbed the tennis ball off the floor and went back over to his desk. He placed it down carefully, keeping his back to Gus. "She already ran away once coming here."

"I don't think she'll run," Gus said slowly. He appeared to be giving this some thought. "She had nothing to lose last time she ran. No home, no family. Now she has a place to stay and people who care about her. And she has you." Shawn turned around, looking at Gus uncertainly. "She may be mad at you and hate your guts right now. But you're still her father. She's been waiting 15 years to meet you." He gave Shawn a reassuring look. "She's not going to leave now."

"I hope you're right," Shawn said. The office phone rang, breaking the tension. He answered it automaticaley. "This is Psych. Unfortunately, disturbances in the ether mean we aren't taking any new cases right now – "

"What the hell did you do?" said an angry voice, cutting him off.

He blinked. "Dad?" He looked over at Gus in confusion.

"Nikki just showed up in tears, yelling that you're a bastard and that she never wants to see you again," Henry said. Shawn closed his eyes in relief. "You better have a good explanation."

"Is she ok?" he asked quietly.

"Besides the screaming," Henry said matter of factly. He gave a sigh. "What did you do now?"

"Doesn't matter. I'll be right there." He hung up the phone over his dad's protests. Gus was already grabbing his keys. "She's at my dad's," he told Gus.

"So I was right," Gus said with a grin.

"Drive now. Gloat later," Shawn said, pushing Gus out the door.


Shawn hesitated in front of his father's door. He usually just barged in, not bothering with courtesies like knocking. But given the situation, maybe this time he should knock. He stood there uncertainly, knowing he was overthinking this. He was saved the trouble of making a decision when Henry opened the door.

"I don't appreciate screaming teenagers running through my house," he said, letting Shawn inside. "I got enough of that when you were growing up." He noticed the bandage on Shawn's hand and rolled his eyes. "Can't you go one day without injuring yourself?"

"Apparently not," Shawn said distracted. "Where's Nikki?" The house was quiet and he didn't see any sign of her.

Henry sighed. "Out back. She said she wanted to be alone." He looked speculatively at Shawn. "Whatever you did, it really upset her."

"I'm trying to fix that," Shawn said. He looked hesitantly at his father. He didn't want his dad to overhear this conversation. "Look, it might take awhile and I can't promise there won't be more yelling. . ."

Henry took the hint. "I have some errands I can run." He looked towards the back door. "I hope you can fix this."

"Me too," Shawn said quietly.

Henry patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck kid. Don't screw it up."

Shawn rolled his eyes as his father left. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," he muttered. He walked slowly over to the back door. He could see Nikki sitting on the picnic table in the yard, staring out towards the beach. He hesitated, suddenly nervous. What if he couldn't fix things? What if he had blown his one chance to connect with his daughter? He had only known her a few days and already she had become an important part of his life. No, he had to fix this. He would fix this. He took a deep breath, strengthening his resolve. He slid open the door and stepped out onto the back porch.

He put up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. It was a gorgeous day. The sky was clear and that brilliant blue only seen on lazy summer days. It was warm without being overly humid or muggy. It was the perfect day to kick back and relax. He barely registered any of this, his attention focused on the girl on the table. "Hey," he said softly. She stiffened slightly but otherwise gave no indication she had heard him. He walked slowly over to the picnic table. He climbed up and sat on the end opposite her. Still no response. He sighed softly. It looked like it was up to him to get the conversation started.

"So. . . " He cast around for an innocuous topic of conversation. "Nice weather we're having," he said finally. The weather was always safe to talk about.

"Go away Shawn," Nikki said, angling her body away from him. Her voice was thick from crying and he saw her discreetly wipe at her eyes. It hurt, seeing her so upset because of him.

"Nikki, just let me explain," he said plaintively.

"Just go away," she said forcefully. She sniffed, wiping her eyes again.

They sat there in silence for awhile. Shawn cast his mind around, trying to figure out how to reach her. Maybe a different approach would work. He leaned back on his hands, looking out at the ocean. "You know, technically, it was Lassiter that saved me," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. He purposely avoided looking at her directly. Instead, he watched her out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see her response.

She jerked. It was a small movement. As if she started to turn towards him, but changed her mind right away. But it was enough for him to know it was working. "Scream at me, say you wish I was dead, whatever," he said carelessly. She gave a small start at the word 'dead.' "But at least get your facts straight," he continued. "It's all thanks to Lassiter that I'm here." He saw her fists clench slightly. Anger was good. Anger would get her talking. "I should make him a cake or something," he mused.

"Lassiter may have shot Newton, but he was only there because I called him," Nikki snapped. "Therefore, I saved you." She turned and glared at him. "You never even said thank you."

He sat up and turned towards her. Her hazel eyes were red rimmed and sparked with anger. "You're right," he said calmly. She seemed taken aback at his words. He took a deep breath, looking her right in the eyes. "Thank you, Nikki, for saving my life."

"You're welcome," she said quietly, anger fading. She turned away again.

He had gotten her to acknowledge him. Good. Now to keep her talking. "How's the arm?" he asked. He could see the edge of the bandage sticking out from under her sleeve. He hoped Henry hadn't seen it when she ran past earlier.

She tugged on her sleeve to cover the bandage. "It hurts," she replied shortly. She glanced at him quickly, then back towards the beach. "How's your head?" she asked. He heard a touch of concern in her voice.

"It hurts," he replied, just as succinctly. He held up his hand. "This hurts too."

She looked over at his hand. "What did you do?" she asked, turning slightly towards him.

"Had an accident with a lamp," he said, grinning sheepishly.

She rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot." But she smiled slightly at him.

"Some would call me a genius," he said proudly.

"What, the other wackos at the loony bin?" she retorted.

"Hey, don't make fun of the crazies," he said indignantly. "Wackos are people too. The ones at the hospital really looked up to me."

"You spent time in a mental hospital?" She didn't sound surprised.

"I was undercover," he said defensively.

"Uh huh," she said skeptically. They lapsed into silence again, although with a great deal less tension than last time.

"How long have you known?" she asked quietly. "And no lies, or jokes, or anything." She looked at him seriously. "I want the truth."

"Since this morning." She looked at him skeptically. He held up his hands. "I swear it's the truth," he insisted. "I got the letter yesterday, but didn't get a chance to read it. Someone ran off after a murderer." He looked her straight in the eye, willing her to believe him.

She studied his face for a moment, then looked away. "I'm sorry I ran off," she said quietly. "And I'm sorry I yelled at you this morning. The letter was open, so I assumed you read it. I shouldn't have said the things I did." She glanced at him, embarrassed. "I'm glad you're not dead."

"Me too," he said sincerely. "Apology accepted. And for the record, I have never lied to you. Not about something important anyway." He looked out towards the beach. "There's very few people I'm that honest with," he said softly.

He saw her nod slowly. "Shawn?" she asked hesitantly. "What happens now?"

He sighed, looking down at his hands. "Well, the police in Denver will have to be notified that you're here. You are a missing person after all." The chief was already aware of the situation. He hoped he could use that to his advantage. Although he wasn't sure if he should tell Vick the real identity of Nikki's father right away. He considered how he could keep his secret while sorting things out with the police.

"Are you going to send me back?" she asked quietly.

His thoughts slammed to a halt. He looked at her, shocked. "Of course not. I made a promise to keep you safe." After everything that had happened, after everything he had learned, that was the last thing on his mind.

"You made that promise before you knew the truth," she said, looking down. "When I was just a case, some kid you were helping out because you were bored." She took a shuddering breath, sounding close to tears. "I've already caused you enough problems. I thought it might be easier for you, if you sent me back."

"You were never just a case to me, even before I knew the truth," he said softly. "You're my daughter. And you're never going back." She looked up at him, tears trickling down her face. "Come here," he said, pulling her to him. He wrapped his arms around Nikki, hugging her tightly. She started crying softly into his shirt. "If there's one thing my dad taught me, it was you never turn your back on family. So like it or not, we're stuck with each other." He looked down fondly at her. "Besides, you're a great kid. Who wouldn't want you around?"

She pulled away, looking up at him. "Do you really mean that?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded. "I really do." She grinned, wiping at her eyes. "That doesn't mean it's going to be easy," he cautioned. "There's a lot that needs to be sorted out." He hesitated. "It might be best if you stay here for now. I'll need time to talk to Juliet." He wondered how she would take it. They had been taking their relationship pretty slow. They had just moved in together. Now he wanted to add a kid to the mix.

"What are you going to tell her? And your dad?" She grinned cheekily at him. "Or should I say grandpa?"

Shawn shuddered. "I can't even imagine how that conversation ends well." His dad would kill him. He had always told Shawn to be responsible. And this had to count as the most irresponsible thing he had ever done. He groaned, covering his face in his hands. And he was getting along so well with his dad too.

"We could keep it a secret."

He looked at Nikki in surprise. He couldn't have heard her right. "What?"

"It would be fun," she said lightly. "Having this big secret nobody knows about. Think of the fun we could have." She grinned at him "Besides, I think Henry would be a lot more lenient if he didn't know I was his granddaughter."

He looked doubtfully at Nikki. "I don't know," he said carefully. "It makes it seem like I'm ashamed of you, keeping this a secret." The idea was making him uncomfortable. Sure, he kept secrets from people all the time, but never one like this.

"It was my idea" she reminded him. "I know you're not ashamed. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks." She looked down, fiddling with a hole in her jeans. "I've already disrupted you're life enough," she said quietly. "I don't want to cause anymore trouble. And it will give us both time to get used to this before everyone finds out."

"Are you sure?" he asked. It would make things a lot easier for him. But this wasn't just about him, it was about Nikki too. She would have to live with the lie just as much as he would. He wasn't sure he could ask such a thing of her.

"I'm sure." She looked up at him, face serious. "You've done so much to help me already. It's my turn to help you."

He nodded. "OK. But only for a little while. Just until I get things sorted out." That couldn't take too long. A couple of weeks, tops.

"Deal," she said, nodding. "Besides, I'll see you all the time anyway. I am your psychic apprentice." She grinned cheekily at him.

Shawn grinned back. "Yes you are. And speaking of which," he said, standing up. "I believe last time I was here, I was educating you on the finer points of 80's filmography." He took her hand and pulled her off the table. "No daughter of mine should be that ignorant of such an important period of movie history."

She rolled her eyes as he lead her into the house. "Whatever you say, dad."


Henry pulled up to the house and shut off the truck. He had stretched out his errands as long as he could but eventually he had to return to home. He had given Shawn plenty of time to clear things up with Nikki. He hoped he had succeeded. He had dealt with enough teenage drama while Shawn was growing up.

He took a moment to survey the scene. He saw Shawn's bike still parked in the driveway. He must still be here, unless he called someone for a ride. Either way, it would be best to enter the house cautiously. He got out of the truck, quietly closing the door behind him. He walked quickly to the door, watching for any signs of movement from the windows. Nothing. He slowly opened the door, listening for any sounds of an argument. He heard the TV playing in the front room but nothing else. It was oddly quiet, but at least there was no yelling. He silently closed the door behind him. "Shawn? Nikki?" No answer. Feeling a little foolish for sneaking around in his own home, he crept through the kitchen. He peeked around the doorway into the living room.

Shawn was sitting on the couch, arm wrapped around Nikki. She was nestled up against him, head pillowed on his shoulder. Both were fast asleep. He snuck into the room and turned off the TV. He then retreated back to the doorway, being careful not to disturb anything, He looked at the two of them, deep in thought. Shawn had always been a bit of a slacker. That fact had frustrated him while Shawn was growing up. He could have been a great cop, if he could just stay focused. Henry had eventually accepted the fact that that was just the way Shawn was. He rarely took anything seriously.

But he took Nikki seriously. In fact, he had never seen Shawn work harder on a case. It gave him hope that his son might finally be growing up. It was about time. Nikki shifted against Shawn, causing him to tighten his hold on her. It was unthinking, a reflexive movement in his sleep. Instinctive, even. Henry smiled, thinking of how protective Shawn had grown of Nikki over the past week. He had this need to take care of her, make sure she was all right. And he was good with her, this morning not withstanding. All skills that any good parent needed.

Henry chuckled softly to himself. Sure, Shawn would make a great father, someday. Too bad it wouldn't be anytime soon. He quietly headed upstairs, leaving the two on the couch to their slumber.


Be honest, who saw that coming?

One more chapter to go.