A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been awhile since I last updated. Getting the motivation to write can be hard. XD Anyway, I stayed up till 12:40 writing this, so it'll either be really good that I've finally had a breakthrough or I'm just really sleep deprived. So be warned! XP Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Is that a vampire wearing bunny ears?
The sound of rubber soles shifting echoed off the rocks and Shawn shook his head, the noise reminding him he had more important things to worry about than questionable graffiti. Fog tingled in Shawn's lungs as he brew in shallow breaths, trying to be as quiet as possible. Apparently Lassiter had the same idea, because the shuffling suddenly stopped. Shawn cocked his head an listened hard, trying to pinpoint the location the noise had come from, but now it was eerily silent and he couldn't get any more information.
Deciding it was time to move, Shawn pulled his gun a little closer to his chest and slipped out from his hiding place. It was dark and hard to see, but year of rough training with his dad taught him how to move with little to no light. Now putting those tactics to good use, Shawn moved as quickly and silently as possible. The last thing he needed was for the cold-eyed detective to find him. With every tick of the clock the chances of getting shot were rising. For both men, this was the endgame.
"Come on out, psychic. I know you're close!"
Shawn cursed mentally, his eyes darting around before settling on a dark flash. Pulling his gun, he flipped around the corner and shot, just barely missing. Lassie laughed, sending chills down Shawn's spine.
"You're going to need more than that if you want to catch me," he said in a creepily chipper tone.
Shawn groaned inwardly, kicking himself for missing the shot and giving his hiding place away. The realization served to remind him what was at stake and he started to sweat even though he felt ice cold. God, I can't let Lassie win this fight.
It's all my fault, Shawn thought as he scrambled for a new place before Lassie could find him. If I hadn't been showing off around Lassie he wouldn't have gone off the deep end and I wouldn't be in this mess . . .
That same day, a few hours earlier . . .
"I heard about the shot you made, Shawn! It was incredible! I couldn't believe it actually happened until Juliet told me it was the truth!"
Growling, Head Detective Carlton Lassiter slammed the case files down on his desk, making McNabb jump. All day long it had been "Spencer this" and "Spencer that" and he was finally done.
"McNabb, take your blabbering, gullible slop of a mind and get out of my sight before I shoot you in the kneecap!" Lassiter roared. McNabb scrambled away like an injured puppy with its tail between its legs, leaving Shawn to stare at Lassie, mouth gaping.
"Dude, what the heck was that for?" Shawn's voice was laced with acid, but at that moment Lassie was too angry to care about the younger officer's feelings.
"Shut it, Spencer! I have to deal with your crap every single day so don't you scold me or so help me I will kill you," Lassiter hissed.
Shawn's eyes narrowed as a realization played out across his face. "This is about the Walbrunger's case, isn't it," he said flatly. "You're jealous of the shot I made."
"I said to shut it."
"You're afraid I'm a better detective than you!" Shawn's face changed back to his lopsided grin. "Well, if that's the case, why didn't you just say so? You didn't have the snap at McNabb!"
"You are not a better detective and I am not scared!" Lassie roared. All around the department, heads turned to stare at the red-faced detective. The stares were closing in on Lassie, choking and squeezing every decent thought he may have had about Spender in the past and replacing it with hatred. Growling, he grabbed the psychic by his shirt collar and tugged hard.
"How about this," he snarled. "I challenge you to a gun fight. If you lose, it proves that I'm right and you're not psychic. After all, if you were you would know when and where I would attack you, correct? Lose and you admit to the Chief you'e been lying and I'll never have to see your smug little grin again."
Shawn swallowed visibly and took a deep breath. "Okay. But if I win, you have to admit to the whole department that I'm a better shot. AND you have to apologize to McNabb for what you said to him."
"Deal," Lassie spat, finally releasing Shawn. He stalked away, smiling to himself. I am so going to beat the crap out of this kid.
Presently . . .
He was with the bunny-eared vampire again.
What is wrong with kids these days? Shawn wondered, glancing at the wall before remembering to focus on the task at hand.
Don't get shot. That's all I need to do. Don't get shot. Don't get shot.
"You're running out of time, psychic," Lassie's voice drawled. Shawn closed his eyes to shut out the words and just listen to the sound. This time he was able to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from - the other side of the rock tower, underneath the Scribblenauts graffiti he'd seen earlier. His eyes snapped open and Lassie's voice came loud and clear -
"It'll be such a relief to know that I won't have to wake up wondering whether or not I'll see your face that day," Lassie was saying. "God, mornings will actually be enjoyable again."
Shawn crawled forward little by little, timing his movements with Lassiter's words so the sound would be camouflaged by the monologue. His palms were starting to get sweaty - he knew if he missed this shot there would be no recovering. This was his last shot at winning, Shawn realized, grinning on the inside at his own pun. The smile faded almost immediately as Lassie continued talking, though.
"Investigating will be so much easier without your antics. And who knows? I might even investigate your murder at some point. Maybe even soon."
Shawn blinked the sweat out of his eye and moved in closer. He was almost there now - just one more rock to wiggle over and Lassie would be in his sight-
"I'm guessing by your silence that you're not willing to play along," Lassie said. "How unusual. Usually you're so snarky. Do you feel all right, Spencer? You're getting feeling sick, are you?"
Somehow the detective's fake concern was even more unnerving than the taunts. Shawn made it over the last of the ledge, sucking in a breath when he saw Lassie in an attempt to steady his hands and to keep silent. Cocking his gun, Shawn aimed his gun right over the detective's heart. His own heart was pounding so hard that it drowned out whatever Lassie was saying. All he could process was the shakey trigger underneath his finger and Lassie's dark shadow.
Then the shadow turned and grinned.
"Hello, psychic."
Both guns went off before Shawn could utter the word "Crap."
"Congratulations you guys, it was a tie!"
"WHAT?" Both Lassiter and Shawn yelped at the same time.
"I totally shot him first!" Shawn yelled.
"Well, you both have the same number of points on your scoreboard," the lady at the desk said, pointing to the screen. Sure enough, both men held a score of 24,500 points.
"Then it's broken," the detective grumbled, but his heart wasn't in it.
"We didn't come all this way for a tie! I demand a rematch!" Shawn grabbed Lassie's arm and started tugging him back to the battlefield.
"No way, Spencer! It's bad enough that you got me to play laser tag with you once, I'm not doing it again! And besides, I have actual police work to do." Growling, Lassiter jerked his arm out of Shawn's grip.
Shawn acted like he was desperate for another go, but secretly he was glad with the turnout. He didn't have to admit his little secret and, in all honesty, he hadn't really wanted to put Lassiter through the embarrassment they'd agreed on. Every once in awhile, Lassie was bound to get fed up and overreact, but Shawn didn't take it too personally. At that moment, a thought occurred to Shawn and his inner grin disappeared as he ran after the detective's retreating back.
"You really do have to apologize to McNabb though," he huffed. "You are going to do that, right?"
Lassiter only grunted in response, but under the circumstances Shawn decided to take that as a yes.
I had a really hard time insulting McNabb like that. XD Anyway, I'm not super satisfied with the ending, but on the whole I really like this story. Please review if you liked it too, and also tell me if you guessed that ending or not! :P