Chapter 4

20 minutes later they sat down at a table in the crowded bar. They had been lucky to find the free table and Shawn had already gotten them a beer. It didn't take long until a tall blond obviously half-drunk woman came to their table asking Shawn to dance with her. He looked over to Juliet seeking for help but she just grinned at him.

"Don't be rude, Shawn. Get up and dance with her."

Shawn stood up rolling his eyes and took the blonde woman's hand to lead her to the little dance floor. Jules will SO pay for this. He thought to himself.

Halfway through the song he saw that Juliet got up from her seat making her way to the exit. When she saw Shawn's questioning look she pointed to her cell phone and then to the door trying to make him understand that she was trying to get outside to answer a phone call.

Shawn nodded and refocused on dancing with Michelle (the blonde woman).

After another three songs Shawn was finally able to shake of Michelle's solemn grip on him and walked back to their table only to find it unoccupied. Why did Juliet take so long? Worried he made his way through the bar and stepped outside.

"Jules?" he exclaimed. "Hey Jules, are you still out here?" No answer. Damnit where are you? He thought. He took out his cell phone and tried calling her. It was ringing so she wasn't on the phone with anyone anymore. But she wasn't picking up either. He wandered around making sure she wasn't out here somewhere.

Shawn ran back inside. Maybe she got back in without me noticing or maybe I'm just overreacting and she only went to the lavatory.

He walked through the room bumping into a woman nearly sending her to the floor if he hadn't got a hold on her arms and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I-… Jules?" He asked looking surprised at the woman in his arms. "I've been looking for you for the past 20 minutes. Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay, Shawny." She giggled. "Jake here was just buying me a drink… or two." She put her right hand on the chest of a tall guy next to her, letting it run up and down his body slowly.

"Jules, are you drunk?" Shawn asked bewildered. He had never seen her like this. How could she go from sober to wasted in twenty minutes? Then he saw ten empty shot glasses standing on the bar where she was obviously sitting.

"No, Shawn, of course not. I'm just having fun. Letting loose like you wanted me to."

"I didn't want you to get drunk. You were the one who said you wanted just one drink." He sighed. "How about I get you back to the motel?"

"Nooooo, I want to stay, Shawny." Juliet whined. "Jake promised me to show me his room later."

"Okay, that's it. We're going. Now." He took her hand into his and pulled her along back to their table where their jackets and her purse were and finally guided her trough the exit doors stepping out into the dark.

"You're such a party pooper." Juliet pouted.

"Yeah, well I can live with that." Shawn sighed. "Jules, where are the car keys?"

She grinned goofily at him. "I don't know. You'll have to find them on your own, Shawny boy."

They stopped in front of their rental car still holding hands when Juliet suddenly broke their connection and slapped his chest. "Let's play tag. You're it." She tried to run away but Shawn was faster and put both of his hands on her waist to keep her from running. He pinned her against the side of the car.

"Jules, where are the keys? I really need to get you to bed." He coaxed, instantly regretting his ambivalent expression when he felt Juliet's hips grinding against his.

She moved her hands up to his chest; slowly leaning her head closer. "I bet you need to do that." She whispered.

Oh dear God. Shawn thought gathering all his strength to keep his composure. Be strong. Think of something else. She has a boyfriend and even though I hate him I can't let this happen. He took a step back and grabbed quickly her purse.

Meanwhile Jules still smiled goofily swaying her hips to the rhythm of the music from the bar when Shawn finally found the car keys.

"Alright we can go now. Can you get in the car on your own?" He asked.

"Of course, Shawny." She said while stumbling around the car. "It's not like I'm drunk." Just a second after finishing her words she tripped over her own feet and found herself falling. Shawn who had followed her around the car quickly grabbed her waist and prevented her from falling to the floor. He opened the passenger door and maneuvered her into the seat.

By the time he started the car Juliet was sleeping next to him. It was a twenty minute drive back to the motel and she was so fast asleep that she didn't wake up when he called out her name to wake her after they arrived. Ugh, great. Shawn thought opening her door and unfastening her seat belt. He slipped one arm under her legs and one around her back and lifted her out of the car somehow managing to close the door with one foot. Arriving at their room door he turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. He carefully lay the young woman down on the bed. Now what? She can't sleep in these clothes but she'd kill me if I undressed her.

"Jules. Hey, Jules. You need to wake up." He said raising his voice a little. And it worked. Her eyelids fluttered and she began to wake up.

"Go away. I want to sleep." She mumbled snuggling into the covers and closing her eyes again.

"No, Jules. You need to undress first. Then you can sleep, alright?" Shawn tried to keep her awake cupping her face with his hands. "Come on. Get up." He took her hands and lifted her into a sitting position.

"Okay." She muttered opening her eyes a little. "But you need to help me."

"Uh you sure you can't do that on your own?" He said blushing a little.

"Pleeeeeease, Shawn. Pretty please with a pineapple on top." Juliet pleaded batting her eyes suggestively at him.

"Alright. You got me at pineapple. So what would you like to wear?" Shawn gave in knowing that she wouldn't stop whining until he agreed. He picked up her bag from the floor and brought in to the bed.

"I want your t-shirts." She answered determined while tugging on his shirt. "And there are boxers somewhere in there." She motioned to the bag.

Knowing that resistance was futile he sighed and pulled off his shirt over his head. He unbuttoned her blouse and pushed it off only to lift up her tank top over her head. Shawn inhaled sharply. He knew she was beautiful but seeing her like this only in her bra made him realize just how perfect she was. To give her at least some privacy he moved behind her and helped her unclasp her bra and put on his shirt. So far, so good. He thought while his face was refusing to return to its usual color.

Before he could do anything else Juliet had shifted to a laying position and had managed to remove her trousers leaving her in her panties. Shawn blushed even more his face looking like a tomato by now. What is wrong with me? It's not like I've never seen a half naked woman before. But then again none of those women were Jules. He thought.

"A little help would be nice." Juliet whispered with closed eyes threatening to fall asleep again.

With trembling fingers he took the boxers into his hands and moved to the end of the bed to slip the fabric over her feet, slowly pushing it up along her legs. Why was it so hard to dress not even undress but dress a woman? He didn't dare to breathe when he reached her thighs. It felt like a lifetime until the pants were finally in place. Shawn was sitting on the edge of the bed his hands still on Juliet's hips while he glanced down at the lying woman next to him.

"Thank you, Shawn." She whispered sitting up so that her head was only a few inches away from his. They slowly moved in never losing eye contact. Just as their lips were about to connect Shawn broke the silence. "We should go to sleep." It was only a hoarse whisper. They both knew he was right but they stayed in their intimate position until a shrill ring made them jump apart. 'Anne' read Juliet's cell phone display.

"Uhm, it's a friend. I really should take this."

"I'll be in the bathroom." Shawn said while standing up and walking over to the door.

After shutting the door behind him he closed his eyes. Idiot. He thought while taking of his clothes and stepping into the shower. Five minutes later he was standing in front of the sink with a towel around his waist. He listened intently if he could hear Juliet's voice but there were just some muffled words. He ajarred the door taking a peek outside and heard her voice clearly now. Eavesdropping should be my second name. He thought smiling to himself. Maybe he would get some info for a 'vision' later.

Juliet's voice was still a little slurred from the alcohol and she moved her hand to her temple clearly having a headache.

"Anne, please, my head is pounding like hell and I'm not really at the top of my game." She sighed, waiting for a response. "No, I don't want to talk about Declan right now, I don't really want to talk at all right now." Pause. "Are you serious? You chose this exact moment to tell me that you want to ask out Shawn? Shawn Spencer?" Fuck. I don't want that. How weird would it be if he was dating one of my best friends? Damnit what can I do to stop this? She tried the best to think of a solution but that was hard because her head was killing her right now. I could just make him look bad. That's it. Here goes.

"Are you sure to go out with someone like Shawn? I mean he's nice and everything but he's not really boyfriend material except if you want to know what it's like to date a 10 year old. He's so childish all the time and he never takes anything seriously. He never takes responsibility for anything…" What else? Come on Juliet forget your headache for a minute and think. This is important. "And you don't believe how annoying it is to work with him I don't even want to think of how it would to date him. And his obsession with pineapple is ridiculous." She shuddered to make her words more powerful. "Anne, listen it feels like my head will explode if I keep talking so we should talk about this another time. Good night." She waited for a response and hung up. I hope it worked. I feel so bad for talking about Shawn like that…or maybe it's the alcohol?

Shawn had closed the door silently in the meantime. He leaned against it closing his eyes and running a hand through his damp hair. Wow. Jules thinks of me like that? She's sure as hell good at hiding her real feelings for me. How could I not see that she's lying every time she's around me? His first shock was replaced by disappointment. Was he actually that bad? Anger flooded his body. I'm sorry that I can't be as mature as her precious filthy rich boyfriend. He thought fiercely. No, wait. I'm not sorry. If she doesn't like who I am I'll show her that she'd like a serious Shawn even less. No more pineapple (I can't believe she dissed pineapples), no more jokes, no more movie quotes, no using funny names or anything. He tried to regain his composure before stepping into the bedroom again.

He found Juliet asleep on the bed. He took a pillow and put it on the couch in the corner. She'd probably kill him if she woke up the next morning with a huge hangover while sharing a bed with him.

The next morning…

Juliet woke up with a start when she heard the shrill ring of her cell phone. She felt for the annoying object on the nightstand. Without looking at caller ID she answered the call.

"O'Hara." She mumbled.

"Morning, Juliet. Just wanted to make sure you woke up in time. I'll be back at the motel in half an hour so you should probably get ready in the meantime." She heard Shawn's panting voice.

"Shawn? Where are you?"

"I'm just taking a run. Want me to bring back some coffee?"

"Taking a run? Shawn it's like…" She looked at the clock on the wall. "6.30 in the morning." She rubbed her forehead in confusion. "Coffee would be great though."

"Alright see you in a bit." With that he hung up.

Taking a morning run? Seriously? Who was that and what did he do to Shawn? Weird.

She stood up holding on the nightstand when she felt a wave of dizziness running through her body. Why did she get drunk? Oh, right. The phone call with Declan. Damnit. Tears dwelled up in her eyes. Don't think about it. She told herself while grabbing new clothes and walking into the bathroom.

The shower did wonders to her tired body. When she stepped out of the bathroom half an hour later she finally felt alive again. Entering the bedroom she was greeted by the smell of coffee.

Shawn was sitting at the table with two cups of coffee in front of him.

"Thanks, Shawn. I really need some caffeine right now." She smiled widely at him. "How was your run?"

"It was good. This town is actually pretty nice when it isn't raining. Oh, the Chief called and wanted to know if we found anything." He said motioning to her cell phone. "Told her that you'd call her back. I'm hitting the shower." He stood up and went to the bathroom.

15 minutes later it was settled that they'd go back to the station to talk to the woman who found the victim and the two officers who processed the crime scene.

12 hours later…

It was the end of a very long day. Shawn and Juliet had talked to a bunch of people with the exact same result every time: no clues. The Rose Murderer remained a ghost without leaving any evidence. But that wasn't what bugged Juliet. It was her…well what was he? Partner? Colleague? Not really. Consultant/Friend. He was awfully quiet all day, not making any random movie quotes or acting ridiculously in front of others not even once. Even his rare smiles seemed insincere. Every time she glanced over to him today he was actually working. Going through case files or listening intently to the officers. What the hell was going on with him? She sighed audibly which made him look up with a questioning look.

"How about we call it a day?" She asked. "I'm starving. We could grab a burger at that diner we went to yesterday." Food. That will crack him. That's what always cheers him up. She thought triumphantly.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled half-heartedly looking down at the crime scene photos again, finally collecting them and putting them neatly away into a folder. "Alright, let's go." He said getting up from his chair and offering her a hand.

She looked bewildered at him when he saw his hand in front of her. She laid her hand into his and he pulled her up from his chair, grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and helped her to get in.

"Uh, thanks?" It was more of a question than statement she directed at him.

"You're welcome. Shall we go?" She nodded in reply.

When they arrived at the diner after a 10 minute drive Shawn quickly rounded the car to open the car door for her and help her out. Juliet was still too confused and taken aback to refuse any of his offers.

The waitress came to their table ready to take their orders.

"Two cheeseburgers with fries and two beers, please." Juliet answered for both of them looking over to Shawn with a smile sprawled across her face ordering the same food they had yesterday.

"Uh actually it's just one cheeseburger with fries and one beer and I'd like the caesar salad and a diet coke." He said after quickly glancing at the menu earning another confused look on Juliet's face.

"Okay, Shawn. You've been weird all day. What's wrong?" She finally spoke up.

"What are you talking about? I'm not weird." Shawn countered.

"Yes, you are. You went for a run this morning. You brought back coffee not only for yourself but for me as well. You are super courteous today. You opened every door for me. You actually worked today. And you were like totally concentrated. You didn't quote a movie once. Even I could think of at least 5 suitable quotes. You don't really smile anymore and you seem so focused and serious. And now you're eating salad? I mean come on Shawn, what's wrong?" She asked him again.

"You do realize that no one else had anything against my behavior? And besides, you make it sound like the things I did were wrong when they seem just fine to me. I'm sure Amy here" He motioned to the waitress that had come back to their table with their drinks and had witnessed Juliet's speech. "Can assure you that not one single thing you listed would bother any other woman."

Amy nodded. "Actually he sounds like the perfect gentleman and I see him smiling the whole time." She batted her eyes at him but was interrupted when Juliet cleared her throat. "But this is none of my business. I'll get your food."

"Anything else you'd like to criticize?" Shawn asked looking expectantly at her.

She looked down. "You called me Juliet." She whispered.

"So what?"

"You always call me Jules, even when you're mad at me." She looked up to meet his gaze.

He didn't know what to say. Calling her Juliet was actually one of the harder things to do in his new life as 'serious Shawn'. And that seemed to have quite an effect on her, she seemed truly upset. "I…uh… thought it would be better if we kept things more professional while working together."

"Huh, so you won't call me Jules again while working with me?" She asked not believing his excuse.

"Seriously what's the problem anyway? It's just a name." He sighed taking a sip from his coke.

"That's the problem, Shawn. It's not just a name. It's part of our friendship. When you call me Jules I now that everything is alright. I know that you are there for me and that you care. But that's just not how I felt today. It felt, hell it feels, like you don't care. About me or our friendship. And I really need a friend right now." She looked down again trying to fight back her tears. She wanted the old Shawn back. Now.

And again Shawn was left speechless. This time Amy saved him when she came back with their food. Salad. Great. I'm so going to raid the vending machine later. He thought looking down at his plate filled with the green stuff he usually avoided.

They ate in silence avoiding each other's secret gazes. Maybe he should scale down his actions and go a little smoother on her. She took his change harder than he expected.

The rest of the evening was spent in uncomfortable silence. When they finally arrived back at the motel Juliet's phone went off.

"O'Hara." Pause. "Good evening, Chief." Pause. "No, everything's alright. But we haven't found anything yet." Pause. "Okay, we'll be back tomorrow." Pause. "I will. Good night, Chief"

"Chief says 'hi'" she told Shawn after hanging up. They had walked back into their room during the talk. "She wants us to come back to Santa Barbara tomorrow. Buzz already booked our flights and will send us the details via email. I'm going to bed." She announced in a monotone voice still refusing to look into his eyes.

Three hours later Shawn woke up from his sleep. He heard an unusual noise. What was that? Wait. Was it a sob? Somebody was crying. No, not somebody. Juliet was crying. The moon was shining through the windows so he could see that her back was facing him but he could definitely see that her body was rocking slightly. Damnit she actually was crying. He got up from the couch as silently as he could and walked over to the bed.

"Jules?" He whispered into the darkness.

Her sobs grew louder now. "Go away, Shawn."

A/N: So that'S it for now. Did you like?