A/N: Hey guys, here we are, chapter 6! This is more of an angsty chapter, any you can probably see that I've raised the rating of this story to T. And changed the category to Suspense and Angst. But be forewarned that that is not all . . . I've got a hell lot of Angst and friendship and romance here too.
Please don't kill me for not updating in like . . . a month almost. I've stayed up for nights altogether studying, and this is the first Saturday I didn't feel like passing out by seven in the evening.
I'm honestly not sure about how this story is gonna turn out, but you can bet that the plot's all figured out. And finally, yay! Some remedy for poor Shawn in this chap! Also, CORRECTION: the emotional scene between Shules in the last chapter? Remember? Yeah, apparently, Juliet started using both of her hands, when she had a fracture earlier that day! :(
Error!
So, yeah, her right arm is still fractured; and please forgive the silly grammar mistakes I've been making.
Sorry for the long A/N, and remember to REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!
Chapter 6: Badass Shawn Makes an Appearance, And Woody Saves The Day!
'Spencer! Damn it!' Lassiter growled, walking in on his cuddling partner and her boyfriend, and then turning around one-eighty degrees.
'Who-ho-hoa!' Shawn coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat as he broke away from Juliet. 'Lassie! How awfully Spencer-Hastings's-older-sister-from-Pretty-Little-Liars of you to . . . uh, sneak up on us like that!'
'Melissa,' Juliet chipped, blushing red with laughter and embarrassment.
'Wha-what are you talking about?' Shawn mumbled, tearing his eyes away from Lassiter.
'Spencer Hastings's older sister in Pretty Little Liars was Melissa Hastings,' Juliet repeated, suddenly wondering why her boyfriend even knew about that show. That seemed rather unsettling.
Carlton Lassiter scrunched up his face in confusion and disgust, questioning his partner, 'Why would you know that? It's a teen chick flick!'
Juliet's eyes widened, and Shawn pouted to stifle his glee, glancing from Jules to Lassie.
'Did you just say "chick-flick" in front of my girlfriend?' Shawn managed, a glint of sheer joy at seeing Lassie cornered in his eyes. Lassiter looked at the psychic and snapped, 'Yes. Yes, I did.'
Juliet shook her head, and then sighed, 'Carlton, any news on Gus?'
'Yes . . . the doctor just talked to Mrs. Guster about him . . . he's stable. He didn't lose a lot of blood, thanks to Spencer's efforts to staunch the flow of blood . . . and by some miracle; the bullet did not hit anything vital. But he's still in surgery,' Lassiter said, glancing nervously at Shawn's rapidly paling face. 'I'm sorry, O'Hara, but . . . Spencer, are you alright?'
Juliet whirred around to realize that her boyfriend was indeed looking sicker every moment.
'Shawn?' she asked tentatively.
'Holy crap!' Shawn said, finally letting his gaze meet Juliet's. Juliet realized that Shawn was "getting" something. 'Crap.'
'What?' she asked cautiously. Lassiter was quiet too, now; waiting. He was almost positive that Spencer was "sensing" something. But when Shawn did nothing except keep his eyes locked on Juliet's, Lassiter barked, 'Spencer, what the hell is it?'
Shawn looked up at him, an indescribable emotion glazing in his eyes as he swallowed and said, 'Yang's alive too.'
Juliet gasped and Lassiter's jaw went slack.
'And Yin has forgiven her,' Shawn finished.
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'Mr. Spencer, that is highly unlikely. I mean, you and Mr. Guster spread Yang's ashes yourself . . . as a matter of fact, I need to have a very serious talk to you about the location of that particular deed,' Chief Vick tilted her head as she confronted Shawn, who had just finished telling about Yang and Yin to everyone in the waiting room.
'You don't think that was the first thing your detectives would've asked, Karen?' Henry demanded, rubbing his bald head. 'Whoa, wait. You spread Yang's ashes?'
'That is irrelevant,' Shawn pointed out, realizing that the situation was going in a direction which may prove very unbeneficial for Shawn in the immediate future.
'Back on point,' Juliet cut in, 'If Shawn's suspicion is right, which seems likelier every second . . . we have a major problem. Because we all know that the first time Shawn was targeted, it was by Yin-Yang together, and it was the worst.'
'I wouldn't necessarily say that,' Shawn interjected with a shrug.
'Huh,' Chief said, folding her arms. 'Why's that?'
'Personally, you should not be ranking it anyway!' Henry interrupted. 'And Shawn, Juliet's right. She took your mom the first time and strapped her with a bomb . . . and your mom is very vigilant, son.'
'Yeah, well, Yin took Jules the other time and made her dangle off the edge of a clock tower . . . and need I remind you that she is a cop,' Shawn countered.
'Okay,' Juliet placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, wincing as the quick movement jerked her shoulders, in the process jostling her right arm from its dormant position. Lassiter and the chief caught this but chose to wisely ignore it as the younger detective locked her eyes with them briefly.
'And let's not forget . . . the third time, Yin took you and Guster and almost made you see your best friend die in front of you,' Lassiter said. All of them except Shawn were oblivious to the sound of the door of Gus's hospital room opening then shutting right behind him. Shawn froze.
Henry raised his eyebrows at the sudden change of mood and spun around, coming face to face with a very shocked-looking Winnie Guster.
'Winnie,' Henry gasped. 'You're back! How's Gus?'
'He's fine . . . and awake. Sorry, detective, did you just say that this psychopath went after my son once earlier?' Mrs. Guster demanded.
'Um, wow! Mrs. G!' Shawn managed, and then continued as her cold gaze locked on Shawn. If she hadn't been accusing Shawn for her son's condition earlier, she was now.
'Well, Mrs. Guster, yes. As a matter of fact, Yin has targeted Mr. Spencer . . . erm, the younger one . . . before. He has personally called out Shawn, and Shawn has been the only one who has managed to keep this sicko on the edge for this long. And, well, during what we thought was a grand finale, he did capture both Mr. Guster and him. But they got out unscathed,' Karen said, hoping to shed some light on Shawn's genius, well aware of the fact that the Gusters had been quiet sceptical of Shawn's skills and influence on their son.
But what she didn't realize was that that was not all that made the Gusters oppose Shawn Spencer. She realized it soon enough.
Henry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and Juliet looked between Shawn and Gus's mom. Lassiter, realizing the situation at the same time as the chief, took a deep breath.
'Shawn, can I talk to you for a second, dear? Alone.' She emphasized, her expression unreadable as she glanced around at the others once.
'Mrs. G, let me just explain about that part,' Shawn said cautiously.
'You can do that alone with me,' Winnie said, somewhat sharply. Shawn grimaced a bit as he followed the mother of his best friend out, as she led him outside where her husband was filling out forms.
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'Explain,' Mrs. G commanded as she turned around to face Shawn. Shawn opened his mouth to answer and froze as the Gusters' gaze grew colder by the minute.
'Well?' Mr. Guster asked expectantly, tapping the pen in his hand on the table.
'Um . . .' Shawn started, 'Well, you see . . . this Yin-Yang killer―' he was abruptly cut off by Mrs. Guster, 'Serial killer.'
Shawn gritted his teeth and nodded, 'Yeah, um, serial killer sort of, uh . . . called me out four years back.'
'Wait,' Mr. Guster said with a frown, the anger clouding his judgement evaporating a bit. 'Why was a serial killer targeting you?'
'Because, that's what they do. These serial killers call out someone particular and ask them to solve riddles and . . . save the lives of their victims.'
'Did you ever happen to fail . . . you know, sometime other than when you got the lives of people who care about you in danger?' Mrs. G demanded, raising an eyebrow.
'You know what?' Shawn said with a humourless smile, 'I did. It was another police consultant . . . a profiler who had been chasing Yang for years before Yin killed him.'
'I'm pretty sure all the families of the random victims are still pretty grateful to you,' she spat.
Mr. Guster blinked, and said gently, 'Winnie . . . . .'
Meanwhile Shawn stood, speechless and a bit flabbergasted.
'Oh, no, please continue,' Mrs. G said, directing her command at Shawn. Shawn frowned, his mouth still parted a bit. Then he cleared his throat and continued explaining.
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He drove soundlessly, letting his subconscious take him where it was. He made wrong turns, overtook cars, broke the speed limit and ran traffic lights. The harsh words by the Gusters blaming him for endangering Gus's life echoed in his blank head. And he let them.
Then he reached where he had to. Letting the echoes grow louder by the second, he made his way past the yellow crime scene tape. He was vaguely aware of McNabb greeting him, 'Hi, Shawn! What brings you here?'
But he made to attempt to greet him back and stalked on inside the now wide-ajar door of the old cabin. He needed proof. That was the only thought in his mind. He had to make sure everyone understood that he wasn't lying: Yin and Yang were back.
And for that, he had to present Yang's creativity before them. He made his way over to the haphazardly arranged stacks of hay and crossed over one, searching along it.
If this was Yin-Yang's crime scene, they must've left a Yin-Yang symbol somewhere. But where? his mind asked, even though he felt that he already knew the answer.
He scanned the musty, dark cabin, scanning each stack of hay for the symbol.
And then it clicked into place.
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Karen Vick sighed as her phone vibrated against her thigh, turning away from where a startled-looking Winnie Guster sat with her arms in her lap.
'Vick,' she answered, and was greeted by Buzz McNabb's cheery voice, 'Hello, Chief! It's Buzz.'
'Clearly,' she said, her tone harsher than intended. 'What is it, Officer?'
'Um, I'm not sure that this is . . . um, appropriate at the moment,' McNabb stuttered.
'McNabb,' Karen sighed. 'Just spit it out . . . unless you want wedding tips again . . .'
'No! No, no, no, Chief. It's about the case . . . you know . . .'
'Did you manage to get another suspect?' Vick demanded, immediately snapping to full-on badass-chief-of-police mode.
'Not exactly . . . uh, this is kind of protocol . . . and I just wanted to let you know Shawn turned up at the supposed-Yin crime scene. I mean, I know probably none of us think he's the lead suspect anymore―'
The rest was drowned out as Karen snapped shut her phone and spun around on her heels and announced to the little audience gathered there, 'Shawn's where Gus was shot.'
Juliet's head shot up from where she had been resting it on her uninjured arm and she demanded, 'When did he reach there?'
'Buzz just informed me. Lassiter and Mr. Guster, you accompany me to the crime scene . . . Bill, you can fill us in on what exactly you all said to Shawn on the way,' Karen ordered.
'Chief―' Juliet started.
'I'm sorry, O'Hara, but you have to stay here, in case Gus wakes up. Henry, it goes without saying, that obviously Shawn is in an unhealthy state of mind, and the last thing he needs is you berating him in front of the whole damn police department, just like you have been doing since the last few years,' the Chief commanded.
And then, without waiting for any reaction from her stunned audience, she marched out of the waiting room, her head detective and Bill Guster in tow, to stop her psychic from doing something he may regret.
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Shawn was innocent; she knew it in her heart.
Shawn was actually a cold-blooded murderer, who had been acting all this time. Besides, lying was his forte; there was more than enough proof of that. And now he'd shot Gus, his "best friend" (although this act might prove the feeling to be one-sided) because Gus somehow stumbled across the truth about Shawn's identity. Obviously, everyone who knew Shawn Spencer knew what a great shot he was.
. . . . . yeah, that was her brain. And her instincts. And her logic. And her common sense. The list probably went on, but Juliet O'Hara hadn't given that much thought.
Her head was pounding. She leaned against the banister of the balcony near the waiting rooms and allowed the cool wind to blow her hair away from her face. Then her mind flashed back to when they'd met him at the crime scene, desperately trying to help Gus in any damn way possible . . . trying to staunch the continuous flow of blood, trying to call out to his best friend to rouse him . . . and that wild, absolutely terrified look in his hazel eyes . . .
You can't fake that kind of stuff. Faking about being psychic is a different thing; millions of people do it across the world. And her boyfriend was this smart genius who had managed to fool some police officers . . . it was Santa Barbara, not D.C.
Faking about those emotions, those feelings . . . that was a whole different thing.
'Family of Burton Guster?' she heard faintly from inside the waiting room.
Juliet dipped her head and sighed, and then it registered:Gus! She spun around and hurried inside just as the doctor started speaking.
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'Look, in our defense, our son was the one who got shot, not Shawn. We were under a lot of stress, okay? And Winnie just, you know, vented back there. And you saw her. I mean, she didn't look very calm and happy about what she said, did she?' Mr. Guster defended.
Karen Vick opened her mouth to answer, but Lassiter beat her to the punch, 'Doesn't matter what you mental constitution was . . . I worked with Spencer every damn time that sicko went after him, and they went after Shawn – not Gus. Can you even imagine what his condition must've been?'
For a few seconds, the Chief was silent . . . stunned to see Lassiter defend Shawn. And then she added silently, 'And what his condition is.'
'Look, I'm sorry. I really am. Now we're going to get Shawn, take him back to the hospital, Burton's probably been moved to the ICU now, and on the way, let's get a pineapple smoothie,' Bill said with the ashen look still on his face.
'No pineapples in my car!' Karen snapped, making a sharp right past the SBPD station. Lassiter and Bill jumped, both from the jostling of the car as well as her sharp tone. 'Um . . . my husband is allergic to pineapples. Besides, we need to get to Shawn first.'
'Yes ma'am,' Lassiter kind-of squeaked. Kind of. Because Carlton Lassiter does not squeak.
'We're here,' Karen said, her gaze fixed on the shady cabin up front. Parking her car near the other squad cars, she ordered Bill Guster to stay in the car, and sent Lassiter inside the cabin to look for Shawn.
Then she followed the yellow tape to where Buzz McNabb was standing, and demanded, 'McNabb, how long has it been since Shawn came here?'
'A good twenty minutes, ma'am,' he responded immediately.
'Where did he go?'
'I didn't notice.'
'You DIDN'T NOTICE?' Chief demanded sharply. 'What kind of a cop are you?!'
McNabb flinched, 'Um . . . I was running the ballistics on the footprints . . .? Yeah, I'm gonna stop talking. Sorry, Chief.'
'Never mind. Just carry on with your work; I'll look around the back.'
'Yes, ma'am.'
'And McNabb?'
'Yes, Chief?'
'If you happen to notice anything, you'd better let me know!'
'Yes, Chief.'
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Carlton Lassiter never imagined there that would be a day when he would see Spencer take something seriously. And now that this "dream" had come true, he realized that that idiot was better off doing idiocy, because somehow, 'Serious Spencer' was more idiotic than usual.
How idiotic are we talking? you may ask, especially if you're as dim-witted as McNabb. The answer is that Spencer can be idiotic to the level that he puts himself back on as the lead suspect in a murder investigation.
How so? McNabb and other numbskulls may ask.
On rounding a corner with his hand on his gun, Lassiter snapped shut his mouth, which he had just opened to call out to Spencer. He was sure he had heard a sound.
There it was, again.
And it sounded like . . .
'Spencer!' Lassiter barked in horror. Shawn Spencer's figure froze, his back facing the detective.
Even from the distance, Lassiter could make out Shawn's back heaving as he panted, and could make out the red, flushed skin under his stubble. In fact, if he might add, Carlton always thought that the stubble was the only proof that Shawn Spencer wasn't actually a child.
'What the hell do you think you are doing?!' Lassiter shouted again.
'Lassie, hey!' Shawn chuckled. But even that sounded strained. 'I'd be damned. I was just, um . . . doing some stress management. Funny you should come by!'
'This is a crime scene, and you just happen to be destroying what could have been . . . food for ranch animals. Is that what you call stress management?' Lassiter wondered, squinting as he made out what Shawn had just been attacking viciously with a steel rod.
A haystack. Sweet Lady Justice, that was a haystack!
'Detective!' Chief's voice rang in the dark cabin. 'Did you find him?'
'Yes,' Lassiter answered just as the chief joined them. 'He assaulted a haystack.'
Karen Vick sighed, 'Detective, I don't have time for this nonsense. Shawn! Everyone was worried sick about you. You cannot just up and disappear, am I absolutely clear?'
'Crystal, Karen!' Shawn spun around with a goofy grin on his face, the composure gained back. Then he saw the Chief's glare and added, ' . . . Vick . . . Chief . . .'
'I'll let that slide, mainly because you have worse consequences to . . . what is that?' Chief's eyes focused on the destroyed stack behind Shawn.
'Um . . . a haystack?' Shawn replied, fidgeting. 'Right Lassie? It's a haystack. Tell the chief it's a haystack.'
'It looks like a haystack to me, Chief,' Lassiter agreed. 'Completely assaulted, but a haystack nonetheless.'
Karen Vick, however, was not to be deceived easily. She stalked over to where Shawn was and surveyed the haystack. Then she turned to Shawn with a look in her eyes which Lassiter couldn't describe.
He would've been able to the next second, though, after the chief posed her question, 'Is that a Yin-Yang symbol, Mr. Spencer?'
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Shawn slammed the iron rod hard into the haystack, which had been systematically arranged to form a Yin-Yang symbol, with a short and slightly stifled cry of frustration.
God, that felt good.
So he slammed down the rod again.
Thwack. Yang was alive, and had probably been in cahoots with Yin since day one, challenge one.
Thwack. And he'd believed her to be genuine. God knows whose ashes he had spread in the chief doctor's car.
Thwack. And this time round, Yin-Yang had got to him. They were all up in his head, and the clues hadn't even started coming. Or maybe . . .
Thwack. Maybe, the game was different this time around. This time it was Yin's game, and Yang's challenges. And Yin never had a repeat performance. He wouldn't risk victimizing both Shawn and Gus again.
Thwack. It was Yang. She knew how to get to Shawn. And this time, they had raised the stakes very high. They'd shot Gus, and maybe killed him.
Thwack. Thwack, thwack. Crack!
And it would be undeniably, undoubtably Shawn's fault.
Thwack. This is the part where Gus would tell him, 'Shawn, "undoubtably" isn't a word. Do you mean "undoubtedly"?'
'I've heard it both ways,' Shawn said out loud with a smirk.
The next thwack! brought him back to reality. Gus wasn't going to correct him. Maybe never again.
'Spencer!'
Shawn jumped, gasping. Then he calmed down a bit, catching his breath. What did Lassie just ask him?
Oh, right. He'd asked what the hell Shawn was doing. It looked pretty clear, he was destroying a haystack. This was sad.
'Lassie!' Shawn greeted. Then he grimaced. That sounded forced. Crap.
Was that the chief? What the f. . . . .?
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Gus was okay. A bit of trauma. Maybe some disorientation. His sternum was hit, and as soon as the bone would heal, he'd be as good as new. He just needed to wear a brace for a few weeks. Nothing to worry about.
That's what the doctor told them.
And the tension in the room seemed to dissipate. Gus's mom cried out in relief and gave Juliet a hug, who froze at the unexpected gesture. All the while during Shawn's absence, a cold war seemed to have been taking place between the two women. Juliet was Shawn's girlfriend. That was enough reason for Winnie Guster to doubt Detective O'Hara's judgment. Meanwhile the added worry Winnie had presented to Shawn by blaming him for Gus's condition had made Juliet indignant. Now Juliet's phone played a lively, soft tune, and she pulled it out of her back pocket. it was totally Shawn's fault that Juliet had become habituated with keeping her cell in her back pocket.
'Hello?' Juliet answered her cell, momentarily forgetting her professional 'O'Hara!'
'Juliet! It's you!' came the greeting from the other side.
Juliet frowned, pulling away from the phone and looking at the caller ID. Then she pinched the bridge of her nose and answered, 'Woody, you called my cell. Of course it's me.'
Woody Strode carried on cheerily, 'Huh, I was kinda hoping it'd be Shawn. I mean, personally, couples usually answer each other's phones. In fact, Ursula and I went a step further and used each other's underwear . . . well, Ursula used mine―'
'WOODY!' Juliet cried, absolutely horrified. Henry jumped in his place, his gaze locking on Juliet.
'Sorry, sorry, TTL!' Woody apologized.
'TTL?' Juliet asked.
'Yeah, Tell That Later!'
'Woody!' the Junior Detective groaned.
'Anyway, I have some great news, if you haven't heard already.'
'What?'
'Our dead body from Shawn's case had this strange fluid in one area of the arm, a sedative apparently, which is available in only one lab in the whole of Santa Barbara,' the coroner announced.
'Oh My God!' Juliet almost laughed out from joy, jumping to her feet. 'Are you sure?'
'Absolutely certain. As certain as I am that my wife slept with the guy who runs the Jamba Juice stall downtown.'
'Oh, God! That is great news. Thanks, Woody.'
'Anytime. Now, as for Ursula and I,' but Juliet knew this was where her connection would start going awry. She clapped onto the speaker and spoke in a robotic voice, 'Can't heee-eeeree. Taa-aaalk—late-errr!'
And she slammed shut her phone. Henry and the Gusters were looking at her as though she had just dropped down from the moon.
'We got a lead which doesn't lead to Shawn!' she announced, almost bounding with joy.
Henry's face went slack for a moment, and then brightened visibly. On the outside, though, he just said, 'About time someone started believing my son isn't a cold-blooded serial killer.'
Juliet suppressed a knowing smile and simply shrugged. 'I'll call Lassie and tell him. Well get on the case pronto.'
Then she frowned at Henry's grimace.
'What?' she asked, raising an eyebrow.
'Shawn's rubbing off on you. You just called Lassiter "Lassie".'
'I did?' Juliet gasped. Then she grinned, 'Well, it isn't exactly a sin. Thank God he's not around, though.'
'Don't thank God just yet, Juliet. We've got a long road to cover,' Henry Spencer sighed.
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Ooooh! Long one. But you deserve it for being so damn patient. Love you guys, and the lovely reviews. Keep 'em coming!
Love, IGBE.
