Yeah, just gonna skip over the A/N thing this time!

Ch 7: Trouble in a Shulesy Paradise.

'Ugh!' Gus gagged at the blueberry flavoured Jell-O. 'Don't they have something like pineapple or strawberry?'

'No, they do not,' Henry sighed. 'Gus, just gulp down the whole thing . . . it's Jell-O.'

Gus winced and put the spoon filled with Jell-O to his mouth again, making a slight whimpering noise.

'Suck it,' Lassie sang softly.

Gus glowered at him. 'You suck it. How's Shawn?'

'He's still in the interrogation room,' Henry sighed again.

'You know I can testify against Yin. I can't believe you guys would think that Shawn was the guy who shot me,' Gus mumbled, having simmered down about the matter since he had woken up and Juliet had told him about Shawn's little "stress management". Then she had promptly guilt tripped Lassie into staying with Gus while she went to interrogate Shawn.

Gus sighed. At this point, he wasn't sure which would be worse, Juliet putting emotional stress on Shawn or Lassiter hurling little insults at him, possibly both would make him snap.

'Hey, Gussie!' his mom stepped into the room, a heavy-looking bag in her arm. 'I brought some clothes, if they let you change, some books and DVDs, and a few comics. How are you feeling?'

'I'd feel better if Shawn was here with me and not under interrogation for allegedly shooting me,' Gus grumbled. Even though he was quite high on painkillers, he saw the change of expression in his mother's eyes and the way Lassiter squirmed. They were keeping something from him.

He sighed again. Obviously, they were probably keeping stuff which would be too hard to sugar coat . . . like maybe he had a worse injury. Or cancer. Oh, God. No, no, he couldn't have cancer!

'Oh My Gosh,' he cried, his voice cracking. Then he sobbed out, 'I have cancer, don't I?'

'Gus,' Henry started.

'Oh, my God! That's why Shawn isn't here, right? He's off gaining composure!' Gus sobbed.

'No, Gus,' his mom started.

'We've been together for as long as we have existed! We took our first poops together!' Gus wailed.

'Guster!' Lassiter barked, his face screwing up in disgust. 'You don't have cancer. We're not keeping anything from you! Except for the fact that you're acting like an absolute lunatic! Henry, will you please hit the morphine button?'

Henry did so. 'Now, go to sleep, Gus. And when you wake up, Shawn will be here.'

'He'd better be,' Gus muttered as the morphine took over.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'I don't see how sending you in here will change what happened, which I reported to you guys with complete accuracy on the way,' Shawn sighed, pulling up his throbbing head from where he has buried it in his hands.

'Shawn, I still need to interrogate you about your whereabouts during the murder of that man,' Jules came over and took the seat opposite to him. Then she took his hands in his, 'I asked the chief and others for privacy. Just you and me here, so you can tell me anything.'

Shawn tried to control the tremble in his hands as he looked up at her directly in her eyes. He took a deep breath and said, 'I killed that man.'

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Karen Vick froze. At the other end of the line, she could hear O'Hara draw a breath. There was silence on the other end of the line.

Okay, so, she may or may not have placed a bug in the interrogation room after O'Hara had practically begged to interrogate Shawn first and then had followed up with the request to have no one in the viewing box at all.

Shaking from what she had just heard, Shawn's voice deep and slightly hoarse as he said "I killed that man," she sank into her chair. McNabb, looked up at her with the troubled expression on his face which had become perpetual ever since the whole fiasco had started.

'McNabb, let's get to the interrogation room. Now.' And she pulled out the wire, holstering her gun.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'Shawn,' Juliet whispered. 'No.'

'Why is it so hard for you to believe? You were the one, who made the connection,' he spat, pulling away his hands from her, which she had been clutching in shock. Shawn's face was slightly red, his jaw line prominent, and she could see the way the pulse in his temple throbbed.

'Congrats, Detective!' he gave a humourless laugh, sitting back and clapping his hands slowly. 'You solved a case all on your own. It's almost as if you're psychic! You were right with the first suspect!'

'Shawn. Stop it,' Juliet said coldly, her own heart rate speeding.

'No! Why should I?' he said, his voice louder this time. 'Isn't that what you wanted to hear? You want to close this case, detective! Don't you want some damn evidence? Here it is! You have absolutely no leads, so obviously you're not going to stop doubting me until I say what you want me to say.'

Juliet sighed in relief. Okay, it's fine, her boyfriend wasn't a killer. He wasn't a killer.

'Sweetheart, calm down,' Juliet whispered. 'This is the interrogation room.'

Shawn held her gaze for a while before he closed his eyes and sighed, 'Sorry. Shouldn't have shouted at you.'

'Its fine,' she smiled. Then she reached out and caressed his heavily-stubbled cheek. He leaned into her touch briefly before drawing a deep breath and sitting up straight, 'How's Gus?'

'He's awake and good, and he was asking for you,' Juliet responded.

Shawn nodded, his gaze flitting across the room. Then he cleared his throat and asked, 'And what did the Doc say?'

'It's nothing major . . . the bullet damaged his sternum, and that might take a while to heal . . . but knowing Gus, he'd probably welcome a few weeks of rest.'

'Yeah, he kind of loves it whenever Mrs. Pickles has complex diseases like . . . cancer, flatulence, and Braxton-Hicks.'

'Okay . . . I fairly well remember Mrs. Pickles . . . isn't she Gus's imaginary cat?'

'Yes, she is. But the walls have ears, Jules. Let's be discreet, because Gus is gonna breath fire through his nostrils if he realizes you gave away his secret.'

Juliet frowned, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. 'You know what, this time, you're kinda right . . . the walls do have ears. As for the diseases, you do realize you just said that Gus's cat was having cell damage, excess gas and false contractions?'

'Huh. No wonder Gus keeps trying to get young customers to get those Burton's Chicks medicine.'

Juliet rolled her eyes and chuckled. Then she traced her thumb across his cheekbone and asked, 'I'm the only one around. Chief's not in the viewing room, so if you're having trouble putting stuff together, give me what you observed, we can work it out together.'

'Thank the dear Lord she isn't,' Shawn smirked suggestively. 'Would she have been happy to see you manipulating me to give answers?'

'Manipulating how?' Juliet asked, letting the grin cover her face, and leaning closer to him, inhaling the Axe scent. That was such a grown-up scent for a child-like guy. It was intoxicating, kinda made her want to rip of his shirt and run her palm across his smooth and slightly muscled chest . . . his soft-skinned back . . . his muscled shoulders, which were hidden under those sleeves . . . and kiss every damn part of that stubble-covered jaw line . . . and—

'Uh, Jules?' Shawn said, feeling shifting to prevent their noses from bumping together.

'Hm?' Juliet snapped out of her daydream and shifted a centimetre or two away. Shawn was searching her eyes, and she held his gaze, letting him observe like he did, work that magic with his brain. He wasn't the ideal, rich, tax-paying boyfriend, but he was damn intriguing. Now that she knew his little secret, Juliet loved watching him work with his distinguished skill set. It seemed like a superhero comic, except that Shawn didn't wear his underwear on top of his clothes *shudder*.

She was derailed from her train of thoughts by the huge, goofy smirk that spread across Shawn's face.

'I turned you on!' he said gleefully.

'Shawn, I am trying to conduct an interrogation.'

But Shawn was lost in his world, 'Man, they should've known better than to let you be in the same room as me all alone, no one looking in from the other side of the room. You never could keep your hands off me for long . . . remember when you tried to kiss me, and then made some silly excuse about "very-close talking"?'

'That was you, Shawn,' Juliet sighed, laughing quietly.

'Really? Huh, well. We always have that time when you proposed to me in front of a whole cafeteria and I had no choice but to say yes, and then later you revealed it was for a case to get my chi back?'

'That was you, as well.'

'Okay,' he narrowed his eyes at her. 'You kissed me in your then-boyfriend's house, and there was a danger of him coming down any moment.'

'Hm,' Juliet sighed with a cheeky smile. 'That I did!'

'Sweet! I thought you'd catch me! I saw that scene in a movie that night.'

Juliet narrowed her eyes at him, wishing they were in her house, so she could hurl a cushion at him, and then use the same cushion as a little partition when she pressed on top of him on the couch.

'You are so turned on!' Shawn teased.

'Oh, yes, I am. And that does not bode well for you for tonight.'

'Trust me, I am sooo prepared!'

'Shawn, you're avoiding the question.'

'The answer is yes, I do like that black underwear on you.'

'Shawn!'

'Okay, sorry! But you know that helps me get "visions".'

'Me wearing underwear . . . right. So, did you get any?'

'Yes. I know what happened. And I know who the killer is.'

Juliet stared up at him in wonder. 'You do?' she asked breathlessly.

Shawn tilted his head to the side and peered down at her with his lips pursed up in concentration. 'You are desperately turned on. Whatever did I do?'

'I'm not turned on . . . you know how I feel about your gifts,' Juliet blushed at her kid-looking-at –the-best-ever-candy-store-smack-next-to-a-carnival expression.

'Anyway, the perp will be leaving town in a few, so if we wanna catch him, we gotta go now.'

At that moment, the door flew open, and Karen Vick stormed inside, an officer on either side of her. She glared at Shawn and snapped, 'Mr. Spencer! Did you really murder a man?'

Shawn blinked, double-taking. Juliet froze. Then she jumped up from her seat, and slid between her boss and her boyfriend, 'Chief! No! Wait, Shawn just—Holy . . .! Were you listening in on our conversation?'

Shawn and Juliet froze, as did the chief.

' . . . . . no?' Karen Vick answered. 'I just . . . er . . .'

'Oh. My God!' Juliet exclaimed in utter horror. She was so going to be fired. Wait. Technically, it wasn't her fault that the chief had been snooping in . . . but she did get a bit cosy with her boyfriend at her workstation . . . . .

'Look, guys,' Shawn jumped up and down twice, 'We don't have time for this. I know where the perp is, and we have to catch him. Being with Jules cleared up my psychic senses. So chief, here on, I demand to be left alone with Detective O'Hara during any case I happen to be working on . . . possibly one with a closed door, and a comfortable bed, or recliner . . .'

'SHAWN SPENCER!' Juliet spun around, glaring at him.

'Never mind, Detective. Mr. Spencer, you really know where the culprit is?' the chief demanded.

'Yes, chief! So, we have to hurry!' Shawn insisited.

'O'Hara, take Spencer, and we'll be following you with a few black-and-whites. McNabb! Call Lassiter!'

'Yes, Chief!' Juliet clasped Shawn's wrist just as he was about to say something potentially cringe-worthy and pulled him along to her Green Bug.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'Watch out!' Juliet screamed and the car swerved wildly, barely missing a blue bike. 'I knew I shouldn't have let you drive!'

'Well, you should've followed your instincts!' Shawn argued.

'You tripped me!'

'And then I caught you!'

'I was catching my breath!'

'No, you were having wild dreams about tonight!'

'Shawn, watch out!' Juliet cried yet again, her eyes falling on the cab at the crossing. The siren on her car was wailing, which gave Shawn even more freedom to drive like a manic.

'Jules, if we don't hurry, we'll never catch this guy!' Shawn shouted back, swerving the car. 'Besides, you won't even have to pay for any damage to your car.'

'I will, if it turns out to be a case of reckless driving!'

'Tell them the spirits took over me and tied you to the car seat!'

'What?!'

And Shawn slammed his feet onto the brakes. Juliet flew forward, catching herself on the dashboard just as Shawn flew out of her car, 'You're okay?' he asked breathlessly.

'I could do without the whole blender effect,' Juliet answered, catching her breath as she pulled out her gun and stepped up beside Shawn. 'Stay behind me.'

'Yeah,' he chuckled, bending down. 'That'll happen!'

'Shawn, you are an unarmed civilian, and also the victim in this case. I cannot let you take the lead. Besides, I am the officer of the law,' Juliet pointed to herself, and her eyes caught the glint of metal in Shawn's hand.

He stood up and sighed, 'You sure of the unarmed part?' and he turned the gun in his hand, gripping it, wrapping a finger around the trigger.

'Do you have a license?'

'Of course, I do. Now take the back while I take the front.'

With that, Shawn took a step inside the open gates of the bungalow. As they neared the main door, Juliet whispered, 'Doesn't look like anyone's home.'

'Looks can be deceiving, Jules,' Shawn whispered back, levelling his gun at the main door with impressive caution. Then he knocked on the door quietly.

No answer.

He motioned Juliet to stand back and cover him. She nodded, and with one swift kick, the door flew open with a loud crash!

Julietfollowed him inside, taking in the surroundings. They place was unfurnished, and no one seemed to be home. That's when Shawn froze. He put a finger to his lips, and Juliet strained her ears to hear what he heard. And then she heard it, a strange tapping. Like wood. Only . . . why would there be a wooden furniture in an unfurnished house? Shawn nodded at her and cautiously proceeded down the dark hallway to another room. Juliet spun around once, and then moved forward to another room at the other side of the hallway. She slowly turned the knob and stepped inside the dark room, making no sound as she felt for a light switch. She felt one, and flipped it on. And just as the bright light filled the room, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head.

With a pained grunt, she fell to her knees, the world seemed to dim around her. Her body felt heavy, and she couldn't move for a long while. When her vision started to get a bit better, she could make out a figure leaning down over her. She tried to blink and clear her eyes and the dull pain worsened, causing her to gasp in pain.

She could barely register the vaguely familiar face intently looking down at her before a strange scent filled her breathing canal and her brain went woozy, and her vision darkened to absolute blackness.

Sooooo . . . . . not how she planned to spend her night.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shawn clutched the gun harder in his hand. He'd held on to it, and thankfully, his dad hadn't asked for it. Besides, he did carry a license for arms.

As he rounded the corner, an eerily familiar, unpleasant smell hit him like a sudden wall. He fought to control his breathing and winced at the stink, stepping into the room softly. And then he saw a girl, her back facing him, leaning over something in the ground. He could make out the wooden step ladder in front of her, and could make out that she was clutching onto one of the legs of the ladder, gently tapping it against the white marble floor. Her white-blonde hair seemed to glow in comparison to the dull yellow walls of the room. Like a mop which had been using hair conditioner . . . okay, maybe his sense of humour was off, that definitely didn't sound funny.

He kept the vice-like grip on his gun, skulking towards the figure.

'I was waiting for you,' the figure said, and Shawn jumped about three feet in the air. 'Did your girlfriend slow you down?'

Then the blonde turned and Shawn's breathing hitched. And she pulled what looked like a rope slung over a rung in the ceiling.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shawn's eyes were half-closed, but he stared up at the beaten, bloody figure of Yin, hanging from the ceiling by his neck, his eyes wide open in horror.

With one final maniac laugh, Allison Cowley slammed the hammer down on Yin's head, and Shawn had to force his eyes to stay open, fighting unconsciousness. Blood pooled at Yin's feet, and Allison threw away her hammer, turning to face Shawn, eyes with the same haunting glint which Yang had in her eyes the day he had met her for the first time.

She stalked over to Shawn and picked up a bloodied knife which lay discarded on the floor, and then roughly placed it under his jaw, forcing his head up. Shawn forced himself to meet her gaze, because all he had wanted to do since she had slammed the hammer onto his shoulder and injected him with some sort of serum was pass out.

And all he could think about was the fact that Yin's blood was mixing with his own as the knife dug deeper under his jaw bone.

'That was fun, wasn't it?' she said in her soft, singsong voice, chilling him to the bone. 'Did that compensate for the torture he inflicted on you?'

'In his . . . defence,' Shawn managed shakily. 'Serial killers barely are physically strong. The only . . . . . only reason they c-can inflict torture is because of mommy-complexes which harden their souls. So . . . . . what's your story . . . family-complex?'

'Why do you ask?' Allison said with an amused chuckle.

'Because people psychotic to your level need to have all sorts of complexes, as well as an underdeveloped brain . . . . . and the trademark creepy voice . . . which could easily be obtained like Stephen Hawking got his trademark creepy voice.'

'That's not very nice, Shawn. Now, I was going to let you stay awake, but if you're gonna be rude, you need to be grounded!'

With that, she grabbed his gun, which had been flung away from him in a manner that she had been the only obstacle keeping him from retrieving it, and Shawn barely registered it as the gun came down hard on his skull.

If that's how much it hurt during her pistol-whipping, only God knows how much force she had exerted on Yin, because that guy's skin had split from the centre of his head and his head was in an odd shape from one side.

Yeah, Yin was probably dead.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: Yeah . . . cliffhanger! *slow, evil smile spreads over my face*

*readers shudder*