AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thanks for the reviews guys. A lot of questions are answered in this chapter so be ready :D

Chapter 16- New Developments and Old Flames

Carlton Lassiter glared into the interrogation room. His two suspects sat cuffed to the table. One was cocky, asking when they could get lunch. The other hung his head with intermittent glares at his partner. "HEY! We've been in here for hours! When are we going to get some food! You can't do this to us!" Nathan Treger screamed and banged his manacles on the table.

Glancing to the detective beside him Carlton nodded and headed into the room. The lawyers of the two former BCA agents had insisted that another city send over a detective in order to make sure Carlton did not violate their client's rights. With all the conflict of interest with this case and the Santa Barbara Police Department, their Lawyer was afraid of retribution and unfair treatment… with good reason. Fortunately for the SBPD, Mick St. John was already in town, and is a consultant for the LAPD which satisfied any and all stipulations for questioning the men.

Nathan glanced up and paled as Carlton walked through the door. He looked desperately at Mick. "Oh hell no! Get him out of here! He's a vampire! He'll kill us all!"

As the young man continued to cause a scene Mick turned to Carlton and whispered, "What did you do to that guy?"

"He caught me on a bad day, but Spencer is the one that punched him into a wall."

After widening his eyes at Carlton dramatically and mouthing WOW, Mick turned and confronted the pair. "So, Mr. Treger, can I call you Nathan? You say that Detective Lassiter here is a vampire?"

Nathan opened his mouth but Gerald stomped on his foot hard, effectively shutting him up. "Who the hell are you?" Gerald glared at Mick suspiciously.

"I'm Mick St. John. Private investigator and consultant for the LAPD. Your lawyer requested a third party be present for safety sake."

Gerald shook his head. "Bull. You two know each other. Unlike dipshit over here I've been an agent for 20 years. I wasn't born yesterday."

Carlton shrugged, seemingly unfazed by their uncooperative attitudes. "Care to go with plan B?"

Mick smirked, "I always liked that plan better."

Both vampire's eyes turned white and fangs grew. Their backs were to the two way mirror so if anyone was watching they wouldn't be able to tell a thing was going on besides an intense interrogation. Carlton had to admit the Sheriff's Department's interrogation room layout was a bit better than the SBPDs had been.

Gerald tried getting as far away from them as possible, which wasn't far since he was anchored to a table which was also anchored to the cement floor. Nathan screamed and kept pulling desperately on the cuffs repeating, "Shit no, no no no!"

It was an hour and a half before Carlton and Mick were done with them. Basically they told them that if they didn't confess to the other arsons they wouldn't just get life in prison, they would be killed and their bodies burned to cinders, one extremity at a time. Gerald had signed the confession first. He was the one with the family. Life in prison was better than dead any day, but even though California had the death penalty he would still get years with his family if it came to that. Secretly though, Gerald believed he deserved everything they threw at him.

The younger man was harder to crack, but maybe it was because he already had. Nathan had yelled and screamed for someone to help him. When Carlton first met Nathan he had seemed cocky, secure, and arrogant, but apparently what he did caught up to his conscience as well and he couldn't take it. He had fainted at one point, but when he woke up the vampires were still there. Sobbing, he finally signed the confession.

As they solemnly exited the interrogation room, Mick turned to Carlton and asked, "How is Shawn doing?" It had been a couple days since Lance was killed and Mick had really had a chance to talk to him since the day after it happened, when Shawn said farewell to everyone from Carmichael industries with promises to visit them sometime soon. Mick and Beth had hung around, volunteering to help with the cleanup at the ruined SPBD and their temporary relocation to the Santa Barbara Sheriff's department across town. It was definitely crowded but considering the circumstances no one at the sheriff's office was complaining about their new guests.

"Spencer has been at the hospital with O'Hara and his father. He hasn't left their side much but at least O'Hara is getting out today…Hey watch it!" Carlton almost ran into a secretary who was trying to haul a bunch of papers across the station. Carlton found it weird that he actually had to watch where he was going. Usually he would just talk and go. Years of familiarity with the SBPD were the cause of that. The Sheriff's office was nice but he still had to get used to the fact they were going to be here for a while. "He's been pretty quiet about what happened. Once he's finally left her side I'll talk to O'Hara about it. She might be able to get through to him."

Mick understood and he was sure Carlton did too. Killing was never easy, especially your first one. "I'm going to head back to the hospital to pick up Beth. We have to get back to LA, Beth's boss needs her to come in today."

Once they got to Carlton's make shift desk, they looked up and caught Karen's eye as she passed. The bags under her eyes showed the dedication she had shown over the past few days and if anyone had ever doubted the decision to make her chief, they weren't anymore. Karen nodded at them and continued on her way. "I'm going to have to let her know about the confessions. She'll want to hear about it as soon as possible." Carlton turned to Mick and shook his hand. "Thanks for everything."

"Take care of yourself." Mick returned the handshake and hurried out the door.

Carlton grabbed all the paperwork he would need and followed Karen's path to the back rooms and her temporary office. He figured keeping things as normal as he could between them would soften the psychological blow of everything that had happened. He was actually still dealing with it himself. One moment everything made sense and then faster than he could draw his gun, everything he knew about the world changed. Now he had more to protect than just the citizens of Santa Barbara, he had to protect a secret that could expose an entire species if he wasn't careful. Shaking the negative thoughts away he focused on the case and the news he had for his boss, the news was good and just happened to include his most favorite phrase in the English language. "Justice was served."

"Now Ms. O'Hara, please come back if your headaches continue or get suddenly worse and be sure to..." The doctor was cut off by Juliet who was very ready to get out of the hospital.

"I know what to look for doctor, thank you but I really want to get home." She usually never had a problem with staying in hospitals but with Henry Spencer as her roommate and Shawn practically spending 24 hours a day at her side she was sure she would be less exhausted if they just let her go home. There was only so many reassurances that she could give to the Spencer men that she was alright, especially since Henry was worse off than she was. Blood loss, multiple contusions, Henry Spencer was the definition of a train wreck. "He might actually get some rest himself without Shawn here." Juliet mused.

Beth had been a nice change of pace when she visited after helping at the ruined SBPD with Mick. It was nice to be able to chat about girl things for a while, things that kept her mind off what had happened to her. Unfortunately her boyfriend had picked her up a couple hours ago though so it was just back to Shawn, Henry and her thoughts.

The doctor handed her the discharge papers. "Alright then. You take care and good luck officer."

After the doctor left Juliet stood. Shawn was already at her side making sure she didn't fall. "Whoa Jules, careful."

"Shawn, I'm fine." She smiled reassuringly at Shawn before turning to Henry. "I'll see you later roomie."

Henry gave her a weak smile. "Take care of him."

Shawn gave his father an indignant look. "Aren't I supposed to be taking care of her?"

"If you say so kid." Henry waved a dismissing hand in his son's direction, causing the younger Spencer to grumble as he got Juliet into the wheelchair by her bed. She didn't really need it but it was hospital protocol.

Shawn put his hand on his dad's arm. "I'll be back to see you later on. I just want to get Jules settled in." His dad nodded and the pair left.

Henry watched them go and waited a few minutes before using the room phone to get a hold of the nurse. "Yeah, it's Henry Spencer. You can tell her they're gone." Henry waited another minute before Karen walked in looking troubled. Henry raised the bed and folded his arms over his chest. "So, you said you wanted to talk about Shawn..."

The silence was deafening in Shawn's car as he drove his girlfriend to her house. He had been quite the Chatty Cathy when it came to being in the hospital, but it was as much to keep his mind off things as to entertain everyone else. Once it was just Juliet and him though, he knew she would pick up that something was wrong if he babbled so he kept quiet. Juliet stared out the window, Shawn drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Each doing little things to keep their minds occupied during the drive to her house.

Minutes later they were finally walking into Juliet's living room. Shawn dropped the hospital bags with her old clothes in them on the couch and sighed. "So, good to be home huh?"

"Yeah it really is." Juliet replied. She approached Shawn and went to give him a kiss. She actually was very relieved to be home and alone with her man.

Shawn closed his eyes and briefly enjoyed the kiss. He had wanted this for weeks but he couldn't let himself do this right now, he had some things to say before he lost his nerve. Breaking away from the kiss, he took Juliet gently by the shoulders to look her in the face. He saw the hurt in her eyes. He had never pulled away from a kiss before. "Jules I... we can't do this right now."

"What are you talking about Shawn?" Juliet backed up a little, worried at his tone.

Shawn rubbed his lip and started to pace. "You shouldn't want to be with me. If you were smart you would run the other way screaming when I'm around."

Juliet finally understood the silence in the car. Shawn had been brooding, which was never a good thing. She moved to comfort him but Shawn held up his hands to keep her at bay. "It's my fault Jules. My fault you got hurt, my fault he went after my dad, and I killed a guy Jules..." Shawn looked shocked at his own words. It was the first time he actually admitted out loud that he had killed someone. "I can't be around you guys without causing you pain. All I have done since becoming a vampire is cause you pain." Sitting down on the couch he buried his face in his hands. "Mick said at most I have another 15 years before I have to leave, and only if I start dying my hair gray at some point. Lassie could probably stay longer because his hair is already going gray but his life here will be over then too."

Juliet sat by Shawn but this time he didn't move away, he leaned into her. He wasn't quite crying but if his sniffles were any indicator he was getting really close and trying hard not to. "I was used to screwing up my own life Jules, and now I screwed up everyone else's. I mean, look at your poor wrist..." He gently touched her hard cast. The doctors realized just a brace was no longer going to work with how bad it was broken. "I tried to make it a nice night for us Jules. Tried to fix things and look what happened."

Juliet did the time tested move of grabbing Shawn's chin and getting him to look at her. "Listen to me Shawn. Lance is responsible for everything. You saved all our lives and outsmarted a three hundred year old vampire in the process." She witnessed everything that happened in that warehouse from her vantage point by the door. Morgan had told her to get back and she had. She saw Shawn charge and decapitate the vampire who, seconds before, was choking Chuck. After he stopped and turned around, Shawn had looked at her and for a brief second she saw the worry and pain in his eyes. She didn't think anyone else saw it, they were too busy watching the head rolling away from the body. She saw the same pain and worry now. Here was a care free guy who all of a sudden had so much burden put on him because of others' cruelty.

"I'm not happy that you lied to me though." Shawn tried to look away at that statement but Juliet held his face towards her. "I need you to be honest with me if we are going to make this work. We both have to deal with the fact that you changed. It will be hard, and it won't be perfect but I'm willing to try… if you are."

Shawn snorted and shook his head. "How is it that you are always so much smarter than me?" Juliet smiled widely at the compliment. He wiped his face and groaned. "God I must be the most horrible boyfriend in the world. Here you are comforting me after what that son of a bitch did to you."

"Just being able to actually spend time with you is comfort enough." She was still shaky over the incident. It had been incredibly terrifying but Beth had her talk through it a bit and it ended up helping a lot.

Shawn smirked at her statement, but was caught off guard when Juliet leaned in and kissed him. This time he didn't move away but gently cupped her face to feel her soft skin. Their lips finally parted and Juliet gave Shawn a sly smile. "So should I be jealous?"

"What?" Shawn didn't know what she was talking about. "Jealous?"

Juliet was still smiling and her blue eyes twinkling with mirth, "Oh, I was just making sure Gus wasn't going to come between us, being your boyfriend and all. Is he a better kisser than me?"

Blushing, Shawn turned away. "I uh... that was just to save his life. If Lance would have known..." Juliet put a finger to Shawn's lips to stop him from talking then leaned in and pushed him farther down into the couch, knocking the plastic hospital bags out of the way in the process. Juliet nuzzled his neck and Shawn sniffed deeply, catching her scent. They hadn't been this intimate in a long time and both missed it terribly.

Shawn growled and, being careful of Juliet's cast, picked her up easily and hauled her into the bedroom. His eyes had long since turned white. During the training, Mick had tried to explain to them what caused it. "There are four Fs that could get your predatory nature to surface; Fight, Flight, Feed and ... well you know."

Placing her gently down on the sheets, Shawn slowly crawled up the bed to face her. Reaching her middle, he put his hands on her hips and pulled up her shirt so he could kiss her bare stomach. He knew how ticklish she was and wanted to tease her a bit. He bent closer and puckered his lips. As they touched Juliet's skin, a faint hum caught his attention. Popping his head up Shawn looked at his girlfriend hoping he was just hearing things. "Did you say something Jules?"

"No..." Juliet started to sit up but Shawn motioned for her to lie down again.

He put his ear to her stomach, listened for a few seconds and gasped. "Oh no, oh God... Jules!" Shawn jumped up and started wildly pacing, back and forth at the foot of the bed. "Oh man, this isn't happening how did I not notice before well we haven't been alone in forever but I have a lot on my plate YOU have a lot on your plate was it that night in the park it was just the once without protection ya know there's no way it could happen after just the once it isn't statistically possible and I am good with statistics can spout them off like nobody's business like did you know that it takes four cents to make an American bill no matter how much its worth and girls have more taste buds than guys do which makes me wonder if blood tastes better to female vampires maybe I should find one sometime and ask them but I don't think I know any female vampires or would want to know them and maybe..."

Juliet's eyes widened. She had a feeling she was getting an unfiltered glimpse into the inner workings of Shawn's mind, and he was panicking about something having to do with her. She got off the bed and stood in front of him, "Stop!" She placed her hands on his shoulders to physically stop his pacing. "What is wrong Shawn? What did you hear?"

Shawn wrung his hands and gave her a guilty look. "Jules... I think you're pregnant."

Gus eased into his computer chair at the Psych office. After a very long and stressful couple of days he was happy to be able to sit and relax. It was getting to be late afternoon and he had just come from a day of helping the fire department clean up the SBPD. He had been impressed with the support the city was giving the officers and people involved with the cleanup. Antonio's had even decided to cater for the volunteers and Gus was stuffed to the gills with five star cuisines.

It seemed that everyone was off doing their own thing tonight. Shawn had taken Juliet home a couple hours before and probably wouldn't be back to the office tonight, so he had some time to get in some of the TiVoed American Duos while going over the bills. Gus had just turned on the TV when someone knocked on the door. Feeling a bit annoyed but more curious as to who it could be he looked out the window. His eyes landed on an exotic and gorgeous woman with wavy brown hair, natural lightly tanned skin, and long black eyelashes. She had a worried expression which tugged at Gus' heartstrings.

Gus was never one to say no to a damsel in distress, or any damsel for that matter so he opened the door and greeted his guest. "Hello... Burton Guster, you can call me Gus. How can I help you?"

The woman looked a little unsure at first, but she thought Gus was a bit cute so she offered her hand. "I was looking for Shawn Spencer, is he here?"

Gus' face fell a little bit. "Of course you're looking for Shawn." They were always looking for Shawn but Gus supposed he should be used to it by now. "Come in, Shawn isn't here right now but I am his business partner. Maybe there is something I could help you with."

She entered the office and looked around. It was a bit of organized chaos. One side was organized, the other was chaos. Just by looking at Gus she could tell which side was his. The office smelled vaguely of lavender, which was her favorite scent and wondered if Gus was the one responsible. "Nice place." She said simply.

Smiling, Gus led her to the couch. With her strapless dress he noticed a rather pretty tattoo on her left shoulder that looked like a Fleur de Lis. He sat down in his own chair across from her, "Thank you… I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

Sitting down she answered. "Coraline Duvall."

Gus blinked, "Why does that name sound so familiar?" He suddenly wished Shawn were there. "He might not remember where he puts the TV remote, but he never forgets a face." Breaking away from his inner monologue he figured if it were all that important he would remember himself. "So, Coraline… that is a beautiful name." He took her hand and kissed it, surprised that she actually let him. "What can I help you with?"

Crossing her legs she stated, "I need to talk to him about some of the events that happened in the last few days."

Nodding as if finally getting it, Gus walked over to his desk and grabbed PSYCH business card. "Ooooohhh… you are a reporter. Shawn is usually here during our normal business hours but recent events have taken precedence as you can imagine." He thought that maybe he could put his personal number on the back of the card, in case she needed it for anything.

Shaking her head frustrated she said, "I'm not a reporter. I was talking about Cynthia Davis and what she left you."

His danger sense finally kicking in, Gus slowly and started to get up and move away from her. The only people that knew about what Cynthia gave them had been vampires out to kill them. Now he really wished Shawn was here. "Well um, Coraline, I just have to go get something outside real quick. I'll be right back." He spun around, started screaming and running for the back door but Coraline already beat him there, confirming Gus' fear that she was a vampire. "Damn it! Why do I always fall for the crazies?" Gus berated himself.

Coraline held her hands out in a placating gesture. It was obvious that he knew about their kind... and had not had pleasant experiences. Considering that he may have met her brother, she didn't blame him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to ask you about the cure."

"You and every other vampire!" Gus shouted and lunged for the desk where he grabbed a sharpened pencil, brandishing it like a sword. "Stay back! Shawn is a vampire too, and he doesn't take kindly to people hurting his best friend! So... BACK!"

"At least let me explain." The pleading in her voice got through Gus' resolve and he lowered his pencil but still held it between them. "Cynthia was my best friend. She came to you guys for help right before she died, and I am the one who sent her here." Coraline gave a dignified sniff, trying to hide her sadness. "Josef Kostan had mentioned your business when I went to him for help after Lance burned our house down. I told Cynthia about it and she called me right before she went in. Next thing I know, she is dead."

Finally getting the answer to why Cynthia had picked them to go to in the first place, Gus realized who the vampire in front of him was. "You're Mick's ex-wife." She nodded. "Coraline! I knew I heard that name somewhere." Gus mentally beat himself up for not remembering. "You were the one who made the cure."

Coraline nodded, "Cynthia and I had been trying for years to perfect a permanent cure. Lance found us a few years ago and Mick got mixed up in family business. Lance was going to kill him if I didn't give myself up." She grimaced at the memory. "Cynthia intercepted us before Lance could get me out of the state. We hid for a while, making sure Lance couldn't find us, before we started recruiting."

Gus gave her a puzzled look. "Recruiting who?"

She shrugged. "Other vampires who could help us and wanted the cure, or were sympathetic to our cause. We knew we would get unwanted attention if we set up a large shop so we had branches, and each branch did its own research for the cure and reported findings and experiments back to us."

"You mean vampires like Aaron Lonsdale." Gus replied dryly. He had heard Shawn talking about how he had been some kind of doctor before he had gone insane.

Coraline was taken aback. "How do you know that name?"

Gus crossed his arms. "How about you tell me about him, then I'll see if I trust you enough to tell how I know."

Far from affronted, Coraline was amused at Gus' stubbornness. "Aaron Lonsdale was the doctor that did the trials for each cure attempt. We would send him a sample and he would inject rogues to see if it worked. The last batch worked perfectly and two days after he told us that, he was killed in an explosion set by Lance. Cynthia and I realized he had slowly been taking out others who knew about the cure and we tried to get as many of them into hiding as possible but by then it was almost too late. Lance found us a few weeks after and that is when he destroyed our house, and killed my best friend."

Gus started to sniffle. He couldn't even fathom how he would feel if he lost Shawn, but over the last couple weeks he had come close. Coraline gave him a puzzled look at the emotional display but he waved her off. "I'm fine, just give me a second." Composing himself he reached in the desk drawer and pulled out an empty syringe, which had previously held the cure. "We used it on Lance to kill him, but I kept it just in case there were trace amounts that could be used to make more." He walked up and handed her the small object. "I'm sorry but we had no other choice."

Coraline took the syringe and nodded sadly. "I might be able to do something with it, thank you for saving this at least. I know I put you in a bad situation by getting you mixed up in everything and for that, I am sorry." She put a hand on his arm in a show of compassion. "So, your turn. How do you know about Aaron?"

Gus squirmed. He had said he would tell if he trusted her, he wasn't as good at lying as Shawn was so he would have to tell. "Aaron didn't die in the fire. He escaped and started to turn people in hospitals with blood bags, and just leaving them. Shawn was one of them."

Coraline almost gasped. She couldn't believe Aaron would be that irresponsible. When She knew him he was a respected physician and geneticist. "He abandoned them?"

Gus shook his head. "For some reason he got attached to Shawn and he kidnapped him right out of the hospital. He was put to death for making rogues a week ago. Shawn mentioned he went loopy after his family died. Something about being able to feel fledgling's pain. We don't know much other than what your brother said while holding another vampire hostage." Coraline took a seat in Shawn's chair and crossed her legs. Gus looked at them with an appreciative expression before realizing that Coraline was talking again.

"There are many vampire lines but some of the oldest and strongest have developed some abilities that make them different." Coraline explained.

"Different how?" Gus asked concerned.

"Well," She started, "Feeling their fledgling's pain is one thing. Aaron's line can also feel strong emotions of people around them. The line is extremely empathetic which is why Aaron was such a good doctor. How well they can do it depends on the strength of the vampire."

Gus tried to think back and realized that Shawn had been extra emotional lately, but with everything going on he had chalked it up to being stressed. His friend's reaction after Lance had questioned him was extremely unnerving at the time but Shawn may have just been getting bad vibes off of the man and needed to deal with them. Leaning back in his chair Gus stated, "Shawn is going to want to know this, but he needs some rest tonight. He's had a long week." Getting an idea he asked, "Do you have a phone number we can call you at later?" Gus handed her the pencil and some paper.

She slowly smiled and started writing. "Already asking for my number, should I be flattered?" Gus' eyes widened as she put the number in his hand. "I'll give you a call tomorrow too. Just do me a favor, don't tell Mick you saw me."

Furrowing his brow, Gus asked "Why? He is worried that you might be dead."

A sad look crossed Coraline's features. "I messed up with Mick, I was a lot younger and it didn't work out. Plus, Beth would not like it. We have a history and it isn't the best."

Nodding in understanding Gus waved the number. "Thanks a lot. I really am sorry about the cure. If you need any help with it let me know." He puffed out his chest proudly. "I am a pharmaceutical salesman and I know a lot about chemistry."

"I may just do that." She turned to walk out but stopped. "You know, it is still early for me. Did you want to go get some coffee?"

He was hesitant at first, but as soon as she smiled at him, his resolve crumbled. Going for a cup of coffee wouldn't hurt. "That would be nice." Grabbing his coat, Gus led her out the door. "By the way, did you hear about Pluto?"

Shawn knocked on the door in front of him marked with a temporary plaque, Chief Karen Vick. It was awkward for him because he was so used to the wood accented SBPD and glass enclosure that the Chief used to inhabit. The Sheriff's department was a rather gray building with a lot of marble and metal. It wasn't familiar or comfortable for him to be here, but he had to come because Karen had requested it.

As he waited for her to answer his knock, he reflected on the last couple days. They had been a blur of activity for Shawn. He and Juliet had made a doctor's appointment to confirm their suspicions of her being pregnant. She was six weeks along. The doctor had asked how she had missed that she hadn't had her period. Juliet had stated that she had just been really occupied the last couple of weeks and hadn't noticed.

When the doctor made the official announcement they had looked at each other in silence for a long time. Of course looking at each other, despite Shawn being a master at staring contests, caused both of them to start to giggle. The giggles eventually turned to all out, breath stealing laughter. The doctor eventually left them alone to, what he guessed was celebrate but eventually the laughter died down and the tears started. When Mick had told him that he wasn't able to have children anymore, he had been on the fence about how he felt about it, but now that he knew he was going to be a father, everything changed.

When Shawn had burst into Psych to give Gus the good news, he found out that Coraline had visited him. Shawn went instantly into protective mode, and it had taken a lot of convincing but she had explained a few things about what was going on. Enough at least to have him trust she was being honest with them. When Shawn had finally gotten out what had brought him to the office Gus yelled, "Stop playing Shawn! Really?" and an impromptu jump and hug session commenced. It took Coraline clearing her throat for them to realize there was someone else in the room. Gus looked a bit more embarassed than he usually would have, and that fact didn't escape Shawn's attention, not much did.

From watching them interact, Shawn picked up a lot on both Coraline and Gus' body language and was able to tell they were attracted to each other. Which was a complication in and of itself but Shawn knew Gus was a grown man and could make his own decisions when it came to women…so he figured he would put off the vetting at least until next week. Shawn dreaded the day when Mick would find out about it though. He called "Not it." And it was now Gus' problem.

Once Shawn told his dad about the pregnancy, he expected a lecture. Some kind of something saying how irresponsible he was for getting Juliet knocked up. He wasn't expecting the tinkle that entered his dad's eye, like a lost hope had been restored. Shawn left the hospital room after only a few minutes to avoid any uncomfortable emotional moments between them. He would have to call his mother and let her know as well, but that also entailed letting her know about him being a vampire, which he really didn't want to do over the phone.

"Come in!" Karen's voice yelled through the closed door and brought him out of his thoughts.

Shawn opened the door and entered. "You wanted to see me Chief?"

"Yes Mr. Spencer, have a seat." Shawn sat down and she continued. "I heard the news. Congratulations are in order."

Blushing Shawn brushed it off. "I wouldn't be celebrating yet Chief. My kid may be worse than I was around here…er you know, at the station." Shawn corrected himself. Slips like that were common occurrences from the former SBPD inhabitants. It was still sinking in for a lot of them, Shawn included.

Karen raised her eyebrows and smiled, "I just wanted to let you know if you needed anything, advice, baby clothes, I will be happy to help."

"Thanks a lot Chief. I'll need all the help I can get." Shawn was touched at the gesture but he was sure that wasn't all she asked him here for. "So, what brings me here? Do you have a case for your psychic or did you just want to see my handsome mug?"

Karen rose and walked over to Shawn deliberately and slowly. His eyes narrowed, getting the feeling that something was up with her. "I just had a question." She said slyly.

"A question?" The expression on Karen's face was making him wish he was psychic so he could tell what she was thinking.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could tell me something." She stood in front of Shawn, leaned on her desk, folded her arms and asked a question that threw Shawn for the biggest loop of his life. "Shawn, could you tell me how many hats are in the station?"

END NOTES: Ooooo, why would the Chief be asking that question? :D

And yes, after a lot of thought. I did it, they are having a baby!