This chapter is back story. It's everything that happened up to Gus waking up in Regina's room. So, I hope you guys/gals enjoy it.

Danny's return will be explored in the next chapter, along with why Lassiter is no longer on suspension. Just endure this chapter and all will be answered.

Thanks for reading, I really hope to hear from you again, and sorry for the lateness of this chapter.

I own nothing.

Bye…

Psych

22 hours earlier…

Regina Taylor stood in his doorway, her hand tightening on her dog's leash. It was rare that she'd stop by Gus's apartment. He normally stopped by hers, offering his services just so he could be near her. It's not that she was the hottest woman in the building-uh, that would be Ms. 4B-but she was by far the most interesting. It's not that she wasn't attractive either: long, dark red hair, bright green eyes, porcelain skin, and a pre-med student who was going to school so late because she had to take care of her brother until he turned eighteen. There was nothing Gus didn't like about her; except her dog, Sasquatch. That thing was always sniffing him in places that were not only inappropriate but also down right uncomfortable.

"Hey," Gus said attempting to lean against the door. The stupid thing picked the worst moment to move under his weight. It took grabbing the doorframe to keep him standing. Straightening, hoping she didn't see him do that, he asked, "What's up?"

"Um, are you busy tonight?" she asked, trying to hold back a smile. Of course she saw me, he thought bitterly as he watched Regina yank Sasquatch away from Mr. 3F's doorstep.

"Busy? Me? Why?" Gus questioned unconsciously flicking his nose with his thumb.

"I just… Do you need a tissue?" Regina gave him a curious look, reaching for the messenger bag around her shoulders.

"What? No, I don't… Why do you ask?"

"You were flicking your nose like there was something…" her face flushed, her green eyes averting from his dark ones. "Anyway," Regina started clearing her throat, "I have this thing tonight. It's O'Malley's tenth reunion." O'Malley's was the dingiest bar in Santa Barbara, full of people that Gus would rather not fraternize with, and was also where Regina worked to help pay her way through med school. He had no idea why she was even bringing the place up, let alone its ten year marker.

"Congrats, I guess," Gus said not really sure what to say about a bar being open for a decade. 'Happy birthday you health code violation' sounded a tad too rash.

"Yeah, and I was wondering if you wanted to go to the party with me. It's just going to be me and a few guys who work there. Also Arlene O'Malley and her husband, Garrett. You can ask that psychic guy you work with, uh Shane, to come too. He could bring Jenna."

As smart as she was, Regina Taylor forgot names on a daily basis. It took her almost two weeks to remember Gus's name. She had told him once that, 'I remember faces quicker than I remember names. It's how I've always been.' She had met Shawn and Juliet once, the day she moved in, but hadn't had much chance to get to know them. Gus was sure after a few more meetings, she'd at least remember one of their names.

"Where is this party?" Gus asked curiously, not sure if he wanted to go or not. As much as he liked her, he wasn't sure he wanted to spend any time in that rat infested, flea pit she called a job.

"It's at O'Malley's of course."

Of course it is, Gus thought as he said, "Oh, um…"

"Please Gus; it'll be a huge favor. And I'll owe you in the future."

How could he say no to her, so he agreed, telling her he'd pick her up at eight. She thanked him and headed toward her apartment. He waved at her, watching as she waved back and closed the door. He closed his own door seconds later, resting his forehead against the cool wood. The plus side to his situation, the only good thing, was he had a date with Regina Taylor. Too bad it was in a bar where half the customers have, no doubt, contemplated robbing the joint.

His phone made him jump, the cordless echoing down the hall from the kitchen. Gus pushed himself away from the door and headed down the hall. He scooped his phone off the counter, checked the id, and answered with a, "No, Shawn, I will not wear a tuxedo made of grass to your wedding."

"That wasn't why I was calling, and come on. It would be so cool. I mean, yeah we'd have to water the thing before we…"

"No Shawn. Besides, I doubt Jules will agree to it."

"You are not wrong. She just won't budge on her original wedding plans that she told me THREE years ago. She wants it on the beach, in the middle of spring, with several dozen lilies…"

"…surrounding you. Yeah, you've told me several times."

"Anyway, I didn't call to discuss anything remotely matrimonial. I called because Vick has a case for us. It's nothing big, but it'll get Jules off my back for a couple days about all this wedding stuff."

"What does 'nothing big' mean, exactly? Because the last time you said 'nothing big' we ended up trapped in a zoo with gun toting animal poachers."

"And I apologized for that. As for the case, it's just a standard missing person. Some girl's sister went missing a few days ago. She's afraid she's been kidnapped by her ex or something."

"And Lassiter and Juliet aren't involved why?"

"Lassie is supposed to be on vacation and Jules has a few other cases she's working on. We will be teaming up with McNab. He was actually really excited to be working with us."

"Yeah, because you're like his hero… Wait, Lassiter is on vacation?"

"Supposed to be, Gus. He's been lurking around the station, anyway."

"Why's he supposed to be on vacation?"

"Apparently, he shot the voice box at a McDonald's because the teenager working the drive-thru-get this-talked to him in a 'threatening manner.' I guess surly is threatening to good old Lassie now.

"Anyway, the case."

"Yeah, Shawn, as much as I would love to work a missing person, I just can't. I have to start my route…" a knock at the door cut Gus off. Eyebrows raised, he headed toward the door. "You aren't at my door, are you?" he opened the door to reveal his best friend.

"No, Gus, don't be ridiculous," Shawn lied horribly, hanging his phone up and stashing it in his pocket.

"How long have you been here?" Gus asked hitting end on his cordless and sitting it on the small table he kept by the door.

"Long enough to hear Regina Taylor ask you out," Shawn said pushing past his friend. He headed toward Gus's kitchen, calling, "Dude, I will totally go with you," over his shoulder.

Gus closed his door, hurrying to follow his friend. He would never admit it to Shawn, but he would be forever grateful that his best friend agreed to go with him. Especially to a place that doesn't even sell pineapple or tetanus shots. Yes, Shawn Spencer was a very good friend.

"I'm drinking your last soda. Hope you don't mind." Gus heard his fridge open, the sound of a can opening followed. And sometimes he was just a pain in the ass.

Psych

Carlton Lassiter couldn't believe he was being escorted off the premises, by Buzz McNab no less. He was just paying a visit; there was no need to treat him like a criminal. Yes, lurking around O'Hara's desk trying to catch a glimpse of any stray case file wasn't very visitor-like of him. And yes, yelling at a rookie for asking if he was supposed to be there was a tad uncalled for. But it didn't warrant him being kicked out of the police station. By Buzz McNab no less.

"I'm so sorry about this, Detective Lassiter," McNab said in his happy, go lucky tone as he walked Lassiter to his car. "It's just Chief Vick told me to escort you outside. And I didn't want to make her angry." Lassiter grunted in response, stopping next to his Crown Vick.

"It's just a few more days," McNab reminded him.

"Leave," Lassiter said quietly.

"Yes, sir," Buzz said and scurried toward the station. Carlton was a little satisfied that McNab was still a little afraid of him despite working together for five years. The smile soon wilted from his face when he realized he still had three days of doing absolutely nothing. How the hell do you do absolutely nothing, he thought to himself bitterly.

The drive back to his place was mostly quiet, a jockey, from a local AM station, filling the car with quiet background noise. It was dangerous for Carlton to be in silence, his mind wandered when it was silent. He started thinking about what landed him on suspension-or forced vacation time as he liked to call it. He had told Vick it was because of a bad week, the reason why he decided to end the existence of a McDonald's voice box. The truth was he caught a glimpse of his ex-wife in a gas station that morning: His ex-wife, her new husband, and their new baby.

To say he wasn't jealous would have been lying. He was damn jealous. That should have been his life, his kid. Instead he was destined to watch it all from afar, wondering what he could have done to fix it, and uselessly wishing things could be different. In retrospect, he didn't even know why he was still pining for Victoria. They'd been divorced for over two years now: Seven-hundred-thirty plus days. And they'd been separated longer. They were their own people now. He should just get over her and the whole damn situation.

Now, he felt a little depressed, thinking like that. She was, in a way, the first woman he ever really loved. He had girlfriends before her, a long line of nut bags who he wished he could forget, but she was the only one he could ever see himself with. Truth was he probably would never really get over her. Not really.

When he pulled up to his house, wondering how much trouble he'd get into if he threw a rock at his neighbor's dog, he wasn't feeling remotely better. In fact, he was feeling worse than before. Sighing, pushing everything remotely Victoria related aside, he opened his car door.

Figuring he could probably get a few hours in at the shooting range, and maybe knock back a few scotches afterward, he headed toward his front door. Maybe a shower before he left would do him good; except, there was someone sitting on his porch steps blocking his way inside.

The guy was in his mid-thirties, with shaggy, black hair with flecks of gray in it. His blue eyes lit up with a smile when he spotted Carlton. His face had a faint tan, but it still couldn't hide the spatter of freckles all over his face. He had a dark blue back pack at his feet, a black messenger bag at his side. He was wearing a black, leather biker jacket, but didn't have a bike, and blue jeans. A pair of sunglasses sat on his head. All these things wouldn't have mattered to Lassiter if they were on anyone else, criminal aside, but they were on someone he had known for a good chunk of his life. In fact, he had known the guy his whole life.

"Danny?" he whispered freezing in his tracks.

"Carlton, it's really good to see you," his brother said his smile growing wider. It seems their mother was right, Danny was going to stop by sometime soon. It was just a few months too late…

PSYCH

Gus never made into work that day. He was pretty sure Oogletree was going to rip him a new one when he saw him, but Shawn had already called Central Coast and told the receptionist Gus had to deal with a family thing. Apparently his brother, yeah Gus didn't have a brother, Elliot lost control of his motorize scooter and crashed it into a tree. He had broken his foot, his arm, six ribs, and gotten a concussion. "It was horrible, Gus. Elliot just needed his brother Gus to be there. Would you leave him while he was down," Shawn had said as he drove Gus to the police station.

They spent all day with McNab, or Gus had. Shawn pretty much wandered over to Juliet's desk and only stopped flirting with her when Gus threw him a withering look and told him to do his 'psychic' thing. Even when Shawn was paying attention, they still hadn't found Gigi Gray. Nor had they gotten any leads as to where she might be. McNab had let them talk to her ex, but he had supplied an air tight alibi. There went Gigi's sister's theory that she was kidnapped by the boyfriend. They were back to square one.

"I still think she took off," Shawn said from the back seat of Gus's Echo. Gus had pulled up to O'Malley's, spotting Regina standing outside waiting for him.

"Shawn, why would she take off without any word?" Juliet asked turning to look at him.

"Maybe she did leave word, and her sister misplaced it," Shawn replied smoothly.

"Or she was taken by someone else," Gus pointed out turning his car off.

"Whatever the case," Juliet started opening her car door, "if we don't find her soon we might never find her. It's sad to say, but after forty-eight hours most cases grow cold."

"Then we'll just have to find her by tomorrow," Shawn responded following Juliet out of the car. Gus sighed, wondering what the odds were of actually finding one missing person in twenty-four… well not even twenty-four anymore…hours. It wasn't very likely.

He took his keys from the ignition, made sure all his windows were rolled up, and opened his car door. He made sure the Echo was locked up tight before he jogged around the blue car and over to Regina. She smiled when she spotted him, her green eyes practically sparkling with the action. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, a barrette holding it in place.

"I'm glad you came," she said taking his arm. "You're friends are already inside."

"Okay," Gus said returning her smile. He allowed her to pull him inside the bar, almost forgetting his dislike for the place… almost.

He mostly stuck to the table the whole night, watching everyone from a far. Shawn and Juliet danced a little to the music playing from the jukebox, enjoyed themselves as much as they could with Gina Gray's disappearance on their minds. Regina bounced back and forth between Gus and some of her friends, always wearing a smile, always in a cheerful mood. All and all, despite the place, it was an okay evening.

"Hey, Gus," Regina said a little before twelve, appearing at his side. "Can I have a ride home?"

"Yeah," Gus replied getting to his feet. "Only if you don't mind dropping Juliet and Shawn off first."

"Is that their names?" Regina asked a little embarrassed. "I've been calling them Shane and Janet all night. No wonder they've been giving me weird looks every time I talk to them."

"It's an honest mistake," Gus said flashing her smile. Really it wasn't, he had told her their names six or seven times that night, but he didn't want to be rude to her. So, he finished the water he had been nursing all night, found Shawn talking to the bartender about his bartending stint in Argentina, and Juliet talking to a woman named Franny about wedding stuff. Apparently Franny had been married six times, to four different men. She really had a thing for her third husband.

"I'm sorry about the name thing," Regina kept saying to Shawn and Juliet. Juliet had brushed it off like it was nothing, telling her 'Don't worry about it, after so many Shakespeare jokes it's nice to be called something different." While Shawn said, "After solving nearly eighty cases for the police department, I'm surprised you haven't gotten my name right." It was a joke, Gus knew, but he was afraid Regina would take it a little too seriously.

"Then maybe next time I should put a label on your forehead to remind me," she had responded coolly, brushing Gus's worry away. It also made Shawn smile and tell her, "That may work. I'll keep that in mind."

It was a little after one by the time Gus got back to his apartment building. He was tired, he really didn't like staying up this late, but didn't tell Regina that. She didn't need to know that he was a-what phrase did Shawn use-'Boring, McBoring pants.' Because he wasn't a Boring McBoring pants. He just liked sticking to a schedule; no matter how many times Shawn has taken him off said schedule. And it had been a lot over the past five years. So many times, in fact, that Gus had lost track. He was sure it was somewhere in the mid-hundreds, maybe more.

"That was fun," Regina said following Gus out of the car.

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me," Gus said locking his car.

"Thanks for coming with me," she replied giving him a small smile.

They walked into the building, Gus allowing her to go in before him, and toward the stairs. The elevator had been out for a while, something to do with faulty wiring, and they were forced to return to the decade before electricity. Gus wasn't happy about this, but he was with Regina so he was going to suck it up.

They reached their floor in no time, still silently enjoying each others' company. It would have been a nice ending to the evening: Gus walking Regina to her door, saying good-night, maybe getting a peck on the cheek. Except, Regina's door was slightly ajar.

"Did you leave…?" Gus started.

"No, I didn't," Regina whispered, her voice sounding breathless with fear.

"That's what I thought," Gus replied creeping toward her apartment. Regina followed, gripping his forearm in a vice-like hold. Gus really wished she would let go, his entire arm going numb, right down to his fingertips. But he didn't say anything, there was no point.

Sometimes Gus hated his 'fearless Guster' façade he put on around important people and women. In any normal situation he would be running the other way, sometimes with Shawn in toe, but he couldn't this time. He had to make sure Regina was going to be safe. Yes, he could call the cops, Juliet or McNab-hell most of the SBPD-would be there in a heartbeat, but he had to do this. He had to look tough in front of Regina.

He gently laid his fingertips on Regina's door, slowly pushing her door open. He looked around, finding no odd silhouette's in the darkness, and let his other hand grope around until he found the light switch. When he came across it, he flipped the lights on and looked around the front room.

Someone had done a number on Regina's apartment, all her belongings scattered across the floor. There was a rip in her leather couch, stuffing flowing out of the material and onto the floor. A kitchen chair lay on its side, glass littered around it, next to the entertainment center. The television had a hole in it, someone obviously hitting it with the downed chair.

"Oh my God," Regina whispered pushing past Gus to get inside her place. He followed her, watching as she picked up a fallen lamp.

"You shouldn't touch anything," Gus said realizing they could be compromising potential fingerprints, any type of evidence.

"Who could do this?" she asked glancing around the place, ignoring Gus's words. Before Gus could respond, he felt something heavy collide with the back of his head everything going automatically dark…