A/N: I wanted to go for more of a scared!Shawn in this chapter, but I decided against it and toned it down. Although there is more Shassie fluff towards the end ;)

Chapter 4: The Damage

Lassiter was unable to process his thoughts correctly. The detective side of him was trying to assess the situation and follow protocol before running into the scene unprepared, but the personal side of him was throwing any thought that wasn't about Shawn right to the side. He focused his attention back to the road as he readjusted his grip on the steering wheel. For some reason this drive felt like it was taking longer than usual, and Lassiter was determined to reach Shawn as quick as possible so he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.

When he pulled into the parking lot of Shawn's apartment he pulled his car to a halt in the nearest parking spot. It just happened that the parking spot he chose was right next to Shawn's motorcycle and Lassiter felt his jaw drop at the sight in front of him. Glass surrounded the bike and it was clear the mirrors were shattered. Upon further investigation, he was just barely able to make out that the bike was sitting lower than usual. He glanced down and saw that both tires were slashed, and not gracefully at that. Jagged cut marks ran the full circle length of the wheel, clearly a work of anger, or revenge.

He pulled himself from his thoughts of the bike and pulled his attention to the more important matter, Shawn. He turned his head to where Shawn's apartment was located and saw the lights on. Before he knew it, he took off in a full sprint, taking the stairs to Shawn's floor two at a time. When he reached the top floor he quickly pulled his gun out of the waistband of his pants and clicked off the safety. He grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open as he raised his gun to eye level.

With his gun outstretched in front of him, Lassiter took two big steps inside the doorway, turning to his right and left to check for any intruders. He lowered his gun just slightly when no one posed any immediate threat. Cautiously he took two more steps into the living room and froze when he saw Shawn's phone on the ground. He crouched down to grab the phone from the floor. Peering at the screen he noticed the page was left on his contact. Quickly he pocketed the phone and stood back up, raising his gun once again. "Shawn? Are you here? It's me, Lassiter," he called out to the seemingly empty apartment as he made his way to the bedroom.

The bedroom door was halfway open, so Lassiter reached his hand forward and pushed it open all the way as he raised his gun once again. He glanced inside the bedroom and his worry spiked. Shawn was yet to be seen. He worried that something had happened to him after he dropped his phone. Lassiter shook his head to clear his thoughts of anything negative as he rounded the other side of the door to where the bathroom was located. He kept his gun raised in front of him as he closed the distance between the bedroom door and the bathroom door. As he reached his hand forward to grab the doorknob he tightened his grip on his gun, before he quickly through the door open and stepped inside, aiming his gun at the first thing he saw. The first thing he saw just happened to be Shawn sitting on the bathroom floor with his knees tucked to his chest.

Without hesitation Lassiter lowered his gun while clicking the safety on at the same time, before shoving it in the back waistband where it was originally. He lowered himself to the ground, resting on his knees as he reached his arm out to grab Shawn's shoulder. Lassiter couldn't help himself when he jumped as a result of Shawn jumping from his touch. He simply watched the fear fade from the other man's eyes as he came to the realization who it was that touched him. "Lassie!" He yelled out as he pushed himself forward into Lassiter's arms, embracing him tightly as he planted a loving kiss on his lips.

Luckily Lassiter was able to shoot his arm back and brace himself for the sudden impact of Shawn launching himself at him. Once he was able to remain upright he wrapped his arms around Shawn just as tightly as Shawn had his, and he kissed him back before pulling away to talk. "Shawn, you scared the hell out of me," Lassiter said quietly without letting go of Shawn.

Shawn perked his head up slightly at the comment, but didn't try to pull away. "I scared you? Imagine how I felt, Lassie. Someone broke into my apartment and left a threatening message," He began explaining before Lassiter finally pulled himself away.

"Say what now? A threatening message? Shawn you need to show me right now," Lassiter said sternly as he began to push himself back into a standing position while offering Shawn a hand up.

Shawn looked at him confused. Surely Lassiter would've seen the words written on the back of the front door when he came in. "How didn't you see it? It was on the back of my front door. Kind of hard to miss," he joked slightly to take his mind off the fear of some random stranger in his apartment.

"Well, I wasn't focused on the back of the door. I was more focused on finding you. And imagine my worry when I didn't find you right away, Shawn," Lassiter confessed to Shawn as the two walked into the living room.

Shawn mumbled a quick, "Sorry," before he pushed his front door shut, revealing the words to Lassiter.

Lassiter scanned the words multiple times as he tried to make sense of what they meant. "I don't get it. Who would be telling you to back off? We haven't caught any of the Cinco Reyes in action," he said aloud, mostly to himself as he brainstormed the possibilities. He quickly shook his head and turned back to Shawn. "I feel like I could've done something more for the situation if I was here, Shawn. I'm sorry I blew you off at the station," he apologized as he reached for Shawn's hand.

"I accept your apology Lassie, but I think if you were here it would've made the situation worse," Shawn explained as he laced his fingers with Lassiter's when he explained his latest theory.

Lassiter raised his eyebrow at the statement and didn't understand. "What are you talking about, Shawn?" He asked simply.

Shawn looked down to the ground before looking back up to Lassiter. He honestly felt like a real jerk for prying so hard at the rogue cop angle but at this point it was hard to deny it. "Look, I know I already told you this, but I'm certain of it now," he started explaining it slowly to Lassiter. "Just think about it. Someone broke into my apartment. They knew exactly how to not get caught. And the message they left? 'Back Off'? The only people that know when we get close to the Cinco Reyes is us. The police department," he paused just slightly to see the recognition in Lassiter's face before moving onto his next point. "And that's why I'm glad you weren't here, Lassie. Whoever it was that broke into my apartment, rogue cop or not, they were in my bedroom. If you were here they would've found out about us," he finished painfully explaining for the man standing in front of him.

Lassiter wasn't sure how he should react. Shawn just once again called out the police department, and he also said that a stranger was in his room. He didn't know if he should be angry at Shawn, or if he should be even more worried for him. "You said whoever broke in was also in your room. How do you know that?" He asked, deciding he needed to be more worried with the new information.

"When I got up to investigate my bedroom door was cracked open. And you know that I always, always, shut my bedroom door every night," he explained as he stressed the second 'always'.

Lassiter nodded his head. It wasn't until then when he remembered seeing Shawn's bike when he arrived. His eyes widened and he looked at Shawn apologetically. "Shawn, there's something you need to see," he said very vaguely as he turned on his heels to lead Shawn outside.

The pair was barely outside for a minute before Shawn looked into the parking lot and saw the state of his motorcycle. "My bike!" he exclaimed as he took off running down the stairs.

"Shawn! Hold on!" Lassiter called after him, but it proved no luck when Shawn just continued down the stairs, skipping as many as possible.

Shawn stopped in front of the bike as he took in all the damage. He ran his hands through his hair, seeming more distraught about his bike than someone breaking into his apartment. "My bike," he mumbled sadly to himself when he bent down to inspect the tires closer. "Do you have any idea what this is going to cost me?"

Lassiter frowned at how disappointed Shawn was, but he already figured that was the reaction he'd get. He simply reached his arms out when Shawn stood back up, and pulled him into yet another hug. This time placing a kiss on the top of his head. "I'm sorry about your bike, Shawn. I'm sure the department will find a way to cover it," he suggested when he loosened his grip and let Shawn look up at him.

"Speaking of the department, aren't you going to call it in now? Good luck explaining to the chief why you entered my apartment without calling for backup first," he told the detective with a smirk as he played on the 'always follow protocol' side of Lassiter.

Lassiter's only reply was a mocking face at Shawn before he reached down into his pocket for his phone. He looked down at the screen and dialed the chief's number. As he placed the phone to his ear he leaned his head down to get one more kiss from Shawn before he had to pretend to hate him again.