Hey all!

This is the chapter you all have been waiting for! Kind of. It looks very different from what I originally drafted out over 5 years ago. This chapter is from Lassie's perspective and then the next chapter (when I finish it) will be from Sharon's perspective.

I finally added this story to ao3! (Except as of this posting, I haven't finished adding all of the chapters yet but will soon). I will post new chapters to both sites and you can read futures chapter there.

Sharon is about 20 weeks/4.5 months pregnant.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 14

*Wednesday July 7th*

Carlton groaned as his cell phone rang, interrupting his thoughts as he worked on a report. "Lassiter."

"Hey Lassiter, it's Gus. Have you taken lunch yet?"

"Guster, I have a lot of catching up to do, I don't have any time for shenanigans!" Carlton growled.

"Juliet said that it's just paperwork, and it can wait. You need to go rescue your girlfriend."

"Why, what did she do this time?"

"Nothing yet, but she needs a break from Mr. Spencer and I just got called into a very important meeting."

"She's only been back there two and a half days!"

"Well, Sharon tends to get more restless than usual the longer she's in recovery. If she doesn't get a change of scenery soon, I'm afraid that something bad might happen."

"Why can't she go somewhere on her own?"

"Because she's still suffering from that concussion last week and hasn't gotten her replacement phone yet. She might get lost or something."

Carlton sighed as he saved his work on the computer. "Fine. I will take an hour break, and no longer! I really need to get this report done today."

"Thank you! I've got to go, but should be able to pick her up around 3pm if you wanted to drop her off at the Psych office."

"You trust her alone at the Psych office but not to go for a walk?"

"The Psych office is familiar and has a phone. I've really got to go, bye."

Carlton sighed as the call ended and he checked the time. It was barely 12pm, but he was entitled to up to an hour and a half break every once in a while, a perk of being head detective. With a sigh, he stood up and grabbed his jacket. "McNab, I'm taking a long lunch. If O'Hara asks, I should be back by 1:30."

Buzz frowned as he glanced at the time, "Oh, okay. Is anything wrong?"

"Not yet, anyways." Carlton grumbled as he walked away.

"Well, have fun!" Buzz called after him.

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As Carlton walked up to the front porch of the Spencer house, he could hear yelling coming from inside.

"You can't ride your motorcycle right now, Sharon! It's too dangerous!"

"Dad! You just don't get it! I'm suffocating right now! Everyone either treats me as a piece of glass or like a child!"

"You are pregnant and also recovering from a concussion!"

"I need some space!"

"Then let me drive you somewhere."

"I don't need a damn chaperone! Just leave me alone, Dad!"

"You can't run away from your problems, Shawn!"

"Watch me!"

Sharon stormed out the front door, but froze when she found Carlton on the porch. "Lassie! What, what are you doing here?" She asked nervously.

"Guster asked me to take you to lunch." Carlton frowned. "Did Henry just call you Shawn?"

"What?! No!" Sharon crossed her arms defensively.

"And you called him Dad."

"A, um, slip of the tongue?"

"You led me to believe that Henry was your uncle, which would make Shawn your cousin. Before 6 months ago, they had never mentioned you. I tried to do a background check on you, but you don't exist; I can't even find a birth certificate."

"Lassie, I can explain!"

"Then tell me who you are!"

"I, I um."

"And how does Shawn Spencer play into all of this?! I haven't seen any pictures of you and Shawn together! Or even you and Guster! Why aren't there many pictures of you?!"

"It's not that simple."

"If you can't tell me within the next 30 seconds, then I am out of here."

"I don't even know where to start."

"Start somewhere."

"I don't want you to hate me."

"If you tell me the truth, then I will try to understand. 10 seconds."

Sharon closed her eyes and said quickly, "I am Shawn!"

Carlton stared at her for a second before stuttering, "Wh-what?!"

"I am Shawn! Shawn and Sharon are the same person."

"How?"

Sharon opened her eyes and shrugged, "It's complicated."

"Why? Are you transgender?"

"No."

"Are you schizophrenic? Have multiple personality disorders?"

"No."

"Then what?!"

"I…" Sharon glanced around before whispering, "Can we not do this outside for the whole world to see?"

"This doesn't make any sense! How can you also be Shawn?"

Sharon stepped closer, "There's this genetic curse that runs in my family that changes me from one gender to the other. I'm only supposed to be Sharon for a few days a month, but then I got pregnant and obviously can't change back while I have a fetus growing inside me."

Carlton closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe not, but it's the truth!"

Carlton shook his head and turned around, "I have to get back to work."

"Can we talk later?" Sharon asked as she grabbed his arm.

"I don't know, will you tell me the truth?"

"I did! I told you it's complicated."

Carlton shook her off and straightened his jacket. "It really shouldn't be. I'm warning you now: I don't like liars or frauds. When I come back, you better tell me the whole truth, or you can find some other hopeless sap to spin your tale to." He walked down the steps and across the yard without looking back, not even when he heard the front door slam.

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When Juliet returned from lunch, she noticed that Carlton seemed to be in a worse mood than when she left. After watching Carlton snap at a couple of passing rookies for "laughing too loudly", she got up and went over to his desk.

"Hey Carlton."

"What, O'Hara?!" He snapped.

Juliet raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "Is everything alright?"

Carlton huffed and mumbled, "Define alright."

"Did something happen while I was on lunch?"

"You could say that." He slammed his computer mouse on the desk. "Come on! That's not possible!"

"What's not possible?"

Carlton took a deep breath and whispered, "Do you remember when I first met Sharon and I tried running her fingerprints in the system?"

"What?! No! Carlton, I can't believe you did that!"

"Well, I did, but there were no hits in the system."

"That's not unusual, especially if she's never gotten a background check done before or never been arrested."

"Yes, but I just checked for Shawn Spencer and his prints are missing."

"What?! I thought you said you arrested him when you first met him?"

"The Chief wouldn't let me, but they should still be in here from when his father arrested him when he was 18. Also, anyone working for the police station is supposed to have their prints on file, consultants included."

"Okay, back up. Why are you looking for Shawn's prints? He's been out of town for months."

"Have you spoken to him since he left?"

"We text a few times a week."

"But have you actually talked to him on the phone?"

"No, what does this..."

"LASSITER!"

They both looked up and saw Gus marching towards them. Carlton stood up and crossed his arms. "I don't believe anyone called you for a case, Guster."

Gus glared at Carlton as he got right in front of Carlton and poked a finger on his chest. Gus whispered harshly, "If Sharon loses the baby and/or dies, you better be prepared for more than just words from me!"

"Are you threatening an officer of the law?!"

"No, I'm threatening the idiotic EX-boyfriend of my best friend."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Maybe not physically, but you must have said something wrong because Sharon is currently on suicide watch."

Carlton closed his eyes as Juliet gasped and asked, "What happened?!"

"I'm not sure. I got a call 20 minutes ago asking me to clear my schedule for the next 24 hours in order to stay with Sharon since she tried to self harm. And since Lassiter was supposed to take Sharon to lunch, I figured he must have done something wrong."

"It wasn't my fault! Maybe she needs psychiatric help if she's a danger to herself. Obviously she's already crazy and delusional."

Gus pushed Carlton hard, causing Carlton to take a step back. Gus glared, "If we weren't in the middle of a police station, I would deck you right now."

"I would like to see you try." Carlton growled as he stepped closer.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Juliet demanded as she pushed them apart. She looked towards Gus and said, "You better go before you end up in a cell. I'll call you later." Grabbing Carlton's arm, she marched him downstairs, ignoring all the stares they were receiving.

Finding an empty conference room, Juliet pushed Carlton inside and locked the door. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"It's none of your damn business!"

"I'm making it my business! You can't just start fighting with people in the middle of the police station!"

"Guster started it."

"I don't care! You should be glad that the chief isn't here, or she might have suspended you! Now tell me what happened today!"

Carlton sighed as he sat on the edge of the table. "Guster asked me to take Sharon out for lunch since he got called into an important meeting at work. When I arrived, I heard Sharon and Henry arguing inside. It didn't sound like a bad fight, but what they called each other really threw me for a loop."

"Well, what did they say?"

"Sharon called him Dad and Henry called her Shawn."

"What?! I thought Henry was Sharon's uncle?"

"Technically, they neither confirmed nor denied it, they just let me assume based on what they have told me and how they act. Anyways, when Sharon came outside and I questioned her about it, she claimed that she is Shawn."

"What?!"

"Yeah. I didn't believe it either; but the more I try to dig into Sharon's past, or lack thereof, the more that seems to make sense."

"What about her P.I. license? There must be something on file about that."

"I don't have the clearance to look at her credentials without a warrant, but I asked a colleague to look into it. And without either her fingerprints or a social security number, I can't look up her background check, which she would have needed for her PI license. There are no social media accounts in her name and she's not registered to vote."

Juliet shook her head. "Okay, what about Shawn? Can you find anything on him?!"

"The standard stuff: birth certificate, social security, driver's license, voter registration. But again, no fingerprints or background check."

"Have you tried tracking his phone?"

"Can't without a warrant."

Juliet frowned as she pulled out her phone and dialed Shawn's number. After a moment, she muttered, "Straight to voicemail."

"His phone probably isn't even on so we wouldn't be able to track it anyways."

Juliet signaled him to be quiet as she left a message. "Hey Shawn, it's Juliet! I'm just checking in! I have a case for you and was wondering about when you were coming back? It's no rush, but give me a call back when you can. Thanks! Bye!" Juleit's smile dropped as she ended the call. "You said some things make more sense now. Like what?"

"Like how she never wants to talk about herself, or her childhood. Why she's working for Psych as a PI while Shawn is gone. Why she said she has a medical condition where she didn't think that she could have kids and that she has a high-risk pregnancy, even though I haven't seen evidence of anything odd."

"Is she transgender? That would explain the pregnancy being high-risk, if she or he were taking testosterone and they don't know how that would affect the baby."

Carlton shook his head, "I don't know, that seems like a bit of a stretch."

"Okay, well. Since we can't legally go any further looking into her background, how about you tell me exactly what you said to upset her?"

"Me upset her?! Have you not been listening?! She's been deceiving me for 6 months! And I only know the truth because of an accident! If it even is the truth. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if the baby is even mine."

"Carlton!"

"If our whole relationship is built on a lie, then why not question that as well."

"You didn't say that to her, did you?"

"No. Although I did call her a crazy liar and fraud."

*Knock knock*

Juliet sighed as she went over to unlock and open the door. "Yeah, Buzz?"

"A um, call came in a few minutes ago about a suspected drug overdose?"

"That's a case for narcotics, why are you telling us?"

"Well, the guys from narcotics are in the middle of a sting operation, and since the call is about a dead body, the Chief wants you two to go."

"The Chief is back?"

"Yeah, about 5 minutes ago."

"Okay, we'll be ready shortly."

"I'll let the Chief know." Buzz smiled as he left.

Juliet shut the door and turned back to Carlton. "We'll continue this discussion later."

"There's nothing left to discuss." Carlton said as he tried to get to the door.

"Yes there is!" Juliet blocked the door and crossed her arms. "I need to know exactly what you two said to each other in order to help you plan how you're going to fix it."

"Why do I have to be the one who fixes things?!"

"Because I know you and you probably said some really hurtful things! Look, you should give Sharon a couple of days, and then we can go talk with her."

"We? I don't need a damn babysitter!"

"Apparently you do! Or at least a peacekeeper. Why don't we go Friday after work? That way you can talk all night if need be?"

"If I agree, can we please go do our jobs now?"

"Yes."

"Fine! Friday at 6pm."

"Thank you!"

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*Friday July 9th - afternoon*

"So, are you ready for tonight?" Juliet asked as they ate their lunch outside of the station.

"No."

"Did you at least text her to let her know that we are coming over?"

"I tried, she didn't respond."

"Here, let me try Gus." Juliet got out her phone and dialed his number. "Hmm, straight to voicemail."

"Maybe he's screening your calls."

"Carlton!" She scolded before leaving a voicemail. "Hey Gus! It's Juliet. I was just calling to check in and to let you know that Carlton and I are planning on stopping by Mr. Spencer's house tonight to talk with Sharon. Let me know when you get this message, okay? Bye Gus."

"Did you ever get a response back from Spencer?"

"No, and he usually texts me back within a day or two. I'm starting to think that you are right and they are the same person."

"It's still hard to believe that I've been dating Shawn Spencer this whole time."

Juliet smirked, "Well, I always thought you two were cute together."

"What?! That man child?!"

"Oh come on! The way you two are always challenging each other? And support each other. The way you two fight always made me think of little kids who push the one they like on the playground."

Carlton shook his head, "Okay, well maybe if Spencer ever grew up."

"I think Sharon has grown up a lot these past few months. Having a baby changes people."

"Yeah, but usually not into a totally different gender."

"Carlton!"

"I'm just saying!"

Juliet laughed and shook her head. "Come on, let's get back inside so we can finish up our paperwork."

Carlton scoffed. "Like it ever ends."

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Carlton took a deep breath before knocking on the front door of the Spencer's house.

Henry opened the door and crossed his arms. "Detective Lassiter." He looked towards Juliet at the bottom of the stairs and nodded. "Detective O'Hara."

Carlton cleared his throat nervously, "Hello, Mr. Spencer. Is Sharon home?"

"No, she left this morning."

"What do you mean, left?" Carlton frowned.

"Gus took her to an appointment this morning and then the airport so she could go to her mother's house."

"Where is that and when will Sharon be back?"

"Canada. And I don't know when Sharon will be back, but Gus will be home Sunday night."

"Well, will she be back before the baby is born?"

"I don't know that either; but that's four months away. Good night, Carlton."

"Wait!" Carlton put a hand out to stop Henry from closing the door. "Is it true? Is Sharon really? I mean, are they the same person?"

Henry sighed and shook his head, "You really need to talk with Sharon about this; it's her story to tell."

"She's not answering any of my texts or phone calls."

"Yeah, but she will. Just give her time."

"Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?" Carlton crossed his arms.

"I've been trying to get her to tell you since I found out about the two of you back in February."

"Can you at least pass on a message?"

"I'm not a carrier pigeon."

"Henry, please!"

Henry sighed, "Okay. What's the message?"

Carlton took a breath as he thought. "Tell her that it makes sense. Well, it doesn't really make sense, but I do believe her. And I want to talk so we can figure things out. I do care about her and still want to be a part of her life, if she'll let me."

"Is that it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, I'll pass the message on. Goodnight, Detectives."

"Goodnight, Mr. Spencer." Carlton replied as Henry shut the door. Taking a deep breath, Carlton turned around and rejoined Juliet. "Well, that was a bust."

"I wouldn't say that." She smiled and rubbed his arm. "You did good. How about I buy us some dinner?"

"Thanks for the offer but I'm not hungry. I'll drop you off at the station so you can get your car."

"Okay."