One month.

Well actually, less than one month until the biggest day of the year finally arrived. Well, it was the biggest day for him anyway. Today however, Shawn Spencer was ecstatic for many more reasons than that. He'd been waiting somewhat patiently; or as patiently as he could, for the last week or so just so he could get to do this, his favourite activity of the month...

At last it was the first of December and as many a tradition suggested, he was going absolutely insane with what seemed like thousands of decorations and his usual six foot tree. Granted, his neighbors had complained at the blockage it had caused on the stairs , but he'd eventually removed it and pulled it into his new apartment.

Henry Spencer, buzz kill extraordinaire, had usually protested when Shawn was a young child, often insisting that they really didn't need so much sparkly crap all over their house. But this was the one argument that Shawn and his mother always won. Not that Henry really put up much of a fight.

Deep deep down, past the hardened cop facade and the mince pie from last year, Shawn was well aware that his father loved Christmas just as much as he did. Maybe even a little bit more. Before the divorce, before things became complicated, they would finally coerce him into helping.

Shawn fondly recalled some of the best times he'd ever had with his father, before he'd become obsessed with making him the perfect cop. When things had been happy and innocent. With a smile, Shawn pulled the memory of his father dressed as Santa Clause, his eyes twinkling with pride as a seven year old Shawn sussed him out.

He hadn't taken the suit off for the whole day, insisting that it was too comfortable. Shawn knew better. He enjoyed the look of hero worship from Shawn for finally giving in and getting into the spirit. The fake psychic thought of it often as his best Christmas ever.

Shawn eventually stepped back to survey his handy work. He ran a hand over his hair, absolutely exhausted from the effort. After what seemed like hours of stretching and straightening garlands and about twenty or so rolls of sticky tape, he was finally done with his creation.

His tree stood in the corner, proud and green; baubles of all shapes and sizes hanging from the branches, tinsel draped here and there, and hundreds of multi-colored fairy lights twinkling at him in the waning light of the day.

Glancing at his watch, his eyebrows shot up. God, he'd really spent a lot of time on it this year... With only half an hour to get ready for his date, Shawn smiled proudly at his work once more, before disappearing into his bedroom to change into something a little more formal.

Tonight, he was going on his twenty seventh date with Santa Barbara's finest. Well, twenty seventh official date anyway. Yes, he was counting them and no, he wasn't counting all of those times they'd ended up back at her apartment to watch a movie after work, or that other time they'd played Yhatzee with Gus at the Psych Office. Or the many nights they'd spent at the Station, trying to crack a case, only to end up secretly holding hands under her desk and trying not to smile when Lassiter shot them bemused looks. Shawn grinned to himself as he opened his closet to pick out a shirt.

He scanned thoughtfully for something he'd knew Juliet would like on him, finally settling on a green button down that he'd worn on their first date all those months ago. As he pulled it on and fixed his hair in the bedroom mirror, he whistled and hummed Christmas songs merrily to himself. Hell, he even danced a little on his way out of the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Twenty minutes later and he was pulling his bike up outside of the busy Station in the glow of the street lights, the sun having long since set behind the horizon and leaving a cool chill in the air. He suddenly mused that he probably should have borrowed Gus's car in case Juliet got cold, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Although, to be fair it was probably best.

At least that way he could be the one to warm her up. With a self-assured smile and spring in his step, he bounded up the stairs and through the doors to find his girl for a night on the town.

He frowned when he turned the corner and found that her desk was empty, strange for this time when she was usually there finishing up any paperwork that she hadn't had the chance to earlier in the day. His brow furrowed. Surely she wasn't down in the interrogation rooms now? Lassiter could have taken care of that... As he looked around in confusion, a sudden tap on his shoulder made him jump in surprise.

He spun around the find the very woman he'd been searching for, and a smile immediately spread over his face at the sight of her. "Jules! I was just wondering if Lassie had finally snapped and shot someone, which was why you were interviewing him in the interrogation room..."

An amused look graced her features at his joke. "I wouldn't be surprised. The night we've had..." Without any further explanation she strode towards her desk with a sense of purpose, Shawn trailing after her.

"You're not working late are you?" he asked, his tone suddenly concerned, but she shook her head.

"No, I think Lassiter can handle him," she smiled softly and Shawn's face became confused. Juliet answered his silent question. "That's why we were in the interrogation room. It's the only place we could put him so that he wouldn't take off again. He's already tried it four times since Buzz picked him up..."

"Okay, I'm going to stop you there gorgeous," Shawn held his hands up and Juliet raised an eyebrow, blushing at the same time at his newest nickname for her. Something he'd been doing a lot lately. "Isn't the point of catching a criminal, to have them in handcuffs so they don't do stuff like that?" Juliet began to shake her head halfway through his sentence.

"No, not exactly. I don't think we have handcuffs small enough for an eight year old..." A look of understanding fell over Shawn's face. "Yeah, he was picked up at the harbor wandering around with a suitcase big enough to fit himself inside. Apparently he's from the Care For Kid's Orphanage across town. He wouldn't really tell us anything other than his name, but we got a call from the orphanage a while ago to tell us about a missing boy fitting his description. They're picking him up in half an hour, so we can leave when I make sure he's gone with them..."

"Sounds dire. A kid running off at this time of year?" Shawn pulled a chair around to Juliet's side of the desk, leaning in to rest his elbows on the top. Juliet nodded solemnly.

"Daniel's very smart for an eight year old. He talked a little more when I got Lassiter to stop glaring at him..." she laughed, making Shawn chuckle. "Apparently, the carers at... what was it he called it... oh yes, 'The Crap Factory-" Shawn snorted in amusement. This kid sounded like a handful. "Don't feed him."

"It sounds like a pretty awful place. Should we check it out?"

"Shawn, he also told us that his name was Juan Rodriguez and that he was from the Mexican border..." Juliet turned to look at him. "I told him he reminded me of you. He does a little bit."

"Why? Is he devilishly handsome for an eight year old?" he raised an eyebrow and smirked at her cockily, making her laugh.

"I was thinking more along the lines of sure of himself and full of crap."

Shawn's hand went to heart in mock pain. "Jules, I'm hurt at the accusation of being full of crap. Everyone knows I'm only partly full of crap. The rest of the time I'm completely legit. I think you just insulted your way out of snuggling tonight," his voice lowered slightly in case anyone overheard. Juliet gave him a look.

"Oh please, we all know that you're the snuggler in this relationship." He shrugged innocently at her accusation, nudging her arm and leaning in closer to her personal space, looking down at her mouth. Juliet knew he wouldn't risk kissing her in the middle of the Station, but it didn't stop her from licking her lips.

"I don't hear you complaining when you're cuddling up after-"

"Ugh, did you ever hear the phrase get a room?" A small voice echoed from behind them, making them turn away from their 'almost kiss' to find the source of the noise. Juliet smiled when her eyes settled on the boy who was standing behind them.

"Daniel, how did you get away from Detective Lassiter?" she sounded firm, even though her face was bright. The kid shrugged nonchalantly, his hands stuck deep into his trouser pockets and his foot nudging the ground in front of him. Shawn took in the somewhat pitiful sight before him.

Daniel was a clever looking kid, his brown hair messy and in a way that reminded Shawn vividly of his own. He wasn't small for an eight year old, but he wasn't overly large either and his clothes seemed smart enough. Too smart for a street kid which he'd tried to pass himself off for. He wore a plaid shirt, hanging over his dark jeans which his hands were still stuck into.

He raised his eyes off of the floor and finally looked at Shawn. "So you're the psychic guy huh?" The said psychic raised an eyebrow at the question, but answered anyway.

"Yeah, that's me. You're the little guys who's been causing all the trouble around here tonight..." Daniel wrinkled his nose at the question, his brow knitting together over his glasses. He pushed them up his nose before answering.

"Wow, you know for a psychic that was pretty crappy."

At the comment Shawn couldn't help himself. The sound of an eight year old saying that, even if it was directed at him made him laugh loudly and Juliet shook her head beside him before turning to the little boy. "Daniel, please be nice to Shawn for me okay? That wasn't the nicest thing to say."

Daniel immediately protested. "But it was true!" Her face turned serious and he quietened down, his face pouting at being told off. Shawn decided to save the poor kid from his girlfriends scolding.

"Aw come on Jules. It wasn't my best work ever..." Daniel glanced from Juliet to Shawn, his eyebrow raising at the man coming to his rescue. Juliet rolled her eyes at them. "What? Hey, this coming from the woman who told me I was full of crap."

Juliet shook her head and looked between Shawn and Daniel. "Boys sticking together huh? Well that's just unfair."

"It's not our fault Jules, it's a natural reaction." Shawn turned back to the little boy in front of him and held out his hand. "Shawn Spencer, it's very nice to meet you." Daniel looked at the outstretched hand warily, glancing between Shawn's smiling face and Juliet's expectant one. Not wanting to let the kind Detective down, Daniel took it and shook.

"Daniel Marcus Alden, born in Santa Cruz."

Before anyone could say another word, Lassiter's fuming figure stormed around the corner; coffee cup in one hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other. "O'Hara! Get a search team out there. I lost the little fu-" He stopped mid sentence when he noticed Daniel standing next to her desk, talking to a man he considered his arch enemy. "Ehem... I was going to say darling if anyone was interested..."

"Wow, you're uptight aren't you?" Daniel smirked, his arms folding as a few people paused to look between the red faced Head Detective and the kid who was so far into the danger zone that he was about to hit a land mine. Lassiter looked like he was about let rip, having been given the run around by an eight year old for the better part of an hour.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Juliet quickly stepped in before he could finally make a child cry. "Carlton. Would you please put these in the filing room if I look after Daniel?" Lassiter looked as though he was going to hug her, something that would have to of been seen to be believed; before he grabbed the files from her hand and gratefully left the boy behind. Daniel grinned in victory.

But it was brief before Juliet turned on him again. "What did I say about being nice to people?" He pouted, his head lowering again and his shoulders shrugging miserably. Juliet didn't relent. "Daniel?"

"Fine, I'm sorry Ms. O'Hara."

"Okay, come and sit with us while you're waiting," she set a hand on the back of his neck and steered him towards her desk and Shawn, who lifted him onto the desk to sit. While Juliet went to get him something from the vending machine along the hall. Daniel stared at his hands as she walked away, leaving him with Shawn. Checking that his girlfriend was out of earshot, Shawn leaned over and nudged Daniel.

The boy looked up at him. "What?"

"When you see him again, call him Lassie Face. It really gets on his nerves..." Shawn smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes as the boy's face lit up briefly. "Or call him Lassitarian." Daniel snorted softly, his eyes searching the hallway, waiting for Lassiter to appear from the direction of the stairs.

As Juliet reappeared at her desk, a bag of crisps and a soda in hand, she looked concerned at the level of silence and concentration from the two boys as they watched the stairs almost intently. "What's going on here?" Shawn jumped at her voice, but Daniel didn't move from his position.

"Nothing Jules, nothing what so ever..." As Lassiter bounded up the stairs and into the bull-pen, Daniel's voice cut across the low hum of noise in his direction.

"Hey there Lassie Face!" Lassiter froze, his death stare aimed at both Shawn and Daniel from across the room. Juliet could see the vein in his head begin to throb slightly, but she hid her smile behind her hand as Daniel laughed softly.

"You know," he boy turned towards Shawn as Lassiter stalked away. "You're not so bad for a psychic. But you still suck pretty bad at it." Shawn chuckled loudly, opening the boy's soda and handing it to him as Juliet opened the crisp packet. Daniel took them gratefully, muttering a quick 'thank you' before going to town on the snacks. Juliet glanced at Shawn in concern at the speed Daniel was eating at.

"Whoa dude, slow down there. It's like you're inhaling your food," Shawn spoke loudly, making Daniel look up from his food. He shrugged, swallowing a mouthful before answering.

"They're really good..." was his only answer before he went back to them, slightly slower than before but still far too quickly for Juliet's liking. As he was preoccupied with his food, Juliet saw his carer before anyone else did. She was a strict looking middle aged woman, her hair pulled back into a bun at the back of her head.

She reminded Juliet briefly of the principal in Matilda, only much thinner. She looked regretfully at Daniel, who was now playing with the Newton's Cradle on her desk, his face frowning in concentration as he tried to stop the metal balls from clicking so loudly. She put a hand on his arm to stop him and looked up, a smile on his small face. "What's up beautiful?"

She rolled her eyes. "Did Shawn tell you to say that?" the psychic looked at her innocently while Daniel grinned cockily.

"Maybe."

"Daniel sweetheart, I think your carer is here..." Juliet could see the disappointment flash in his eyes as his face fell almost comically. Shawn shifted in his seat to look around the boy and towards the woman who was now walking towards them with a purpose in her stride. Daniel turned too, groaning softly when he saw the look etched on her face. She was definitely angry. As she approached he began to shift so that his legs were hanging over the edge of the desk. Juliet eyed him curiously, but said nothing as the woman came closer.

"Daniel Alden!" her voice was cutting and concerned, her hands placed on her hips like a mother from an eighties movie. "We have been worried sick about you young man." She looked like she was about to get into the zone and give him a proper scolding, but, ever the soft touch for a kid in need, Juliet stepped in before she could get really going.

"Mrs. Fallon?" she broke in, stepping in front of Daniel and blocking him from view. The woman's gaze shifted to the Detective and her face softened as she nodded in confirmation of her name. She suddenly sighed loudly as if in resignation of the situation.

"Yes, that's me."

"Can I have a word please?" With a curt nod and a warning look towards Daniel, Mrs. Fallon followed Juliet down the hall so that they wouldn't be over heard by prying ears. Daniel looked distinctly disappointed when they stopped in front of the open doors. So much for his brilliant escape route.

"Lassie Face would just catch you again..." Shawn murmured and Daniel looked up in surprise.

"How did you-" Shawn just raised his hand to his head, a knowing smirk on his face as Daniel grumbled. "Yeah sure, now you're a good psychic... I wasn't going to run off." He finished, stating it as though it had been obvious all along. Shawn just shrugged, knowing that look that had flashed across the boys face. He'd worn that same expression many times himself when he was running away from something.

"Look, I'm sure Jules will straighten everything out for you. Don't worry about it," he reassured the boy, who was intently focused on the two women down the hall. Shawn could see the urge to flee all over his face, but thankfully Daniel stayed where he was. Shawn wasn't about to start playing a game of chase with an eight year old in the Police Station. Gus maybe, but not a little kid. "So uh, you never did say why you ran away like that. This is a pretty dangerous city to get lost in," Shawn finally spoke after a few minutes of watching the woman along the hall.

Daniel shrugged in response. "I dunno. Felt like it I guess."

"Wow, truly the best argument for spending a night outside in the cold."

"What's it to you anyway?" He looked away from Juliet and Mrs. Fallon to stare at Shawn in confusion. It was the psychic's turn to shrug now. He didn't know why he'd asked the question, other than to fill the longish silence that had been drawing out between them. He told him so.

"Silence filler."

"So you weren't really interested?" Daniel leaned his head on his hand, his elbow digging into his leg under the weight as he sighed. He lifted his free hand to push is glasses up his nose again. "Figures. At least you were honest about it. The lady I talk to at the Crap Factory keeps making me talk about my feelings. Like she really cares you know?" Shawn nodded softly and let the boy continue his rant, while struggling not to smile at the use of the term 'Crap Factory.' "I mean, they're getting paid to ask me that kind of stuff. They think I don't know about it, but I'm not dumb." He glanced at the psychic for confirmation.

Shawn nodded again. "So why do they make you talk to this lady?"

Daniel looked like he was thinking for a moment before he answered. "'Cause I punched Micheal Cousins in the face for calling me a wimp. But what was I supposed to do? Stand there and take it?"

"I think you and I would get along great kid," Shawn chuckled. "You're very mature for an eight year old. I think you and I could take Gus out on the X-Box. He's on a winning streak at the moment. It's getting on my nerves," he branched off into his own little world briefly, thinking about Call of Duty and Gus's ever rising kill streak. Daniel poked his arm roughly when he missed a question. "What?"

"I said, who is Gus?"

"Oh, he's my best friend. Who practices in secret so that he can whoop me at video games."

"Sounds sneaky. Do you think he'd like me too?" Daniel sat up a little straighter while he awaited Shawn's answer.

"Probably. As long as you can play the X-Box, Gus will like you- Here she comes buddy," the psychic pointed over Daniel's shoulder at the approaching women and he let another groan. "Like I said, don't worry about Mrs. Fallon. Jules will have smoothed everything over for you. Just play along and you'll be fine. Try and cry, that always gets them." He added in a whisper, making Daniel bite his lip to stop a smile.

"I can turn it on like a tap-"

They were interrupted at that exact moment as Juliet arrived ahead of Mrs. Fallon. "You two look like you're getting along..." she beamed at Daniel, who had suddenly gone a little pale at the realization that he would now have to leave the Station and face his punishment for running away. His shoulder's slumped. He was probably grounded for a damn year.

"Shawn was telling me about his friend Gus..." Daniel trailed off as Mrs. Fallon began to tap her foot impatiently waiting for him to get off of the desk. Beside her was Daniel's suitcase, which had gleefully been supplied by Lassiter a few moments before hand. The boy slowly lowered himself from the table and landed on his feet, facing Shawn and Juliet. "Thanks for the food guys." His voice was smaller than they'd heard it all night. "Sorry about being such a pain in the-" Mrs. Fallon coughed loudly to cover the word he was about to say. Daniel winced before continuing. "See you around I guess..."

"Bye Daniel. Be good okay?" Juliet ran her fingers over his hair affectionately, making him beam up at her. She smiled back at him before he turned to Shawn.

"See ya Daniel. Try not to recreate The Great Escape again any time soon..." he chuckled, holding out his hand again for the boy to take. He did, squeezing it as tight as his smaller hand would allow.

"I hope you beat Gus soon." Shawn grinned, but Daniel still didn't let go of his hand. He paused at the sudden look of longing in the child's eyes... The moment was broken when Mrs. Fallon grabbed his other hand and pulled him away. As they walked along the hallway towards the doors, Daniel continued to wave slowly until he was out of sight. Shawn and Juliet remained where they were, staring after him. Lassiter destroyed the peace, appearing from the Chief's Office.

"The brat finally gone then?"

Juliet scolded him as he was walking away, but it was half-hearted at the most. She finally snapped out of her trance and brought Shawn with her. "So, um... Shall we get dinner and go back to yours? I suddenly don't feel like watching a movie..." her voice was soft. "In fact, I think I'm really going to need that cuddle sometime soon." Shawn smiled at her softly, standing from his chair and pulling her into a hug, the rest of the Stations confused looks be damned.

"Why do I feel like such an ass for sending him back there?" He murmured into her hair and Juliet pulled out of his embrace slightly.

"Tell me about it."

"I mean, it's not like were sending him to jail, or to somewhere that they don't look after him. We're sending him back to a warm bed and house, with food and his friends and... You know what, I still feel like an ass." He finally finished, totally unable to justify himself. He heaved a sigh at the same time she did. "Come on Jules. I'll take you to that little Italian place you love. It'll make you feel better." After he glanced around to see that no-one was watching, he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. Juliet leaned into him a little more before relenting.

"Okay. I suppose it would help take our minds off of the guilt. God, I wonder if this is the feeling people get when they've kicked a puppy?" she shook her head, breaking away from his arms to scoop up her purse from the desk.

"As long as you're not about to test the theory, then I'd say yes. More than likely. Come on baby, let's go. I'm much better at cuddling when I don't have a hundred pairs of eyes watching to see where my hands are going." He raised an eyebrow when she laughed softly. "Feeling better?"

"Not even a little."

"Join the club, Jules. Join the club..." They both sighed heavily as they exited into the cool night air.

A/N: Oh, it's so fluffy I wanna die! I know, it's no where near Christmas yet and the whole child things has been done to death, but I thought it might make a cute little story. It's going to be about five, maybe six chapters. I might raise the rating, but it's a big might. For those who hate me for not updating Die Hard, But After Lunch is Over, I'm so sorry. I've hit the biggest wall with that story.

I'm halfway through chapter nine, but every time I finish it I hate the result and delete it again. I'll get there eventually, I promise ^^

Anyway, reviews are like flowers. They're pretty and they make me smile :)