Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Psych, or any of the Psych characters, or really anything worth mentioning.
Dedicated to Fear the Spork and Aakira for their help and guidance.
Chapter 1
Juliet O'Hara awoke happy and smiling. She had spent the night with the love of her life wrapped tightly in his loving arms and enjoying every last minute of it. That is, until she opened her eyes to find his side of the bed empty again. Sadly, it was yet another dream and Shawn was still gone. She moved to his side of the bed, placing her head gently on his pillow and inhaling the remnants of his scent. It had been so long it was starting to fade. It had been two months since he'd left and as far as she was concerned it was two months too long. When he had first been called about the case, he had struggled over whether or not to take it.
He knew it would be a difficult and time consuming case, and that taking it would mean being away from the woman he loved for far too long. After several sleepless nights they both decided that if it saved more lives and put the psycho behind bars, it was worth it.
A psycho that was killing innocent children and Shawn could not just stand by and let it happen, not when he had the power to make it stop. It was decided, and the next day they were at the airport saying their goodbyes. He had promised to call as much as possible though both knew that the opportunities to hear each other's voices would be few and far between. Madmen don't operate on "nineāto-five" schedules or pause for coffee breaks, and in a detective's line of work having the time to stop and make phone calls was not always a given.
After assuring her he'd be back as soon as possible, Shawn told her he had a little something for her before he left. Reaching into his pocket he removed a beautiful gold chain on which hung a single key. Confused, Juliet lifted her hair as he hung it gently around her neck. "Shawn what-?" she began to ask only to be cut off as he looked deep in her eyes and explained "You'll know what it's for when the time is right Jules, for now just know you always have and always will hold the key to my heart." With that he took her in his arms giving her one last passionate goodbye kiss.
And then he was gone.
Juliet closed her eyes and smiled as she remembered the gentle feel of his lips on hers as he kissed her goodbye, longing all the while to taste them again. She ran her fingers over the key that still hung around her neck as she slowly emerged from her bed, their bed, ready to start her day. She pulled herself together long enough to take a shower and get ready for work. Expecting another long day at the station, she grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door. She turned the knob and began to make her way outside when something caught her eye and stopped her dead in her tracks. There, sitting on the doorstep, was a pineapple adorned with a beautiful bow, and attached to the bow was a plain white envelope. Juliet stood there for a moment, staring at the pineapple, unsure of what it meant. She took a moment to glance around trying to catch a glimpse of whoever had left it with no luck. Quietly, she picked up the pineapple and brought it inside. Juliet sat down on the couch and placed the pineapple on the coffee table, utterly confused. She removed the envelope and opened it. Inside was a note, penned in an all too familiar handwriting:
Good Morning Jules!You look gorgeous as usual. Sorry I couldn't be there to deliver this to you in person but as you already know I'm a little tied up at the moment. I miss you so much and just so you know I think about you all the time. I know it hasn't been easy on you either but Jules, but at least for today I want you to smile. I know you may not want to, I know you're not the happiest person in the world right now, but I know you can do it. After all I've given you the gift of delicious flavor here Jules, and how can you not smile when you have pineapple? And if that doesn't work well then you'll just have to do it for me and I've come up with a sure fire way to make it happen.
So get yourself together and go change. You won't need the business suit and heels today. You are taking the day off! You are gonna be rockin' Santa Barbara "Bueller style" and you don't even have to play sick. I've already talked to the Chief and Lassie-face so they already know that you won't be in. You see Jules, you're going on a little adventure today, courtesy of yours truly. Just follow the clues I've left for you and I promise you, it will be worth it in the end. This trip is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. So, here is the first clue. Read it carefully and you should know just where to go:
It's a long way to Antigua Jules, but if you go where I asked you, it could be a lot closer. Oh, and make sure to tell them that Levon sent you.
That's it for now Jules. Have fun, enjoy, and don't forget to bring the pineapple!
I love you so much, Shawn
Jules grinned as she finished reading the letter. Even when he wasn't there Shawn could still make her smile. She chuckled a little to herself as she thought about the clue. She quickly got changed, grabbed a bag, threw the pineapple inside, and headed off to find her first destination.