Juliet perched on the edge of the kitchen sink, holding her breath as she watched the stick in her hands turn blue.
And not just a little blue, either.
Dark blue.
There's-No-Question-About-It blue.
You're-Definitely-100-Pregnant blue.
It's-Time-To-Tell-Shawn blue.
She couldn't hold back her smile as she dropped the test in the small bathroom trash can and tried to decide the best way to tell him.
Today's our anniversary…we're having dinner tonight…I should tell him then…
If I can wait that long…
I want it to be a surprise…
Can I wait that long…?
It was going to be tough, she knew.
One look in her eyes, and he would immediately know.
He always knew. She had never been able to hide a secret from him for more that ten seconds.
But I want it to be a surprise…
I want to tell him tonight…
She opened the bathroom door a crack and peered across the bedroom at Shawn, who was still sleeping peacefully.
If I can just avoid him all day…
That's it!
I just have to avoid him until tonight…then it can be a surprise…
She closed the bathroom door again, a plan already forming in her mind.
I can't leave my phone here. I need it for work…but I can screen his calls…
I don't have to answer his calls…
And I don't have to see him at the station…
If I can just get out of the house before he wakes up…
She grabbed the plastic bag out of the trash can and took it with her as she stealthily made her way across the bedroom floor, tip-toeing so she wouldn't wake him up.
I'll put the trash out so he doesn't see the test…
And then I'll just avoid him all day…
I can do it…
I can wait until tonight…
She didn't even breathe until she was in her car, pulling out of the driveway. She kept expecting Shawn to wake up at any second and look her in the eyes and know.
He always knew…
But he never woke up.
Detective Lassiter was already at the precinct when she arrived.
"O'Hara." He grunted, tossing a couple of new files on her desk. "We have two homicides."
She rolled her eyes and opened the files. She had long since given up reminding him that her name was Spencer now.
It had already been a year and he still didn't remember…at this point, he was never going to remember.
"They don't require psychic input, do they?" She asked, skimming them over quickly.
"Yeah." Lassiter nodded. "The Chief already called him. We're meeting him at the scene. Why?"
"No reason." Juliet shrugged, trying to remain casual even as she was frantically trying to think of how she could possibly avoid her husband when they were about to be at the same crime scene.
"O'Hara!" Lassiter snapped after watching her stare off into space for a minute. "What the hell is going on?"
"What?" She murmured, snapping out of her own head. "Nothing."
"Then get your head in the game!" He ordered, rolling his eyes and grabbing his jacket on his way out the door. "Come on."
She followed quickly behind.
Gus was already at the scene when they arrived, but Shawn wasn't. She sighed with relief, pulling Gus aside as they headed into the apartment building where the victim had been found.
"Gus." She whispered, glancing around to make sure no one could hear. "I need you to keep Shawn away from me when he gets here."
"What? Why?" He asked, looking confused. "What did he do?"
"Nothing."
"Is this about the Vegas thing?"
"What Vegas thing?"
"Uh…never mind." Gus mumbled quickly, clearing his throat. "There's no Vegas thing….definitely no gambling involved…"
Juliet rolled her eyes and pushed a single strand of blonde hair off her forehead, leaning in closer to him.
"This isn't about Vegas. I can't tell you what it's about…" She whispered. "Just please keep him away from me. Just for today. I'll explain tomorrow. I promise."
"Okay." Gus shrugged. "…but don't tell him I told you about the Vegas thing."
"I don't care about Vegas, Gus."
"I'm just saying…"
They pushed on into the victim's apartment. Lassiter was standing over the body, which was lying face-down in the center of the floor.
"Looks like two bullet wounds." He murmured at them as they entered. "Shot twice in the back."
Juliet nodded, gazing around the apartment. A few crime scene guys were milling around, dusting for prints and bagging evidence. She walked over to the couch, which looked like it had some blood splatters across the cushions.
"Hey, Lassie." A voice from the doorway greeted.
She recognized it immediately.
Crap!
He's here!
Her mind suddenly went blank and panic set in.
He can't see me…
He can't see me…
He'll know!
She quickly dove behind the couch, knowing even as she did it was stupid.
Every eye in the room was suddenly on her as she lay on the floor like she was army-crawling through enemy fire.
"O'Hara." Lassiter grunted, cocking an eyebrow at her. "What the hell are you doing on the floor?"
She cleared her throat and stuck her head over the top of the sofa, still trying to avoid Shawn's eyes.
"Uh…I thought I saw…evidence…"
Lassiter rolled his eyes and squatted next to the body, deciding it wasn't worth pressing the issue any further.
"Uh, Shawn--" Gus spoke up, glancing over at Juliet. "Let's check out the bathroom…I was getting some psychic vibes from the bathroom…"
"The bathroom?" Shawn repeated, laughing. "Gus, did you have a breakfast burrito again?"
"No." Gus muttered, grabbing his friend's arm and trying to drag him out of the room, as per Juliet's request. "I just think we should check out the bathroom."
When they reached the doorway, Shawn shook Gus' hand off and turned back to Juliet, who was still kneeling behind the couch.
"Here." He grinned, his eyes flashing as he pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket and tossed it across the room to her.
She stood up as she caught it, still trying not to meet his eyes.
But she couldn't help it.
She had to look at him.
"What is it?" She asked, refusing to open it.
"What? Did you seriously think I was going to wait until tonight?" He grinned. "It's your present, Jules."
She looked down at the tiny box, slowly opening it.
Inside was a small pacifier.
"How--?" She gasped, looking to Shawn's eyes.
Shawn just smiled.
"A dad always knows."