Chapter 3 is complete! :) I actually kinda like this chapter, I'm happy with it. I wrote it while I was home sick yesterday, and I would have posted it yesterday if the computer would have actually saved all the changes I made to it. -.-

There will definitely be a chapter 4 coming soon! :) (this is so exciting! I thought this would be one, maybe two, chapters! :D and now I'm on the 4th! EEK)

SO please, read and then REVIEW! :)

The three stood frozen in place for a moment, with Shawn looking at Juliet, Juliet looking at Shawn, and Lassiter looking awkwardly between the two as he held Juliet upright.

Then Lassiter took a hesitant step away from Juliet and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a small nod to show her he knew he was leaving her in capable hands. With his hand still on Juliet's shoulder, he turned his gaze to Shawn and shifted from one foot to the other.

"Spencer." With that aknowledgement over with, he lifted his hand from his partner's shoulder and took three steps before he stopped and turned towards Shawn again, giving him a look that clearly said, "If anything happens to her, I will find you and put an entire round through your head."

It was amazing what could be communicated through one look. It really was.

But Shawn understood. And frankly, if he did anything that hurt or further distressed Juliet, he might just be the one to load Lassiter's gun.

Then he'd probably run with it towards the Mexican border… but that wasn't the point.

He nodded towards the older detective, who scowled and walked off to find some poor human being to tyrannize for the remainder of the night.

"Shawn…" Juliet started, trying to make her voice sound as calm as possible. She failed though, miserably. Her voice came out shaky and barely more than a whisper.

The look on his face was breaking her heart, just like the look on her face was breaking his.

And it was the weirdest feeling for Shawn, because his heart had never really broken before. It had only… hurt. Yes, his heart had gotten its fair share of beatings. Mostly because he took everything everyone said about him to heart, despite what other people thought. He masked the figurative bruises with his boyish charm and witty humor. And it worked.

But right then… Well, right then he imagined he had probably left the mask on the passenger seat of Gus' car, or maybe in the freezer next to his homemade pineapple popsicles. Did that mean he would have to thaw it out before he could use it again? Maybe put it in the microwave...

He didn't have time to contemplate the matter any more, because suddenly Juliet decided she couldn't hold in the tears any longer and she just broke. He already had his arms outstretched and was closing the distance between them when her knees started to give.

He didn't stop the fall, only caught her in his arms as she sank to the floor and gently moved her into his lap. He ended up sitting against the wall next to the giant clock, very close to where Gus had been sitting when he'd called Shawn earlier.

Stretching his legs out in front of him, Shawn wrapped his arms around Juliet and pulled her into his chest. He was met with no resistance, instead she seemed to melt right into him.

They sat like that for a while, with Juliet sitting sideways in Shawn's lap, turned into his chest with her head buried in the crook of his neck. One arm was between the two of them, with her hand resting somewhere over his heart. Her other arm had found its way around his back, where she had gathered a fistful of his damp shirt and was clutching onto it as if he might disappear if she ever let go. Her legs were splayed out to the side, in the same position they had fallen into when they had reached the ground.

Shawn had one arm around Juliet's back, pressing her into him, and the other around her back as well, but his hand was on the back of her head, soothingly stroking her soft blond hair. His cheek was resting against the side of her head, and his eyes were closed so he could focus on the mixed scent of lilacs and felines that always seemed to hang around the perky junior detective.

She was squeezing her eyes shut as well, but it didn't stop the tears from soaking into Shawn's shirt and forming a rather large wet spot on the already-wet shirt. Between gasps for air and sobs that racked her body, she tried to breath in the familiar smell - pineapple and the scent of whatever hair gel he had chosen for the day - of the man she was in love with.

Yes, that's right.

Love.

She was in love with Shawn Spencer.

And it had taken her hanging off the edge of a clock tower to fully realize that. But now she had, and now he was here.

Well, she had always been aware of the feelings she had for him, but she'd always ignored them. He was just a friend, she told herself.

She had to tell herself that every single day, usually more than once. Her record was 14. She'd actually kept track. It was the only thing keeping her from blurting everything out to him whenever she saw him.

That and the fact he had Abigail Lytar.

Before she could think about it any more, Shawn was pushing her off of him. Not off his lap, but just away from his chest. She tried to resist his efforts until he lifted one hand to use his thumb to wipe a stray tear from her cheek and whispered something she didn't understand, then she stopped fighting.

Raising her blue eyes to meet his hazel ones, her sobs slowly turned to sniffles and shaky gasps. Gradually, a feeling of warmth spread through her body. A feeling of safety. A feeling of love.

"Jules…" He whispered, his brows arching the slightest bit as he studied her face. His hand was still cupping her cheek, and he couldn't help but smile a little as she let out a deep sigh and leaned into the touch.

Their expressions were a mirror image of each other as they sat. Both of theirs gazes were searching the other's, looking to see what they were might be feeling. Both opened and closed their mouths every once in a while, as if they wanted to speak but couldn't find the words to fit.

But both knew the exact words they wanted to say.

Shawn was the one who spoke first, but what came out wasn't what either one really wanted to hear.

"Jules, at the pier…" He paused, pressing his lips together for a second before picking up where he left off. "At the pier after Abigail was safe, she told me it wasn't going to work between us. And she was right,"

Juliet couldn't help it, she felt relieved. Hope flared inside of her like a tiny flame, what did this mean for Shawn? For her? For them?

"I thought about it for a while, and I kind of realized I was in love."

The tiny flame went out like a light.

"But not with Abigail."

Now it was more like a bonfire. Or maybe a forest fire. If not Abigail, then…

"Gus called me and when he told me they got you okay, I was so relieved. Like, even more relieved than I was when they finally got the shipment of pineapples in at the store after an entire week of being deprived of delicious flavor."

A small smile appeared on Juliet's face, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "And that's really saying something." She murmured, sniffling and wiping her nose on her sleeve.

Shawn chuckled, making Juliet bounce a little in his lap. "Yes, it definitely is." His voice was low, and his face had just gotten quite serious as he looked at her. "It's saying something important, and I finally realized what, Jules." He sounded excited, and slightly proud of himself for this realization.

Juliet's heart picked up speed as he smiled at her, and she found she had to hold herself back so she wouldn't press her lips to his right then and there.

"Oh?" She murmured, unable to make her eyes look away from his vibrant gaze.

"Yeah."

"And what would that be?" She pressed, barely managing a whisper now.

Shawn hesitated before he spoke. "That I don't know what I would have done if Gus and Lassie hadn't gotten here in time. That I wanted to be your knight in shining armor more than anything. That maybe we're supposed to be more than just friends. That I might have started falling in love with you that day at the diner…" He trailed off, looking down bashfully.

When he looked back up, tears had started running down Juliet's face again. He frowned, immediately reaching up to wipe them away.

She lifted her hand to place it over his on her cheek, closing her eyes and sighing. But this sigh… it sounded happy. Content.

She'd finally heard what she'd been waiting to hear.

But Shawn frowned, he was confused now. Why was she crying again? Would he have to run to the Mexican border with Lassie's gun after all?

Finally she looked up at him, her eyes so full of emotion it made him want to start crying too.

Because it was only one emotion that filled her eyes, just a single feeling.

And as Juliet looked at Shawn, she could see the same thing in his eyes too.

It was love. Each finally knew that their feelings for the other weren't unrequited like they thought. All those glances exchanged during cases and all those moments between them really had meant something.

Now, neither of them needed to say anything more out loud. They just... knew.

It really was amazing what could be said with a look when you're willing to open your eyes and listen.

So! Tell me what you think and review! :)

Chapter 4 should be soon... I hope...