A/N: I don't own any of the recognizable characters. I wrote while season 5 was airing, so it's kind of A/U now. It basically happens after season 4 (though I may have included little details here and there from some of season 5 . . . I don't entirely remember). The story's already written, so I'll be updating regularly (probably every 3 days or so). As always, reviews are appreciated!

"I'm gonna drive Jules home," Shawn whispered to his dad. Henry nodded and lightly touched his son's shoulder.

She was standing, huddled by her car, hair dripping, with a blanket clutched around her. The hollow look in her eyes hurt Shawn more than he could express in words. "Come on, Jules," he said softly, pulling her with him by a gentle hand on her elbow.

Nothing could lighten this situation. In an effort to avenge the in-the-line-of-duty murder of his wife, a psychotic arsonist, Benjamin Prescott had followed Juliet to her childhood home.

...

"But, Jules, it's our annual Bourne trilogy marathon night! It only happens once a year!"

"Thanks for the invite, Shawn, but it's my parents' wedding anniversary. They're having a big party and I'll get to see all my brothers . . . I wouldn't miss it for the world."

...

They'd been driving for nearly an hour before Shawn ventured to say anything. "Are you hungry? I have some Cheez-It's in my bag."

She gave him a courteous glance before answering simply, "Not really."

He sighed and turned his attention back onto the road.

...

Shawn and Gus were arguing over whether Vanilla Custard or French Vanilla frozen yogurt tasted better with Reese's Pieces when they noticed Henry, the Chief, and Lassie all charging in the opposite direction—towards the door.

"Dad! Dad, what's going on?"

"Stay here, Shawn," Henry paused long enough to say.

"Dad?" he ran to keep up, Gus trailing behind him. "Dad, where are you going?"

"Palm Springs. Stay here, Shawn."

"Why is everybody in such a hurry?" Gus questioned.

Shawn stood, head cocked, obviously focused on something.

"Shawn? Shawn?"

"Juliet," Shawn whispered.

"What? Where is she?"

"Palm Springs."

...

It had been three hours of complete silence. Juliet hadn't ventured a word since turning down Shawn's snack. He was beginning to worry about leaving her alone that night. When he put the car in gear in front of her house, she numbly opened the door and started walking. He quickly ran around the front of the car and opened the gate for her.

She would've gone in on her own and shut and locked the door firmly behind her, but her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't fit the key in the lock.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed.

"Let me help," he said softly, taking the key from her hand.

"God, Shawn," she whispered, beginning to feel light-headed.

"Hey, Jules," he soothed, as she fought the sobs beginning to bubble up from a depth that unnerved easy-going Shawn Spencer.

"It's gone; it's all gone," she sobbed.

...

By the time the fire trucks had arrived, the O'Hara home was engulfed in flames. Though none of the family was home, every childhood memory—every photograph, every drawing, every academic achievement trophy—was completely torched.

Juliet arrived in Lassie's car hours later to find the rubble of the home she'd grown up in. She walked through the ashes and picked up a few things that had survived the fire—some jewelry and the firebox her dad had kept.

She'd managed to numb herself to all the emotions of the day and was quite proud of herself—until she couldn't stop her hands from shaking on the car ride home.

...

"I know, Jules. I know." He deftly opened the door with one hand and held her head against his shoulder with the other while her grief forced its way out. Once he had the door closed behind them, he squared her shoulders to his and looked her in the eye, gently wiping her tears with his thumbs. "But you're safe—you're all safe."

She nodded and the tears seemed to slow.

"You need to sleep; I'm gonna go."

He hung her keys on the hook and opened the front door, mid-step when he felt her hand on his arm.

"Don't leave."

"Jules?"

"Please don't leave me, Shawn . . . not . . . not tonight."

"I'll sleep on the couch," he agreed, shutting—and considerately locking—the door.

She nodded. "Thank you. There are blankets in the hall closet."

"Good night, Jules."

He'd barely readied his bed when he heard a slight whimper from her bedroom. He got up and walked toward her open bedroom door.

"Shawn?" she whispered.

"Juliet?"

"Don't leave me alone."

"I'm right here, Jules."

"But I can't sleep alone tonight."

"Do you want me to sleep on the floor in here?"

"Just come here."

"On . . . the bed?"

"Just stay till I'm asleep."

"Ok."

He sat on the bed next to her until he was sure she was asleep and then gently stood up.

"Shawn," she whimpered, "don't leave me."

"I'm here for you, Jules. I'll always be here." He lay out on the empty side of her bed, facing her.

She clung to his shirt buttons for some sense of security. It was then he realized just how close her face was to his. He barely caught his breath as her eyes roved his face.

She knew he wanted to kiss her. She warmed at the realization that it was only his respect for her that held him back. In a moment of impulsivity, she leaned in and kissed him. She felt his whole body tighten in shock before it bypassed his brain and responded eagerly.

He'd completely lost his head until he realized he was fiddling with the hook on her bra. He sat up suddenly.

"Shawn?"

"I should sleep in the living room." He stood up and without looking back, charged straight to the couch.

"Shawn!" she called after him.

Before he could even close his eyes, she'd followed him—stripped naked and wrapped in a sheet, she sat on the coffee table.

"Jules!" he exclaimed, throwing a blanket over his head honorably.

"Please, Shawn," she whimpered pitifully. "Help me know that I'm safe."

"This isn't a good idea, Jules," he muttered.

She reached for his hand and squeezed it encouragingly. "I want this tonight, Shawn."

Everything in his head told him the honorable thing was to turn her down. But hearing her begging him for something he so badly wanted himself was impossible for him to ignore. He dropped his blanket and just looked at her for a moment.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered.

"Please, Shawn—just for tonight."

He touched her cheek intimately, reveling in the feeling of her skin under his fingertips. She moved beside him on the couch and ran her hand across his chest. He couldn't fight it anymore. He ever so slowly leaned in and began to kiss her, gradually growing more demanding as he further convinced himself it was truly what she wanted.

Within a few minutes, he'd well past his point of no return.

...

The sun streaming in the front window interrupted Shawn's sleep. Before he was fully aware of what he was doing, his nose was buried in Juliet's hair, feeling calmed by her scent and the feeling of her head resting peacefully in the crook of his arm. As his memory slowly woke, he sighed. "Oh, Jules," he grunted.

He managed to get up off the couch without fully waking her and dressed himself quickly. He decided to pick up some breakfast for them and thoughtfully wrote her a note, not wanting her to think he'd just disappeared on her after the night before. He posted the sticky note on a vase on the coffee table right in her eye line. He grabbed his keys and turned the doorknob, but stopped and looked back at her. Realizing it may be the last time he was ever offered the privilege, he ran his hand over her hair and kissed her forehead—resting his lips just longer than he really needed to.

...

She felt amazing and nervous and a bit scared as she waited for Shawn to return with their breakfast. She didn't regret anything that had happened the night before, but she didn't want to face the reality that their relationship had to adjust now. Relationship.

"Is that what I want?" she whispered to herself. "Me and Shawn . . . Shawn and me . . ." she smiled and went to shower and change.

...

After assuring himself that she was in the shower, Shawn sat down at the kitchen table and started eating. When she walked out in her bathrobe with her hair dripping, he couldn't help but stare.

"Morning," he whispered.

"Morning." She sat down at the table and he handed her the food he'd picked up.

They ate in silence for quite some time. Shawn, letting Juliet set the tone. Juliet, afraid she'd say something to spoil the tenuous beginning of a relationship they had.

Shawn's cell phone ring was a welcome interruption.

"It's Gus," he said apologetically.

"Go ahead," she said brightly.

"Hey, buddy."

"Shawn, where are you. We had a ten-'o-clock this morning."

"Hey . . . I'm . . . I'm at Juliet's."

"Oh . . . how is she?"

"I . . . we haven't really talked yet."

"Well, you do what you need to do, but you better get down here soon. We have another appointment this afternoon and I'm losing valuable work time at my real job for this."

"Is Gus mad?"

"Nah . . . he'd do the same thing."

She grinned at him.

"You . . . you seem in good spirits this morning," Shawn ventured.

She shrugged, but didn't say anything.

"You . . . you're not mad . . . about last night?"

"Why would I be mad? You did exactly what I asked."

He nodded and returned his focus to his food, noting the fact that she completely sidestepped any reference to them and simply acknowledged their actions. They ate in silence until Shawn stood to throw his trash away and asked, "Are you done?"

"Do you . . . want to shower?"

"I don't have anything to change into, so I'm going to go home."

"Sure."

"You'll be all right?"

"I'm good, Shawn; thanks."

"You should stay home today," he recommended. "Get some rest."

"I think I'd rather be working . . ."

"So . . . I . . . may see you?"

"I'm sure if something comes up, we'll call."

He nodded, took a long, lingering look at her and reached for the doorknob. He got to the gate before he heard her voice.

"Shawn?"

He turned around.

"Thank you."

He sighed, slightly disappointed she didn't want to say more. "Anytime, Jules."

He'd realized only after she'd shut the door that he had no way of getting home. An extremely unhappy Gus picked him up ten minutes later.

"Next time, plan better," Gus greeted.

"She needed me, Man."

"Well, we need money for our business, Shawn. You couldn't have set an alarm or something?"

"It's not like I planned to be here, Gus. You think I planned this?"

Gus glanced over at his friend. "I don't think I deserve that tone, Shawn. Not after driving out of my way to come pick you up after you missed a very important meeting to our partnership."

"I told you, I didn't plan it."

"But you certainly didn't take the time to let me know you wouldn't be there. How about some consideration, Shawn."

"Gus, I was up half the night and I haven't showered in almost two days. Can we please not do this now?"

"What's got you so Tasmanian Devil, Shawn?"

"That's not even funny, Gus."

"Seriously? What's your problem?"

"My problem?"

"You've been on my back ever since I came to pick you up. What happened last night?"

"I slept with Juliet!"

Silence. Shawn rubbed his face with his hands.

"I slept with Juliet," he repeated, barely believing the words himself. "And before you go all Judge Judy on me, she asked me to. She didn't want to be alone last night. I was all set up on the couch and she came in naked and asked."

"Naked, Shawn?"

"Really. I even tried not to look at her—I tried to be honorable for once in my life and I just couldn't say no to her . . . not last night."

"Did she say anything this morning?"

"She said thank you."

"That's it?"

"She thanked me for doing what she'd asked."

"So . . . nothing's supposed to change?"

Shawn shrugged. "I guess we're doing Moonlighting."

"You realize that makes me Bert, right?"

"Well, we could be Ross and Rachel."

"Which time?"

"The second time. The one with the tape. But then you'd have to be Chandler or Joey and you're not Italian, nor do you have a transvestite father."

"There's always Meredith and Derek," Gus contributed.

"Dr. McDreamy, huh? Thanks, Buddy."

"I'll be Bert."

...

It was almost two weeks before Psych got called into the SBPD for a case. Shawn hadn't called Juliet for fear of being overbearing and Juliet hadn't called Shawn interpreting his lack of discussion about their night as regret and disinterest. She wasn't in when they got there and Shawn didn't see her for several hours. Gus noticed his lack of focus and pulled him aside.

"Shawn, may I remind you we have a job to do?"

"I'm sorry. I can't stop thinking . . ."

" . . . about Juliet," Gus interrupted. "I know, but we need to do this."

He nodded and took a deep breath, but the first thing he saw when he turned around was her.

"Shawn," she whispered.

"Jules," he greeted softly.

Lassiter glanced between them a few times before saying, "I don't know if you two noticed, but we have a dead body in here. I'm going to give you exactly two minutes to sort out whatever this staring match is and then I expect you both . . . O'Hara, I expect you to act like a professional."

Lassiter pulled McNab and the other guys out of the room and Gus obediently followed, leaving the pair alone.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi."

"Been a . . . couple of weeks, hasn't it."

"It has."

Shawn felt the time ticking away, but he noticed something. "My watch."

"Your . . ."

"You're wearing my watch," he whispered.

"I . . . uh . . . you left it on the coffee table . . . I . . . I was waiting . . ."

He took her hands in his impulsively. "Dinner. Tomorrow night."

She couldn't conceal the flash of excitement that sparked in her eyes.

Shawn felt his confidence soar. "Will you?"

"Of course," she whispered. "I'd love to."

"Can we get back to the real work now?" Lassiter prompted, re-entering the room.

...

The case was easily solved and Shawn was tying up loose ends at the station the next afternoon. He stopped by Juliet's desk on his way out. She was obviously packing up to leave for the day.

"So, where do you want to go tonight?"

He saw panic flash across her face. "Actually . . . I meant to talk to you about that. I . . . I have plans tonight."

"You . . . you're canceling?"

She pulled him into the hall and away from prying ears. "Shawn, it seemed like a good idea, but I really think we should just forget what happened and move on. We should just . . . get over it. I'm sorry." She squeezed his arm and walked away. Gus walked up just in time to hear her apology.

"Did she . . ."

"Leave her hand on your arm just a little longer than necessary and then leave a lingering caress?"

"Yeah."

"Yes she did."

He ran after her.

"Jules, hold on a second."

"I'm late, Shawn."

"I only need a second. I can't stop thinking about you. I don't want to 'get over' what happened. I want to remember it over and over. So Jules," he bent down impulsively on two knees, right in the parking lot, "will you . . . be my girlfriend?"

She smiled in spite of herself, but quickly regained her sullen pallor. "There's something you don't know, Shawn."

"Then tell me . . . everything. I want to know everything about you. I want to be as much a part of you as you are of me."

She turned and faced him, finally fully looking him in the eye. "I . . . I'm pregnant, Shawn."

"Pregnant?"

"We were impulsive and spontaneous and unprepared that night. We can't just be a couple anymore." She got in her car and left him kneeling in the parking lot.

A/N: Special thanks to BriniGirl for drawing my attention to the fact that my scene divisions disappeared during upload!