Summary: "It was the ship of dreams," well, it's the ship of Shawn's dreams. Shawn gets to take part in a re-enactment of the Titanic times but so does Lassiter. What will happen though when the owner of the replica ship reminds Shawn of a past love and only Lassiter is there to comfort him?

WARNING:

Homosexuality

Language

A/N: Well, it had to happen at some point in time. : )

Shawn stood there at the bow of the ship. He was dressed in old style clothing. He'd slicked his hair back but only slightly. A few stray strands still escaped from underneath his newsboy cap. They played about on his forehead as the ocean breeze caressed his face.

Shawn felt comfortable in poor man's clothing. The shirt sleeves were loose around his forearms and he had his thumbs pulling and resting on his suspenders as he breathed in the sea. Yes, poor man's clothing suited him well. Not that Shawn couldn't absolutely rock a tux but when it came down to it Shawn chose comfort over style. He felt just like Jack from the Titanic as he looked down at the breaking blue waters.

Yes, that's right. Shawn knew who Jack was. He knew what Titanic was. Now, it wasn't like he had an absolute knowledge and it wasn't as if he had a thing for Kate Winslet, or Decaprio for that matter. Shawn just liked the effects and some of the musical score and bits of dialogue and certain scenes and-

Okay, so Shawn Spencer owned a copy of Titanic and watched it monthly in the dark of his room with a warm blanket and boxes upon boxes of tissues at the read. So the tissues were for crying periodically during the movie, so he knew all the lines to that accursed three hour love story. It didn't make him any less manly.

Shawn looked to his left and then to his right. He stepped up onto the gate and leaned into the breeze as he shot his fist into the air and screamed;

"I'm the king of the world!"

Thank God Shawn couldn't care less about machismo and allowed himself a moment. However, the moment was tragically and abruptly ended as a strong hand came out and seized Shawn by the collar. Shawn landed on his ass as Lassiter stood over him with an annoyed look.

"This is the third time I've caught you doing that," Lassiter pointed out, "You do it again and I'm going to push you instead, do you understand me?"

Shawn sighed as he got up.

"Lassie, can you blame me? Look where we are!"

Shawn and Lassiter were on the closest replica of the Titanic ship that existed to date. It had been a work of madness that had continued down a line of billionaires for generations. The project was actually started by a man who'd survived the disaster. Despite the trauma of it, he'd been determined to bring the ship back to life and generations later, his dream came to full realization. Of course, by then his great granddaughter had gotten a hold of his master plan and distorted it to suit her obsession with Titanic, the movie. Shawn knew that people had hated her for it but he wasn't one of those people which explained why he took her case to help find out who was sabotaging the ship's debut.

So now Shawn was here, dressed in era appropriate fashion, relishing the fact that he was living out his dream as being a part of the romanticism that was the Titanic.

"Look, Spencer, I get that you're into this girly movie but if you go overboard, I'm not saving you."

Of course, the whole romanticism was kind of played down when you had steely eyed Lassie nipping at your heels every five minutes.

"But Lassie, if I jump we both jump!" Shawn quoted to the oblivious Lassiter.

Lassiter grunted a laugh. He looked so sharp in his tuxedo. It almost looked made for him, no sculpted to him. It hit in all the right places. It didn't even look like a rental. Shawn was tempted to ask where this strange work of art had emerged from and how Lassie managed to get a hold of it but Lassiter interrupted his train of thought.

"Hardly, if you jump, I'll be singing all the way back to the coast," Lassiter said with a mean smile before whistling "America the Beautiful" and walking away.

Shawn sighed. Of all the people in the world to be stuck on a Titanic replica with, it had to be Lassiter. If only Gus hadn't caught the flu. Then Gus would have accompanied him on the case, helped him solve it and the two of them would be given the chance to role-play on a new Titanic with a bunch of millionaires and influentials.

Stupid Gus and his illnesses. He shouldn't be allowed to get sick. I'm making that a rule now.

Shawn got back upon his feet. He smiled as he once again stepped up onto the railing. He breathed the ocean air in deeply. Everything looked just like the movie. Everyone played their parts too. The rich acted like the rich and poor acted like the poor. Sure, they were forbidden to speak to one another but both groups were having fun in their own way. The big wigs got to act snobby and dress up and everyone else got to run around a huge ass ship doing things like screaming "I'm the king of the world!" So in the end, segregation be damned, everyone was enjoying themselves.

"Officer Lassiter," a nasally, female, British voice rang out, "I see you're talking to him again. Whatever for this time?"

Shawn hopped off the railing and looked up at the ship level above him. Lassiter stood there. He too had been staring out at the ocean, Shawn presumed, when this odd and loud woman had approached him.

She was pretty enough but a little too young for Lassiter. Shawn was sure that she was one of the owner's cousins or something. She was wearing this long blue gown but it showed a bit too much cleavage for the time period. Her accent was off too. It sounded too cockney.

"I was just making sure he doesn't do something stupid. I can't have people falling off the ship. Not on my watch."

Shawn couldn't hear him from where he was but he could see Lassiter getting into all this. Maybe it was just all his years of Civil War re-enactments but Lassiter was kind of good at role-playing. Lassiter had been made a retired, Irish constable. Or course, the Irish weren't looked on too well by the British (they'd always had some fight or another amongst themselves) but the constable had been hired by a wealthy family to keep an eye out for them on the trip. Lassiter really was on the ship merely to keep an eye on things but he did take his part seriously. Shawn knew Lassiter would never speak to him this way but he'd overheard Lassie's Irish accent quite a few times at this point. It was strange, he expected Lassiter to pitch his voice up a bit with the accent but it stayed at the same tone it always had. It didn't sound Scottish either. Perfect Irish.

Shawn continued to stare at Lassiter. He really did look good in his tuxedo. Lassiter looked like a watchful hawk up there. He was so serious. Shawn wasn't surprised that the owner's cousin had taken a fancy to him. Well, he was surprised that someone so young had taken a fancy to him but that was the extent.

Suddenly, the woman gave Shawn a dirty look. Shawn recoiled.

"Oye! Boy!" she shouted, "Stop staring at Constable Lassiter!"

Shawn pouted at the woman. He then proceeded to walk closer to them. Shawn continued to stare at Lassiter who was now aware of it. Lassiter looked at Shawn with a slight disgust, a look that said, 'what are you doing?'

"My apologies miss!" Shawn shouted back in his normal voice (he'd chosen to stay American, it was easier that way), "But I have never seen a man with such dignity before. I have to say, it makes me wonder why he keeps company with a woman who shouts across a ship!"

The woman's face grew red. She narrowed her eyebrows. Lassiter gave her a slight nod to excuse himself before disappearing behind the balcony. Shawn didn't care where he was going. It was officially on with this woman.

"Do you have any idea who I am!" she shouted back.

Shawn shrugged, "I'm assuming you're someone who thinks she's above acting like a lady. I have to be honest though, miss, I think you're mistaken in that."

The woman's face turned even redder. The red reached down from her face, past collar bone and straight into her cleavage.

"How dare you!" she shouted.

"How dare I?" Shawn asked back, "Well quite blatantly and unapologetically I suppose."

"I will have you thrown off this ship!" she shouted.

"I think not, miss. I carry a favor with someone here and I'm afraid she's at a higher station than you."

It was true. Shawn was invited by the owner herself. It was part in reward and part as an extra measure. The poor woman thought her ship might still be under attack. Shawn thought at first that she might be sweet on him but that proved to be false when she made him an undercover third class passenger (not that Shawn minded). It was shame. She was a rather good looking thirty-year-old woman by the name of Stephanie, a blonde with a decent figure, a lot of money and a Titanic obsession. Shawn could have fallen in love. That was of course if Shawn hadn't sworn of off women for the rest of his life.

Suddenly Shawn was seized yet again by that strong hand. Lassiter held Shawn hostage by the back of his shirt collar, the way someone would pick up a cat.

"Why is it that you try to ruin everything for me, Spencer?" Lassiter growled into the other man's ear.

He'd broken character again. Shawn didn't like that. When Lassie broke character, Shawn broke character and then the whole situation was a little less fun. Shawn smirked.

"Constable Lassiter!" he said in a friendly tone, "We've really got to stop meeting this way."

"Spencer, I am not playing this game with you. I'll play nice for everyone else but not for you."

"I'm sorry, Constable, I can't quite hear you," Shawn replied, "You'll have to speak up. I can't seem to catch that charming Irish trill of yours!"

Lassiter's glare intensified and he tightened his grip.

"That's enough, Spencer!" he whispered harshly.

"What is going on here?" Stephanie said as she entered, her cousin trailing behind her.

"This nobody was harassing your cousin, Mary" Lassiter answered, his Irish not missing a beat.

"Was he?" Stephanie asked, "And what exactly did you say to Mary?"

Stephanie's British accent was perfect. Of course, she had been practicing for years. She'd gotten a speaking coach and everything. She was very dedicated to the whole charade.

"Mary is it? Well she didn't like me looking at the Constable here and felt it necessary to reprimand me so I felt it necessary to tell her that she was loud and classless."

Stephanie smiled. It was wry smile that she tried to hide from Mary and Shawn felt himself smiling back. Lassiter looked at the two of them with a stern gaze. Whatever was about to happen wasn't going to be good.

"Well, it's most definitely not your place to say such things-"

Mary grinned with satisfaction. She tucked a stray lock of her brown hair behind here ear as she waited for the verdict.

"-but I see no reason to demand that you be thrown off this ship. Constable, I demand that you keep watch over this man for the duration of the trip."

"What!" Mary yelled.

"Madam," Lassiter quickly tried to reason with her, "I'm sure that this man won't create any more problems for anyone, right?" Lassiter gave a slight tug on Shawn's collar.

"Well, in all honesty, I'm very likely to try," Shawn said as a matter of fact.

Mary was turning red again but this time it was out of half frustration and half panic.

"B-but Stephanie, there's no reason to make the Constable suffer! Especially when he could enjoy the company of others," Mary said, trying to hint to her own intentions.

"Either you must be very insecure or I must be very handsome if you're that threatened by me and the Constable sharing company." Shawn noted.

Mary glared at Shawn. Stephanie once again was trying her hardest not to laugh. Her abs contracted just the slightest bit as she stifled a giggle, the silky green fabric of her dress catching in the light and letting off a subtle sheen. She really was a beautiful woman. The blonde was natural. She had big green eyes. They were all round, still childlike in a way and so very friendly. They reminded Shawn of Juliet. Stephanie reminded Shawn a lot of Juliet now that he'd come to realize it.

Shawn had to look away from her.

"I still stand on my statement. Constable, please be as so kind as to take care of this man. He seems to me to be a danger to others and himself. I saw him on the ships railing a few times today. It'd be a shame if he were jump now wouldn't it, Constable?" Stephanie argued although she was fully aware that Shawn was just goofing off.

Lassiter bit the inside of his lip as he stared at Shawn.

"Yes, quite a shame," he said begrudgingly.

Mary stamped her foot in anger and took off in a huff. She must have been twenty-three or so? Maybe twenty-five? She was too young for Lassiter anyway.

Lassiter released Shawn harshly. Shawn dusted himself off dramatically.

"Oh and Constable?" Stephanie said, "I'd stay away Mary if I were you."

"Why?"

Stephanie very discreetly pressed a hand against her crotch.

"She's a bit- ill, if you understand what I'm saying."

Lassiter looked immediately repulsed and Shawn snorted. Stephanie smiled fully in the absence of her cousin. She gave Shawn a wink that made Shawn freeze up to the core.

"And in case you haven't noticed, I don't like her either," she said quietly before turning around and leaving the deck.

Shawn watched Stephanie leave with a sense of heart broken wonder. She really did resemble Juliet. It wasn't just in the color of her hair but in the way she acted. She was so similar to her.

"Thanks a lot, Spencer," Lassiter said, his voice returning to the norm, "now I'm stuck with you for the next three days!"

"Uh-huh," Shawn said, "Forgive me, Constable Lassiter, but I think I need some air."

Shawn walked away from Lassiter. Lassiter went to go after him but some big wig had come to introduce himself. Lassiter watched as Shawn stumbled down to the lowest deck, agonizing over how irritating it would be to go after him.

Shawn had managed to get to the very front of the ship. He looked over the edge of it for what seemed like hours. He didn't feel like celebrating anymore. He didn't want to step up on the railing and shout. If anything, he felt like jumping. He didn't care that it seemed cliché of him either. He wanted to jump and that was that. It had nothing to do with his favorite movie anymore.

Lassiter watched from above as multiple people barraged him in order to play around and get to know him. What was it with these people and schmoozing? Lassiter hated schmoozing. He didn't like these people and he didn't want to know them either. He wasn't even getting to know them he was getting to know whatever part they were playing in this twisted fantasy. Honestly? Who recreates the ship of a devastating and terrible shipwreck? They did realize that people died, didn't they? It wasn't a game to those people and yet this recreation was all about fun. What was wrong with them?

Lassiter was slowly making his way towards Shawn. He had to get him away from the ship's edge. It was dangerous to hang out there. One slip and Shawn would fall so many feet to his death. If the fall didn't kill him, then the boat would crush him to death since he was directly in its path. Yet Shawn just stood there, still as stone and staring. Nonetheless, Lassiter felt obligated to fetch him.

Lassiter was just about to make it to the steps when a gloved hand tapped his shoulder.

"Constable Lassiter," Mary said with a smile, "I insist that you join my friends and me to dine."

It was already getting late outside. The sun was beginning to set and Lassiter felt his stomach grumble at the thought and anticipation of food.

"I'm sorry Miss Mary but I have other duties to-"

"I insist," she said harshly, raising an eyebrow.

Lassiter took one last glance at Shawn. Shawn hadn't budged in over hour now. He had stayed still for the entire time.

"He'll be fine, Constable," Mary added with an annoyed sighed, "And really, do you want to spend your night babysitting?"

Lassiter shook his head. No, he really didn't want to spend the night attached to Spencer's hip. Then again, being with diseased Mary didn't sound much better. Well, at the very least she was pretty to look at. Spencer would be fine. He wasn't goofing off so he didn't have a chance of falling.

Lassiter followed Mary inside as Shawn continued to stare out into the sea.

The ballroom was as grand and beautiful as everyone had said it would be. Lassiter, who didn't usually find beauty in such things, was taken aback by how elaborate the room was. It was truly a wonder. Walking down the grand staircase made you feel like the most important person in the world, as if everyone was looking at you and for a moment they were.

Mary was proud as she walked arm in arm with Lassiter. She was with a handsome, older man. Surely everyone would take her seriously now and her friends were sure to be jealous. Lassiter knew nothing of her intentions nor did he care to know. The point was that he wasn't out on the deck freezing his ass off in the cold night air trying to force Shawn to go inside.

Shawn meanwhile looked at the waters. They'd turned dark now. No, they'd turned black. It was just endless ripples of black. It was like staring out into the sky. The stars reflected in the waters and Shawn felt like the whole galaxy was just a jump away. Mesmerized, he climbed over the railing. He held onto it with the back of his arms. He held tight despite how much the cold made him shiver. He would keep holding too until he couldn't hold anymore. That's what he decided.

"Constable Lassiter," Stephanie said with a slightly annoyed smile, "Whatever are you doing here?"

Lassiter blinked back for a moment, not quite sure what to say.

"He came at my insistence," Mary replied.

Mary and her friends were nothing but a gaggle of girls. Lassiter had long tuned them out and taken to his drink. He wasn't sure what he was doing anymore. He knew he was supposed to be keeping an eye out for trouble as he played this stupid game but somehow he became lost in his own accent. Suddenly, he was too drunk to remember, or perhaps to want to be, a modern detective. He really was an ex Irish constable, damn it. His whiskey told him so.

"Mary, I'll ask you kindly to leave the Constable alone. If I have to ask you again, I'll not be so kind. Constable, I won't force you to keep watch over that man but all things considered, I think you should."

Lassiter didn't understand why he should do anything concerning Shawn Spencer. Somewhere deep in his mind, Lassiter knew that Stephanie was trying to remind him that they were working together but that notion stayed back there. Lassiter stared at Stephanie.

"Have we met before?" Lassiter asked, his drunkenness slipping out with his words.

The girls at the table bursted into a fit of giggles. They thought the older, drunken cop was a laugh and a half and Mary was getting an ego boost from him being so well received. Stephanie frowned.

"Constable, may I speak to you privately?" she asked, irritated.

"Excuse me, ladies," Lassiter said as he managed to stand up from the table.

Stephanie pulled Lassiter off to the side. Her whole face seemed to change as she dropped character.

"Detective Lassiter," Stephanie said, "I understand that my cousin is pretty and I see that you like a good drink. I'm fine with that but you and Shawn need to communicate in order for this to work."

"You're not talking like you were before, you're talking different," Lassiter said, confused under his intense buzz.

Stephanie hailed a waiter and picked up a glass of water. She handed it to Lassiter.

"Sober up, detective!" she whispered harshly, "I will not let anyone on this ship get hurt and I expect you to have the same level of commitment."

She seemed so nice and friendly but when it came down to it, Stephanie was ready to get to business. She cared about all these people, these some odd hundreds of people. Even the strangers that she didn't know, people who had won contests and raffles to play the part of the poor. She wanted them to be protected as well.

"You…you make me remember someone," Lassiter said.

"I do?" Stephanie asked before brushing it off, "Never mind that, go find your partner."

The blonde hair, the pretty face, the friendliness and sense of duty, they were all coming together.

"…O'Hara?" Lassiter said quietly.

Stephanie looked back at Lassiter, confused. Who was O'Hara?

Lassiter felt his entire body freeze up. Stephanie looked so much like Juliet and he hadn't noticed it until now. If Juliet had a sister, she would look like Stephanie. It was surreal. God, how had he not seen this? And if it took him this long to notice then…

"Spencer!" Lassiter realized before taking off and running up the grand stair case.

Shawn's arms were getting tired. He couldn't hold himself up forever. Eventually, his arms would get so tired and so sore that they'd let go but Shawn made no move to climb back over the railing. He just continued to stare out into the ripples of the galaxy.

Lassiter was running as fast and as hard as he could. It would take forever to reach the front of the ship. He started climbing down deck by deck. He was too old to be moving like that but that didn't seem to stop him. Chalk it up to the sense of urgency of the power of alcohol but Lassiter moved and ran, climbed and jumped like he never had before. He had to get to Shawn.

Shawn's grip was beginning to slip. His arms were sliding. He gave it his best to hold on. He'd use every last bit of strength he had. He'd fight for a few more minutes or seconds, whatever time he had left.

Lassiter saw him. He'd finally made it to the front end of the ship and there Shawn was, hanging on the outside of the railing.

"Spencer!" Lassiter yelled, despite how out of breath he was.

Shawn looked back fleetingly. He'd already made his decision but he didn't expect anyone to be out here. He just wanted this to happen with only himself to witness. Shawn felt his arms making the final slip. He'd given his all and the time had come. It was time to fall.

There was a brief moment of free falling. It was so slight that it happened in the blink of an eye. Shawn was awaiting the cold embrace of the water but instead he was grabbed at the arms. Two strong, warm hands held him in death grip. Shawn could feel the force trembling in Lassiter's fingers as he pulled him back up over the railing.

Lassiter collapsed as he managed to bring Shawn to safety. The two men were tangled in each other. Lassiter's arms were under Shawn's. Shawn's cold back was pressed against Lassiter's hot chest.

"What were you thinking!" Lassiter shouted.

"I was thinking…it wouldn't be suicide if I stayed there until my arms couldn't hold. Technically I wouldn't have jumped that way."

"Spencer, just because you meet a girl and realize that she looks like-"

"How did you know?" Shawn interrupted him.

Shawn was shivering. He'd been out there for hours just waiting for his arms to give in. He'd been alone all this time, probably haunted by his memories of her.

"How did you know I was doing something stupid?" Shawn asked.

Lassiter sighed.

"You're always doing something stupid. Besides, you said you needed to get air. We were already outside, Spencer. I was trying to get to you ever since."

Shawn curled up into a ball. He pressed himself against Lassiter's chest as he began to cry.

"She looks so much like her. I didn't even notice- didn't notice until now. She's my Jules, Lassie. She's Jules."

Lassiter felt uncomfortable as Shawn sobbed into his chest. He very meekly and carefully put his arms around the other man. This is what people did in times of distress, right? They hugged or held or whatever it was that Lassiter found himself doing.

Juliet had died in the field roughly two years ago. Shawn seemed okay these days but something had died in him with her. Something had died in everyone when she passed, even in Lassiter.

"C'mon," Lassiter said, as he helped Shawn to his feet, cradling him in his arms all the while, "We should get inside."

A/N: And thus is the first chapter in this mini story finished. I hope to get the next one up soon. Leave me love and reviews. : )