Chapter Text
Juliet woke up with the sun flooding her bedroom, warm and bright, the blue sky announcing a beautiful Saturday in the big San Francisco. Around her body, the arms of her husband enveloped her in a cozy cocoon. His soft snores indicating he was still sound asleep, relaxed, and most likely dreaming with the tacos truck, a few blocks from their house.
She smiled.
His known scent and light presence, always there for her. Despite everything they had been through and their not conventional wedding, in any possible way, they made it until there. They built a home, a family, and each day Juliet was reassured by Shawn’s love that there was no other life she wanted.
That, them, was more than she could ever have dreamed.
Facing him, the Detective gently took one of her arms out of his embrace, caressing his cheek, earning a sleepy smile from him, widening her own as she saw how much of an effect her touch had over her husband. After all those years, Juliet would still receive that mischievous caring grin from Shawn whenever she was close to him.
Happy, she went over the plans, once again, for that day, after all, it’s not every day you get to celebrate your first wedding anniversary.
One year.
One year putting up with all the chaotic hurricane Shawn is. One year of yelling, for the hundredth time, that he shouldn't leave his shoes spread over the house, or that their kitchen couldn’t be used to bake what her beloved husband named “fireball”, which basically consisted of sushi rolls covered in the most stinky cheese Juliet has ever smelled and garnished with a jalapeno sauce so spicy it made Shawn drink almost a gallon of milk after. One year picking his wet towel off the floor and reminding him of paying the bills.
But was also one year of the most amazing movie nights, dinners at the bay with chocolate cake and candle lights, flowers in her desk every few weeks, deep laughs that would make her belly hurt, and tears escape from her eyes, and endless karaoke nights. One year of waking up every day by Shawn’s side, and being reminded of how much he loves her and how preoccupied he gets when she doesn’t answer her phone after the third ring.
Despite all the mess that it was living with Shawn, his sweetness and hidden romantic side made all the madness worth it.
Over the three years they stood on those uncertain waters of their engagement, Jules watched their relationship dull, lost its sparkle as their routine got the best out of them. She became more guarded, fighting alone and inadvertently shutting Shawn away from her life. In each attempt Shawn would give in protecting her, of unraveling her fears, of being there for her, even if it was in his own peculiar and crooked way, more she would raise her walls, and the bigger his insecurities would become, making him wonder if he was good enough, knowing that she deserved better, and interpreting the theft of the engagement ring as a sign that he was never meant to have a happily ever after.
Gladly, the married life and all its adventures reminded them of their love for each other, of the sacrifices they were willing to make to see the other happy, the love that was born one random morning at a diner in Santa Barbara, leading them to that surprisingly warm December day, tangled in a loving embrace.
Juliet couldn't wait to spend that entire day by Shawn’s side. She was off duty, and he had promised to close psychphransisco for the weekend so they would be free to do whatever they wanted. Since their wedding, they hadn't had much free time, Jules being the Head Detective, and Psych’s fame following them to San Francisco. Cases were piling up at their desks, often obligating them to postpone dinner dates and day-offs.
She hoped that now they could finally be alone, without cases to solve, phone calls interrupting their sleep or murders to be investigated. It would be only them and their anniversary on the schedule.
In the last couple of weeks, Shawn had been acting stranger than usual, and Jules figured it could be the amount of work he had on his plate. Often she would see him sneak out of their bed in the middle of the night, heading to their small office with his computer in hand. When she confronted him, Shawn just shrugged his shoulders and assured her it was just another case he and Gus were working on. But Juliet knew better and, despite they agreeing not to bring their jobs home, couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, but decided not to push as, knowing her husband, the best thing to do was not to pressure him. Eventually, he would tell her, accidentally or not.
With delicacy Juliet kissed Shawn’s lips, his smile widening as his eyes fluttered before finally open. Those bluish-green irises glancing at her with pure adoration, making her heart skip a few beats, her stomach revolving with a million butterflies, and, even after all that time knowing Shawn, he still had that power of weakening each muscle of her body.
He loosened the grip around her waist, bringing his hand to her face, pulling her in for another kiss that Juliet happily complied with. He broke apart a few seconds later, leaving his lips on her forehead before finally separating from her.
“Morning, Sweetheart.”
“Morning, Babe.”
She could tell he was still sleepy, his hoarse voice and the fact that Shawn had closed his eyes again were a strong sign of his wish to stay in bed all day but Juliet couldn’t help her enthusiasm. She had a lot of plans and a full day ahead of them.
Poking his arm, she tried to wake him up but instead, he faked a snore and ignored her insistence.
“Come on Shawn! Wake up! We have so much to do today.”
He opened one eye, finding those big blue ocean colored ones staring at him the same way kids stare at toy stores.
“Just five more minutes Jules.”
“No! It’s ... It’s our anniversary and we HAVE to get going! I’ve planned everything.”
“Hum... Yeah... Our, our anniversary?”
With both his eyes open now and more awake Shawn tried to hide his nervousness behind his crooked smile but, of course, he was married to a woman who knew him better than himself. Her expression immediately deflated and Juliet sat on the bed, freeing herself from Shawn’s embrace, staring at him with mixed emotions he couldn’t quite describe.
“Shawn? Did you forget?”
“Forget what, babe?”
“Don’t … I’m serious, Shawn!”
He scratched the back of his neck, swallowing hard and blinking furiously just like when he knows he’s in trouble and much far from scaping.
“I…”
“I can’t believe this!”
Now Juliet was standing, her pink nightgown flowing while she paced in front of their bed, still not sure if Shawn was serious or not. It couldn’t be. He never forgets anything. He must be joking. She felt a laugh escape, relief calming her accelerated heart. She stopped in her tracks, feeling her husband’s eyes on her, his silence very unusual.
“Oh my... You’re joking, right? I mean, you couldn’t forget....”
Shawn kept staring at her, now sat straight, his ashamed expression denouncing the truth Juliet didn’t want to believe.
“Sweetheart... I’m not sure what I’m supposed to remember.” Maybe, if he faked confusion, she would let it go.
“OUR ANNIVERSARY, SHAWN!”
“Oh!” She didn’t.
Another dry swallow came down his throat, and the more he watched his wife, the more her expressions changed, from anger to disappointment, to pain. He could read her like a textbook, and after all those years, there wasn’t a single freckle in Juliet that Shawn wasn’t aware of.
It was bad. Really bad.
Juliet had the same look of the day Shawn thought it was a good idea to bring her estranged father back in town to promote a heartwarming reunion between them.
He was in the pond.
“Jules, listen... I’m… I’m so sorry. I thought our anniversary would be next month… After all, we're in January.”
“Shawn, it’s December.”
“But we got married in February, didn’t we?”
Juliet glanced away, throwing her arms at her side in frustration. Her glistened eyes filled with a wreaking heart pain Shawn felt stab through his own. He hated to see his Jules sad, even more, when he was the cause of her unhappiness. He had promised her that every single day of their lives he would make her smile, and now, there was him, causing unwept tears on those baby blue eyes.
“I can’t do this right now. I…”
Juliet marched out of their bedroom, grabbing a dress she had worn the day before, resting on their comforter, set on the floor. A second later, Shawn was following her, watching his wife hide in the bathroom.
Shawn passed his hands through his hair, sighing in frustration. With fast steps, he approached the door, knocking a few times, but with no response back.
“Come on, Jules. I’m…I’m sorry. Get out here.”
The silent treatment had begun, and Shawn knew how long his wife could hold onto that, and having anger as the fuel, she would let that fire of deception burn for a long time.
“Sweetheart, please, let’s talk this through.”
He rested his forehead on the door, thinking about his next words, his next moves. He hoped to make it, at least, to the dog house and be able to sleep on their couch instead of Gus’.
The sound of the doorknob got his attention back, and Shawn stepped away, watching his wife pass through him, now fully dressed, and with a fierce determination in her eyes to ignore him completely.
Without words, she made her way to the kitchen, having Shawn following her like a shadow. Juliet grabbed her purse and an apple from their crystal fruit bowl, a wedding gift from her brother, and with a final glance at her husband, marched out of their house.
“Jules! Wait! Jules! Where are you going?”
She turned, staring at him with such rage Shawn thanked she didn’t have a gun in her hands.
“Away.”
“Look, I’m sorry... I…”
“For your own good don’t you dare follow me.”
“Please… I…. At least tell me where you’re going, so I know you’re okay.”
“As if you care!”
“Hey! Don’t... Don’t say that. You know I do!”
Juliet bit her frustration back, feeling her act break slightly under the puppy eyes of her husband who, even infuriating her, had the power to soothe her most extreme rage.
“I need to be alone right now, Shawn.”
“At least…. Call Selene. I’m sure she will meet you, and you two can spend the entire day bad-mouthing me, okay?”
Shawn saw part of her angriness dissipate, and her features relax a little. At least he was able to calm her enough to prevent Juliet from doing something irrational, like when they fought over a case and she drove by herself to San Diego, just to prove a point. Needless to say that she got lost on the way back, despite having a GPS on, and Shawn had to go pick her up. But that was his wife, and he knew how far she was capable of going when moved by her anger.
With a quick call, Juliet asked Selene for a ride, and without further words, went out of their loft, leaving Shawn by the door frame.
“Hey! I love you!”
He watched her steps slow down, but she didn’t say it back.
Making sure Jules was far gone, Shawn went inside, closing the door behind him and fast grabbing his cellphone, already heading to his bedroom to fish some clothes from his drawer. After two rings, the line was open.
“Shawn?”
“Gus! It worked! Everything set!”
“Okay. Selene just left.”
“Great. I’m on my way. Did you pick up the tux?”
“Dude, it’s been in my house for two weeks now, remember? You dropped it here.”
“Oh... Yes... Right.”
“Shawn, are you alright?”
“Yeah. I’m fine... Just…”
“Freaking out?”
“A little. I mean... I really upset Jules, man.”
“I know. I could tell by Selene’s face when Juliet called her.”
“You should see her face when I told her I forgot.”
“I would never want to see it. She carries a gun, Shawn! A gun! You’re crazy.”
“You’re crazy!”
“Well, at least she bought it.”
“Every single word. But I’m sure, after everything, I’ll be more than forgiven.”
“Dude, you’re way too confident.”
“You should be too, ‘cause it’s your couch I’ll be crashing at in case this blows out.”
“No way Shawn! I don't want you or your sneaky fingers an inch near my Cap’n Crunch. And if you think you can handle Selene’s mood swings, be my guest!”
“Gus, stop being that pineapple smoothie we forgot at the car’s backseat for four days. Jules will love it, I’m sure. Besides, you know my heart is with Cheerios.”
“Right.”
“Okay, I’m leaving now. Meet you at 10.”
“Sure. Bye Shawn.”
Shawn shoved his phone in his jeans' back pocket, double-checking the house to see if he had everything he needed before leaving. With a deep breath, a mix of fear and excitement in his heart, he drove towards what would be the best day of his life, part two.