by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: Psych
Characters: Shawn Spencer, Juliet O'Hara
Words: 3,583
Tags: Friendship, Adventure, Mid-S1
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: Originally posted to tumblr in July 2020. Previously archived on FFN and SquidgeWorld.
Written for the Bad Things Happen Bingo challenge. Prompt: "Caught in a storm" - requested by @someonefantastic on tumblr.
Juliet turned up the speed on the windshield wipers, attempting to have a clear view ahead for more than two seconds at a time.
Between the solid curtain of rain and the overcast skies, it was almost dark enough to be nighttime instead of afternoon. The headlights did little to make the road more visible. The tires kept slipping on the wet pavement, forcing her to maintain an agonizingly slow speed.
Ever since her transfer to Santa Barbara, Juliet had been hoping for a chance like this — where she could be placed in charge of an investigation and really prove her value as not only a member of the force, but as a detective. She was younger than most of her peers, having been a patrol officer for only a year before taking her DET, and transferring to Santa Barbara immediately after her promotion to detective. But this was certainly not how she would have preferred this opportunity to happen.
A terrible storm front hit the coast late last night and only seemed to be increasing in intensity with each passing hour. The SBPD was stretched thin, responding to emergency calls that ranged from people trapped in their cars to looters taking advantage of the almost city-wide power outages.
"Ever notice how these candy bars never seem to have just the right balance between flavors?"
Juliet ignored the random comment, too preoccupied with watching the road. And worried about their current reason for being out here.
A young married couple had arrived at the station only an hour ago to report their young daughter, Georgia, as missing. Apparently she had a tendency to wander off and her parents were scared that she may have gotten caught out in the storm. They were terrified that she could be injured or lost.
With Chief Vick out of town this week, Lassiter was tied up at the station, overseeing the various rescue teams and coordinating their joint efforts with the fire department. When this missing persons case came up, it was too urgent to wait for the more experienced officers to be available. Lassiter didn't show any signs of hesitation as he called on Juliet to take point on this search party. She could only hope now that she lived up to that trust he seemed to have in her.
"I mean, they always seem to have either too much caramel or too much chocolate. Or too much mint. Or not enough of any of those. Why is that so hard to get right?"
Hands gripping the wheel a bit tighter, Juliet continued to ignore the running commentary from the passenger seat. After all, it had been her idea to bring their consultant along on this search. She was hoping his psychic senses could help them find Georgia before anything happened to her.
Shawn Spencer was still a bit of an enigma to her. In the months they'd known each other, every time Juliet managed to form an opinion of him, he'd do something to change that opinion again. One minute, he could be offering surprising insight on the world from his unique perspective, then the next minute he'd be gluing Lassiter's phone to his desk.
From a strictly professional standpoint, Juliet appreciated how his gift was able to help them solve cases — often able to catch the criminals before even more harm could be done. And from a more personal perspective... well, she really wasn't sure yet.
He was a loyal friend and his quirky sense of humor could liven up the station when they needed it most. And, while Lassiter was frequently annoyed by Shawn's overt flirting, she really didn't mind it. Having frequently wrestled with her three brothers while growing up, Juliet knew how to handle herself and discourage any truly unwanted attention. But Shawn seemed harmless enough, and his teasing often cheered her up when she was having a really bad day. The fact that he was funny and cute didn't hurt either — but that wasn't something Juliet ever planned to admit out loud.
There were days, though, when his humor wasn't as appreciated. Days when she wondered how he could seem so unconcerned with the tragedies and horrors attached to their job. Days like today.
"I don't see how they can possibly call this a 'fun size' bar." He crumpled his wrapper, pitching it into the cup holder. "There is nothing fun about a candy bar that's even smaller than the Tasmanian Devil's vocabulary."
Biting down her frustration — and recognizing that it was probably the result of her own nervousness rather than his actual words — Juliet attempted to bring his attention back to their current problem. "Shawn, I have to keep an eye on the road, so if you could—"
"Hold up, Jules!" he exclaimed suddenly, staring out the window with more alertness than he'd been showing so far. "Stop the car!"
Resisting the automatic reaction of hitting the brakes, Juliet eased off the gas and pulled over to the narrow shoulder. "What is it?"
His eyes were locked out the window, obviously seeing something she couldn't. All she could see were trees and deep pools of rainwater.
"I think I've got something." His finger came up to his temple in a gesture that had become second nature. "She went into that treeline over there. At least, some child did. And recently."
Regardless of whether it was Georgia or not, they couldn't let a child wander around alone in these conditions. Juliet radioed her situation and then turned off the engine. She passed a poncho to Shawn before pulling one on herself. Tugging the hood into place, she grabbed an emergency light and stepped out of the car.
The wind pummeled them as they struggled their way to the treeline. Once there, Shawn scanned the ground again before taking off into the brush, Juliet scrambling to catch up before he could disappear. They came through on the opposite side of the trees and Shawn pointed down towards the far end of the row.
"If we follow the treeline down, we should find them!" He yelled to her.
The rain was pounding down so hard, she could barely hear him over the noise. Sending him a quick nod of approval, she motioned for them to start moving. They spaced themselves a few yards apart — enough to cover more ground, but not enough to lose sight of each other.
Wiping her hand over her eyes, she tried to clear her vision enough to see… well, anything. The thick curtain of water obscured everything not immediately in front of her.
A startled yelp rang out from a few yards to her left. It was followed by a shouted warning, "Jules, stop walking!"
Quickly pulling herself to a halt, Juliet squinted into the darkness, trying to see what the problem was. The noise of the wind and rain had now been joined by a deafening sound that was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.
"What's wrong?" she called back.
"Head this way. But watch your step!"
Juliet carefully picked her way across the uneven ground until she could see him. That was when the problem became apparent. Directly in front of them was a steep bank leading down into a creek. The water had risen almost to the top and was moving so fast it could easily drag a person away in seconds. Large chunks of debris raced by, pulled along by the current. It was also the source of the rushing sound she'd been hearing.
Shawn was perched on the edge of the bank, leaning over with his flashlight in hand. The ground under him was heavily waterlogged and beginning to crumble.
"Shawn, take a few steps back!" Juliet yelled to him, trying to be heard over the roar of the creek. "That bank's not safe."
He shook his head, motioning downward.
Carefully, she inched her way forward. Stopping a couple feet behind him, trying to keep to at least slightly more solid ground, she grabbed his shoulder and peered over the edge.
Sitting on a ledge a few feet down the bank was a little girl. She was curled up, hugging her arms around herself, and looked terrified. The water level was almost at her spot.
"Oh my…" Juliet gasped quietly. Her heart sank as she realized they might not be able to get help in time. With how fast the creek was rising…
"Jules, take the flashlight," Shawn said, passing her the light. He peeled off his poncho and set that on the ground beside his phone and keys.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Don't worry, scaling cliffs is way easier than it looks. I've watched The Princess Bride at least a hundred times. This should be a snap."
She grabbed his arm, stopping him before he could step over the edge. "Shawn, you can't go down there. The bank is too unstable, and we don't even have a rope to use as a safety line. We need to radio for backup."
"Jules, there's no way they can make it before the water gets too high. We can't just sit here and do nothing."
She agreed with him on a purely emotional level, but she knew that there was little chance of getting down to the girl safely, and then having to carry her back up again. But they couldn't stand by and watch an innocent child drown while they played it safe, could they?
Nodding reluctantly, trying to swallow down her panic, Juliet stepped forward. "Okay, but I'm going down. You're a civilian, and I can't be responsible for something happening to you on my watch."
"Normally, I would love to pass on this opportunity," Shawn said, readjusting his position on the quickly eroding bank. "But I'm guessing you haven't done much rock climbing before. Especially free-hand climbing."
Juliet crossed her arms. "And you have?" she challenged.
"Actually, yes. I worked as a rock-climbing guide in Vancouver for two summers."
That took her by surprise. She'd heard him and Gus refer to his extensive job history on occasion, but she didn't know many details about his life from before the Psych agency opened. For someone who talked all the time, Shawn rarely said anything truly revealing. At least, not when it came to talking about himself.
As much as she hated to send him down alone, Juliet had to concede his point that she knew nothing about climbing. "Okay, but be careful."
"Just hold the light steady and warn me of any changes in the current."
He took a steadying breath, clenching his hands a moment too late to keep Juliet from seeing the shake in them. Then he was over the edge and out of sight.
Holding the light as steady as she could, Juliet tried to keep the beam focused on the frightened child below. "Hold still!" she called down to her. "We're coming to get you out, but you have to hold still. Okay?" There was no response, and she could only hope the girl followed her instructions.
Shawn finally made it far enough down the bank for him to be in view again. He was struggling to keep a firm hold on the crumbling mud under his hands. His sneakered feet slipped several times and Juliet was sure he was going to end up in the water. Somehow, he managed to reach the ledge without falling. Her hand shook slightly in relief. It wasn't over, though, she knew. He still needed to make it back up.
There was a brief pause as he leaned down to speak with the girl. Juliet couldn't hear their conversation over the sound of the water and wind, but whatever he said must have worked. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, settling in against his chest. Shawn wrapped her legs around his waist for additional support, and then used his jacket to tie her in place. A moment later, he was once again clawing through mud and rock on his way back to the top.
Juliet reached down to grab his arm as soon as he was close enough. He accepted it gratefully and she helped pull him the rest of the way onto solid ground.
Shawn smiled down at the girl still clinging to him. "Jules, meet Georgia. Georgia, this is Juliet; she's a cop and is going to get us someplace dry."
Crouching down beside them, Juliet gave the child a reassuring smile. "Georgia, your parents are waiting for you. We're going to take you to them, okay?"
She nodded, her eyes wide and terrified. Knowing they probably wouldn't be able to coax a verbal response from her, Juliet returned the nod and dragged herself upright again. Shawn looked soaked and exhausted from the climb, but they couldn't afford to rest with the creek still on the rise.
"We should get back to the car," she told them. Grabbing up the discarded poncho, Juliet wrapped it around Georgia, pulling the hood over her head to keep her from getting any more wet. "We can stick to the treeline to help block from the wind."
Still gasping in tired breaths, Shawn only managed a thumbs up. Juliet pulled him back to his feet and they took off in what she hoped was the direction of the road.
They moved as quickly as possible, which really wasn't that fast at all. Poor visibility and soggy ground made it too dangerous to run all out. The wind wasn't making it easy, either, pushing back at them so hard Juliet found it difficult to breathe. Shawn wrapped the poncho tighter around Georgia, pulling part of it over her head to keep her as dry as possible. Juliet continued guiding them with her flashlight. She continuously checked for familiar landmarks, to make sure they wouldn't get too far off track, but it was hard to see anything between the dark and the rain.
Finally, the beam from her light reflected off a windshield up ahead. Even if it wasn't their car, the owner could at least give them a ride back to the station.
They put on a final burst of speed and pulled up beside the car. With a rush of relief, Juliet was able to confirm that it was the police car they'd driven here in. She yanked open the back door and held it for Shawn to climb in. Slamming the door shut, Juliet ran around to the driver's side and collapsed into the seat.
Inside, the noise of the storm was somewhat muffled, but the rain pounding onto the car's metal roof still kept it from being peaceful.
Juliet turned on the ignition so she could get the vehicle's heating system going. She radioed the station, letting them know the girl was safe and that they'd be heading back soon. Once that was done, she finally turned her attention on her two passengers.
In the back seat, Shawn had Georgia snuggled down on one of the seats with an emergency blanket wrapped around her. The wet poncho had been discarded on the floor. In his own seat, Shawn was completely soaked and dripping water everywhere. Between that and the mud coating him, he looked a complete mess.
"We're going to have a hard time driving back in this rain," Juliet commented as she turned to look out the windshield again.
The storm was still so heavy, she could barely make out the road ahead of them. Turning on her headlights did nothing to pierce the gloom. As much as she wanted to get Georgia someplace safe and warm, she was concerned about the risk of driving in these conditions. Worry gnawed at Juliet as she debated the best option here. Driving was too dangerous, but the little girl in her back seat was terrified and needed her parents.
"If we wait a few more minutes, the car should be able to float all the way back to the station," Shawn quipped. "Would save on gas, too."
Juliet frowned. While she normally found his jokes amusing, this certainly wasn't the right time for them. And she'd tried to be patient with him so far today, but this was a serious situation and she wished he could show some genuine concern. She had just opened her mouth to tell him so when a quiet giggle erupted from their smallest passenger.
Looking over her shoulder, Juliet was surprised to see that Shawn hadn't been talking to her at all. He was turned sideways on the seat, crouched down so he was closer to Georgia's eye level. Despite shivering hard and still dripping water on his seat, he had a carefree grin on his face as he chatted with his companion. On the other end of the bench, the girl still looked scared and miserable, but there was the barest hint of a smile on her lips.
"My friend's car would be so much better for this," Shawn continued. "It's so tiny, I bet it'd have no problems floating. Might get swept down a storm drain, though. Actually, the person best equipped for this situation would be my dad. Never tell him I said this, but his boat obsession would have really paid off today."
The girl readjusted her blanket slightly, her face peeking out a bit more. "I don't like boats," she muttered softly.
Shawn's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Yeah, me either. I was once trapped on a leaky fishing boat for five hours when I wasn't much older than you. Now that's gotta be some kind of child abuse. Didn't even catch any fish. Or the shark I was hoping for. I did find some buried treasure, though, so it wasn't a complete waste. Well, not treasure, exactly, but close enough. And I got a pet cat out of the adventure."
He paused his bizarre rambling for a moment, and Georgia took the opportunity to put in her own thoughts. "I have a cat. I like cats."
His grin widened. "Oh, I love cats! A cat once helped me solve a murder investigation. His name was Little Boy Cat, although I heard he now goes by Cassy. You wanna hear the story?"
The girl's enthusiastic nod was all the encouragement he needed before launching into his tale. While he embellished certain parts of the story, Juliet was impressed with how many of the details he was able to remember with perfect accuracy. Especially considering that case was almost a year ago.
As the storm continued to pummel their little shelter, Shawn moved smoothly from one story to another. Some were retellings of cases they'd solved, most were from his years traveling around the world, and a rare few were from his childhood. At some point during the third or fourth tale, Georgia scooted over to snuggle in against his side, using her blanket to keep from getting too wet off of him.
Juliet also found herself getting caught up in the wide variety of adventures he'd had. It was a fascinating peek at some of the puzzle pieces that went into making the psychic she had befriended. She couldn't help being curious as to how much of each story was real and how much was his own creation.
Eventually, the rain slacked off enough for Juliet to drive them back to the station. As soon as they arrived, Georgia's parents snatched up their girl, tearfully thanking them for returning her safe and sound.
Lassiter greeted Juliet to congratulate her on a job well done and offer her the rest of the night off. It was an offer she eagerly accepted. Right now, the only thing she wanted was a warm shower and a mug of cocoa.
Swinging by the bullpen on her way out, Juliet stopped short at the sight of Shawn. He was slumped into a chair beside her desk, looking half asleep. He was still muddy and soaking wet, although he had a towel in one hand and had apparently been attempting to dry off. A styrofoam cup of something steamy sat beside him on the desk.
"Shawn," she said, walking up beside him. He startled back to full consciousness at the sound of her voice. "Sorry. Why don't you go home? The storm seems to be letting up a bit and I doubt anything else will come up tonight."
He glanced at the officers still working around the station, obviously debating the option. "Sure they've got everything under control?" he asked, a hopeful tone to his voice.
"I'm sure," Juliet assured him. "At least, anything that could possibly need a psychic. Go get dry and warm before you catch pneumonia."
He nodded tiredly and dragged himself out of the chair. "Night, Jules," he said, half obscured by a yawn, as he walked toward the door.
A beat passed before Juliet called after him, "Hey, Shawn."
Pausing, he glanced back at her, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"That was really great what you did for Georgia back there. I mean, keeping her distracted in the car. Helping keep all of us from worrying. It was very sweet."
A tired smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was so much more genuine than the grin he usually wore; it felt somehow warmer and softer.
"I was just talking, Jules," he said with a shrug. "It's kind of my specialty."
Juliet waited until he walked away before she returned the smile. "Yeah," she agreed quietly. "Yes, it is."
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