Psych Multi-Chapter Fic: The first...no, the Second Kiss is the Sweetest [Part 8/9]
The first...no, the Second Kiss is the Sweetest [Part 8/9]
Characters: Shawn Spencer, Carlton Lassiter, and the whole gang along with a few OCs
Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter
Smmary: It was never about the first kiss, they were too awkward. But the second...The second was always the sweetest.
Rating: T for Teen
Warnings: Violence
Spoilers: Seasons 1 &2
Disclaimer: I do not own Shawn, Lassie-Face or Psych. They are all property of the USA Network. I am making no money from this. I also used a bit from Shawn's Resume [Hampton Inn Austin Texas 1996] that USA posted on their site. So that is definitely not mine.
Notes: This begins with a flashback to one of Shawn's jobs to give a bit more flavour to Shawn's relationship with Matt. In case you are curious. As usual Un-Beta'd so please forgive the mistakes
Previous Parts:
Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII
PART VIII
~1996 Hampton Inn Austin Texas~
“There you go, enjoy your stay.” Shawn smiled widely and leaned over the desk towards the newly weds. “It’s the nicest bed in the place.” The woman giggled as Shawn winked at her and the man glared before leading his new bride toward the elevator leaving.
A couple of years out of high school and 1500 miles away from home Shawn was finally feeling like he was just far enough away to be comfortable. He’d managed to hold this job for almost 6 months and he wasn’t even bored yet.
You wouldn’t think that there could be as many interesting people in such an upscale place right in the middle of Texas, and there were the casual guests just passing by that weren’t all that noteworthy and the regulars, the ones that came for their weekly romps, had their own quirks that Shawn played with but the live-ins were the greatest to chum around with. Like Marvin, a lawyer in 103, was keeping an alligator in his tub (Of course, Shawn wasn’t supposed to know that, but it was hard to miss the scales the he’d often seen on the man’s pants and shirt not to mention the endless supply of steaks he was always buying.) and Mrs. Harrigan who had a different wig for every night of the week, each with it’s own name.
So as Shawn he watched guests move around the lobby, and fielded a few calls he got caught up with writing out the latest ‘to do’ list for maintenance he had his back turned to the check-in counter when someone rang the little desk bell.
“Just a second.”
“Still keeping people waiting Shawnie? Always such a tease.”
Shawn spun around with a big goofy grin. “Matt! what are you doing here?”
“Well, you know I heard you’d disappeared to Nowheresville, Texas and I was passing through.”
“Passing through?”
“Miami. Can’t you tell?” Matt stepped back and did a little turn around to show off his clothes. Shawn let his gaze wander up and down, sure with the white suit he looked like he’d just walked out of a Miami Vice rerun.
“I was always more of a Magnum man.”
“Too much ‘stache. So,” Matt said, leaning over the counter, moving his sunglasses down his nose so he could look look Shawn straight in the eyes. “do you wanna ditch this place and play the Tubbs to my Crockett?”
“Sounds fun, but I think I like it here.”
“It’s just a job babe, you get them easily enough, but you won’t need one if you come. To Miami that is.”
Matt had made jokes like that before, always when they were talking about leaving Santa Barbara together and setting up a life of beaches and parties in Mexico but it was always followed by a wink or a laugh - not this time.
“I can’t.”
“Dinner then?” Matt pleaded jokingly with a quirk of his lips.
That always did it, and Shawn laughed and agreed.
“Great, so mister concierge can I get two rooms?”
“Two?”
Matt nodded and pointed out the window to two black SUVs where three other men were waiting all in suits and sunglasses “Ground floor, ones that open onto the parking lot.”
That didn’t sound like a request. Shawn, who hadn’t seen Matt in a couple of years, only knew him as the smooth talking guy that he’d seen talk his way into almost every club in Santa Barbara but this was different, there was something dangerous in his voice. Maybe dinner wasn’t a good idea.
Finishing up the check in process, Shawn handed Matt the keys.
“I’ll meet you out front at 8, babe.”
As he watched Matt leave and throw a key to one of the guys standing next to the SUV, Shawn couldn’t beat down the weird feeling he had and as he watched the exchange between Matt and the other guys, though he couldn’t hear from inside, from Matt’s gestures alone he knew that he was giving the man an order; further evidence that this was not the Matt he’d known. Something was going on.
***
At the end of his shift, Shawn got a call from one of the rooms he’d given to Matt asking for more towels and not wanting to lose the opportunity to check things out he let his replacement take up manning the desk a little early so he could fulfill the request.
A gruff voice growled at him to wait a minute once he’d knocked, so Matt was probably in the other room, but it sounded like all three of the other men he’d come with were in there because there was a lot of shuffling and muffled talking going on until the chain was removed from the door and unlocked for him.
“Here are the towels you called for.” Shawn said as he started inside the room “I’ll just set these up in the washroom fo..”
The man that’d open the door brought his arm down as a barrier between himself and the wall stopping Shawn from getting any further.
“I’ve got them, now get out.”
Just as Shawn turned there was a crash and loud scuffling sound coming from the washroom and the man barring the way left him to rush toward the sound. The ruckus continued until everything crescendoed into an oddly muffled bang and all sound stopped. Shawn, being as curious as ever stepped forward until he could just barely peek inside the doorway to see Matt, standing in the middle of the bathroom, with a gun, silencer on, pointed at a man tied in the bathtub; a now dead man.
“You two,” Matt growled at two off the guys as he stepped out into the room, “clean this up, and leave it in the parking lot, near the back.”
“Shawnie, always in the wrong places at the wrong time.” He snarled. “You and I are going to go to my room. Now.” Matt grabbed him by the back of his shirt, leading him.
Though Shawn had seen dead bodies before, this was different and if Matt hadn’t had gotten him out of there, he was sure he would have passed out. But even as they got out into the hallway, everything felt like it was spinning and his steps faltered, but Matt helped him stay up until they got into his room, until Shawn realized he was in the arms of a murderer and started flailing and yelling until Matt tossed him on the floor and kicked him.
That stunned him enough and he stopped - he didn’t know where the gun went after all - and got up holding his side, staying as calm as possible.
“Who was he?”
“A business partner, but it doesn’t matter.” Matt said with a dismissing gesture. “Let’s just lay this out. You were there and saw the whole thing so when the cops find his body out in a stolen car tomorrow morning and start to canvas this hotel, you are going to tell them you were here with me all night. Then you are going to leave with me to Miami. Understand?”
***
It did happen exactly how Matt said it would, except for one thing. Shawn slipped out on him and was miles out of Austin but the time morning came.
He didn’t stop until he reached New Orleans.
~End Flashback~
It all started coming back rather slowly, first black, then a fuzzy grey that started to morph into objects; a desk, a broken chair and a shiny black pair of shoes.
Shawn knew those shoes.
“Welcome back Shawnie,” The voice above him said as one of those shoes was shoved hard under his side flipping him onto his back twisting his hands that were cuffed to the leg of a desk. “I can’t remember you ever being out this long.”
“Never reenacted RAW before.”
“Hmmm, at least you are still familiar with handcuffs, I guess I have that white knight of yours to thank for that.”
“You’re delusional.”
Matt glared hard at him and Shawn was forced to avert his eyes.
“I don’t think I am.” He said back handed him and Shawn’s face smashed into the floor. “You can’t lie to me Shawnie. You never could, but now it doesn’t matter. See, I remember that little gift of yours very well. All this psychic shit is ridiculous, but I remember that look in your eyes just as well as I remember every line and of your body and I know you knew I did it from the beginning. I’m just wondering Shawnie, why didn’t you go blabbing to your pet detective. Afraid he might drop you for lying to everyone, lying to him. Afraid that once he locked me up I’d tell him everything? How you love to be slapped around, bruised and bloodied? Or even worse, how you killed that man in Austin?”
Shawn gritted his teeth against the mention.
“I didn’t kill anyone you fucking bastard” he spit out against the blood coming from his split lip.
“Ah, but they don’t know that. You were there, in the room and look” Matt pulled a gun from where it’d been tucked in the small of his back. “Here’s the very same gun. You could have stopped it, but you didn’t do a thing, except lie to the police about it. Isn’t there a law for that, accomplice?”
Matt got up from where he’d been crouching, and began to walk around Shawn’s grounded form, kicking him back over and putting a foot on his shoulder. “But, none of this matters. You’re a liability now babe, and as much fun as we could have had again, it’s gotta to end here.” There was a loud click, one sound that Shawn knew well enough, even if he couldn’t see behind him; Matt just cocked the gun. “I’ll remember you fondly Shawn Spencer.”
This was it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Shawn always knew it was going to happen like this. It was his fault. He always got into trouble, always with out a moments thought. All of it was over thrown by one single though as he closed his eyes waiting. He wished Lassiter was what Matt had said he was, because he’d be here.
BANG!
***
PART 9
***
Reviews are like Shawn, Lassie, Handcuffs and an empty file room
And just a note here in case you are wondering, but Matt and Shawn meet up with each other again in LA in 1999, 3 years after the incident in Austin Texas. You can imagine what happened I'm sure.