Dog With Two Bones [3/3]
Title: Dog With Two Bones
Series: Dog Eat Dog
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Lassie, Shawn, Season 1/2-strength Juliet/Shawn
Warnings: Character death, violence, vile trickery
Genres: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Humor, Suspense
Chapters: 3
Completed: Yes
Word count: 621 this part
Disclaimer: I own Season 1. Despite my desire to do so, I can claim nothing else of Psych. *weeps*
Notes: See Part The First.
Summary: "Sorry, Lassie. But I had to make a choice." "There were others you could have made." "No. There weren't."
1 2 3
Shawn had been right: It was quick.
Daylight hit his face and mere heartbeats later the shot hit his chest.
He exhaled sharply, his eyes flying open as the shock of it knocked him back into the door.
He looked down, his fingers going to the bright splash of color on his chest. He gingerly touched it, rubbed his fingers together.
Not the texture he'd been expecting, he thought with idle fascination.
Defeat and weariness washed over him and he slid down the door until he was sitting.
He closed his eyes and exhaled. It was over, he thought, and let his hand drop to the ground. He could stop running.
A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see Shawn's smiling face.
"You died with honor, Lassie."
"I'd prefer to not have died," Lassiter responded, wiping his hands on his pants, then holding it up in a silent bid for assistance as the call went out over the radio that Team Red had won and the game was over.
Shawn obliged, tugging him to his feet.
"We all have to go sometime," he said and clapped the older man on the back. "And there are worse ways to go."
Lassiter grunted, but made no other response.
"So did you have fun?"
Lassiter looked around at the mock city that looked like it had indeed been through a very bad riot--or a war. The recently dead and dying were appearing out of doorways and holes blasted in walls, converging in the street to link up with their teammates and opponents and compare experiences and body counts as they made their way back to their respective HQs for the debriefing.
"I still don't know how you talked both the Karen and Chief Roberts into trading our annual Fire/Police baseball game into a paintball competition," he said and headed out to join the mass exodus.
Shawn grinned and paced him. "Are you serious? Fire and Police department battle royale? It just screams shoot out. I wanted a Halo competition actually--go all RedvsBlue LIVE!--but there were some issues with getting that many X-boxes together so we could network it. Plus this way you guys still got to run around."
"Yeah but we lost. Thanks to you."
"They took Juliet and then barricaded themselves in," Shawn protested. "What was I supposed to do?"
"Your psychic powers couldn't see that coming?" Lassiter sneered.
In truth Shawn had never imagined the firefighters could be that sneaky. He would not underestimate them again.
But he wasn't going to admit that aloud, so instead he gave Lassiter a stern look. "That would be cheating, Detective."
"And kidnapping and coercion to betray aren't cheating?"
Shawn shook his head. "Not according to the rule book. We'll have to make sure that goes in before next year."
Lassiter stopped cold. "Next year?"
Shawn stopped as well and turned back. "Of course! You think anyone's going to want to go back to baseball after this? Not that it's not a good game but, well let's face it. Nothing is as cathartic as shooting the crap out of your fellow public servants."
Lassiter looked around again.
He'd never seen some of his coworkers so happy and enthused about anything.
And if he was completely honest, it had been fun. He was ready to drop from exhaustion, but it was a good exhaustion from an honest day's efforts.
Well, it had been fun until Spencer turned on them. But he'd just have to make sure that didn't happen next year.
"Next year . . ." he said softly. A small smile curved his lips. "I can't wait."