Shawn looked around, sighing unhappily.  Gus was nowhere to be seen, even though he was supposed to have been there twenty minutes ago.  He knew Gus was at Rachel’s; she’d just gotten back from Europe and was anxious to see him, but they had planned this thing weeks ago. 

They were going to go see the newest vampire movie.  A midnight showing, it took forever to convince Gus to go with him.  Now, as Shawn looked at his watch, his best friend was running late because of his girlfriend.

‘Well, it’s not like I haven’t done the same with Jules,’ he thought as he walked inside the Psych office. 

Rationalizing he might be waiting a little longer, Shawn turned on his computer and began to look up vampire movie quotes he could use to annoy Gus later on.  A smile appeared on his face as the nicknames; many of them, came to mind.

Meanwhile, Gus was on Rachel’s couch, kissing his girlfriend happily.  They broke apart for air just in time for Gus to see what time it was.

“Oh, man!  Rachel, my little English crumpet, I have to go.  Shawn’s waiting for me back at the Psych office,” Gus said, standing up and tucking in his shirt.

“Do you really have to go?  I just got home and was hoping to spend a *lot* of time with you,” Rachel said seductively.

‘Damn you, Shawn,’ Gus thought, then mentally smacked himself. Rachel had come home early and surprised them just yesterday.  They had planned the movie night weeks ago and Gus knew he’d never hear the end of it if they missed the vampire matinee at the local theatre.  He sighed and kissed Rachel.

“I’m sorry, Sugar Pie, but I made plans weeks ago with Shawn.  If I back out now, I’d never hear the end of it.  We can pick it up tomorrow, okay?” Gus said, using his own seductive voice.

Rachel nodded and smiled, “Okay.  Tomorrow night, then.  Dinner, drinks and then, well, you know,” she whispered.

Gus smiled his ‘Hello’ smile, “It’s a date, then.  I’ll see you at five.”

“Make it six so I can get Max to a babysitter. Or over his friend’s house again.  I’ll see you then,” Rachel said, giving Gus one last kiss.

Outside the door, Gus sighed, happy with the girl of his dreams.  ‘Thank goodness she’s not crazy, a murderer, a stalker, or whatever the hell else I’ve dated over the years!’ he thought as he made his way to the Blueberry.

Shawn, in the meantime, was now pacing the floor of the office.  He’d long given up on looking for quotes.  There were just to many of them, even with his eidetic memory, to memorize.  He’d look later. 

Right now, he looked at the clock and saw it was twenty to twelve.  If Gus wasn’t here in five minutes, they’d miss the beginning of the movie. 

Headlights caught his attention and he turned to see the blue Echo pull into the parking spot.  Grunting a ‘Finally’, Shawn ran out before Gus could get out of the car.

“Where have you been?” Shawn asked as he hopped into the passenger side.

Gus tsked, “You know where.  I’d still be there if we hadn’t planned this weeks ago,” he replied as he backed the Echo out.

“Aw, you do care!  I thought I’d be left alone the minute Rachel called and said she was back.”

“Shawn, please.  We both know you would’ve been with Juliet somewhere if we hadn’t made plans.”

Shawn nodded, “Mmm, yeah.  You’re probably right.  Except she’s working tonight and that means I would have to be at the station, bugging Lassie.”

“Like that’s new?” Gus asked. 

The rest of the way to the theatre, they talked about all the great vampire movies that had come out over the years.  Including ones they were going to see tonight.

Juliet sat at her desk, rubbing the back of her neck.  Three case files were on her desk; all open to the victim’s pictures taken at the scene.  All three had similar marks on their necks.  To her, they looked like puncture wounds.  It was the specific reason she asked the chief that Psych *not* be involved in the case.  She knew immediately what her boyfriend and Gus would conclude:  Vampires. 

Despite the situation, she smiled at the thought.  Sure, it was a bit childish, but she loved Shawn’s way of thinking.  It almost always helped him in cases, after all.  A strange or silly conclusion usually led to a real arrest of a real person.

Quite often, she would hear Carlton ask himself “How does he do it?” then walk away with a bewildered look on his face.  Ever since she’d found out, Juliet had seen his real process.  The eidetic memory that Shawn possessed was remarkable. 

Carlton watched his partner with interest.  Ever since his wedding, something had changed in the relationship of O’Hara and Spencer.  At first, it looked like it was over; then the two of them started talking again. He noticed the ‘cold shoulder’ O’Hara gave to Spencer on cases, plus the looks Shawn gave to her; they were pathetic.

It was about a month ago when they started acting more like a couple again. Now, though, there were a lot more private talks between the two of them.  Carlton knew something was up, but didn’t want to find out.   

He walked over to Juliet with his business face on, “O’Hara, you got anything about these murders?”

“Nothing.  They look like the same killer.  Bodies drained of blood, puncture wounds on the neck and wrists.  You know, it looks just like Marlowe’s brother did this, but I know he’s in prison right now,” Juliet said, sighing.

“Marlowe doesn’t know anything.  I asked her last night about it,” Carlton said, sitting in the chair opposite Juliet. 

“That takes us back to square one,” she replied, closing the files.

“I’m rather surprised you asked the chief not to call Spencer and Guster on this.  Any particular reason why?  Like, maybe you two broke up?” Carlton asked, hopeful.

“No, we didn’t.  I just didn’t want you to hear the whole vampire bit again.  I figured it would bring back memories,” she answered.

“Yeah, wonderful memories.  Memories of meeting my beloved Marlowe,” Carlton cooed. 

Juliet rolled her eyes, opened the files and began looking over.  The puncture wounds were a cause of alarm.  She really hoped that whomever the killer was; they wouldn’t strike again.  She knew, however, that was a pie crust dream.  Easily made, easily broken.

Shawn and Gus had arrived at the theatre with only about two minutes left before the movie. They raced inside, bypassing the popcorn and snacks.  That’s when Shawn stopped and turned toward the concession stand.

“Shawn!” Gus said.

“Snacks, Gus!”

“I know!  Get me some gummy bears, Sno Caps, popcorn, Reese’s Pieces,” Gus listed.

“Buddy!  That’s an awful lot!  Just go get some seats and I’ll be there in a few!” Shawn said, turning toward the snack bar.

Gus nodded and headed inside the theatre. Shawn turned to the concessions person and smiled.

“My good man,” he started.

“I’m a woman,” she said hotly.

Shawn stood back a little, “Um, I apologize.  I haven’t had my sugar rush yet.  I need one of everything.  Put it on the Psych account.”

The woman glared at me, “We don’t have tabs, Sir.”

Shawn took this into consideration, then grabbed his wallet.  Taking out Gus’ card, he handed it over to the girl with a grin, “I was only kidding.  Here’s my card.”

Without another word, she ran the card and handed him one of every box of candy; plus a box of popcorn and two different drinks.  Grabbing everything he could in one trip, Shawn went into the theatre to watch the marathon of vampire movies, starting with the classic, Dracula.

Three hours and five movies later, Shawn and Gus walked out of the theatre, arguing about who was better at the vampire hiss.  They kept hissing at each other back and forth, making the few people on the street at three A.M. give them funny looks.

Gus drove them both back to the Psych office, then went back to his place alone.  Shawn stood and watched his buddy drive away, then went inside the office to grab his helmet.  Locking the door, he walked toward his bike. 

The next thing he knew, an arm grabbed him around his neck.  His neck was then twisted and Shawn suddenly felt a very sharp pain in the right side of his neck.

“Ahh!” Shawn screamed.  He could feel his blood oozing down his neck, but he also felt the, whatever it was, latch onto him. 

Shawn could feel himself getting weaker as his blood was drained from his body.  The last thoughts that ran through his mind were hazy at best.

Shawn heard his assailant speak, “Don’t worry, young one, you’ll see the night again.  When you awaken, you will know where to go.  Now, drink.”

Shawn, through half open eyes, saw a wrist appear in front of him.  It was bloody and dripping red. 

“I…don’t think so.  I’m not…thirsty,” he struggled to say.

“DRINK!” commanded the voice.

The wrist was shoved in Shawn’s mouth, much to his chagrin.  It was, strange, to say the least.  After a few seconds of trying to force it out, Shawn felt too weak to continue the fight.  The blood from the assailant’s wrist dripped into his mouth.  Just enough to have him taste it. 

Instead of gagging, he could feel it slightly tingle on his tongue.  Shawn went boneless, this time not of his own will.

He could feel his life ebbing away.  He felt the person drop him down on the ground, unceremoniously, then a voice in his ear. 

“Remember, when you awaken, you’ll know where to go.  Until then, pass on quietly, my new fledgling.  See you soon.”

With that, footsteps ran away from Shawn.  Or, Shawn’s lifeless body.  His heartbeat slowed.  His breathing, shallow.  With one last breath, Shawn closed his eyes.   

Gus tossed and turned later that night in his own bed.  For some strange reason, he couldn’t fall asleep.  It wasn’t the movies that were haunting his dreams, but Shawn.  Oddly enough, he kept thinking about his buddy; like something was wrong. 

Looking at the clock, Gus saw it was now five thirty.  He was thankful he didn’t have to work at CCP; having taken the day off due to the movies.  He looked at his clock again and saw it flip to five thirty-one.

‘Okay, I don’t think I can sleep.  I’ll get up, make something to eat and then go to the Psych office,’ Gus thought as he pulled back his comforter.  Down the hall he went, only stopping at the bathroom to brush his teeth and such.  Into the kitchen, he grabbed some bacon and eggs out of the fridge and began to make his morning nourishment.

After eating and doing the few dishes he had, Gus got dressed and headed out to the Blueberry with a million thoughts racing through his mind.  What he’d wear tonight to dinner with Rachel; should he buy Max a video game or a board game, and other such things.  He sighed contently, then drove off toward Psych with a smile on his face.

When he pulled into the parking spot a few minutes later, the sun was just peeking up over the ocean that lay out in front of the boardwalk.  Gus grabbed his pharmaceuticals case and began heading to the door when a sight made him drop said case and scream.

“SHAWN!” he cried, noticing the form laying just in front of the office door.  There was nobody on the boardwalk yet, so no one was around to hear the screams. 

Kneeling down next to his friend, Gus saw the pool of blood that had formed around Shawn’s head and chest.  With shaking hands, Gus felt for a pulse; only to find nothing but coldness.  Panicking, he checked again with the same results.  Shawn’s body was cold as ice.

“No, this can’t be happening,” Gus said.  He looked around the boardwalk; still no sign of life.  Looking back at Shawn’s…at Shawn (he couldn’t bring himself to say body) he pulled out his cell and dialed 911. 

“911 emergency,” the operator said.

“I need help!  My friend has lost a lot of blood and is very cold.  I can’t find a pulse,” Gus said, surprisingly holding back tears for the moment.

“What’s your location, Sir?”

“2239 Boardwalk.  We’re at the Psych Psychic Detective Agency,” Gus said.

“Psych?  Is this Shawn or Gus?” the operator asked suddenly.

Surprised, Gus answered, “This is Burton Guster.  Shawn is the one who’s in need of help.  Please send someone right away.”

“Don’t worry, Gus, help is on the way,” the operator said.

“I’m going to call Detectives Carlton Lassiter and Juliet O’Hara.  Please hurry with the ambulance,” Gus said.

“They’ll be there shortly,” she replied.

Gus hit the end button, then dialed Juliet’s number.  He knew to call her first, which in turn she’d call Lassie.

“Gus?  It’s six thirty.  What’s wrong?” Juliet asked groggily.

“Jules, it’s Shawn!  He’s bleeding and cold.  I…I can’t find a pulse!” Gus shouted, the tears beginning to flow.

“WHAT?  Where are you?”

“Psych.  I just found him here.  Hurry, Jules!”

“I’m on my way.  I’ll call Carlton,” Juliet said, hanging up.  She immediately called her partner.

“Lassiter,” he answered, sounding wide awake.

“Carlton.  Something’s wrong with Shawn.  Gus found him in front of the Psych office.  He said he can’t find a pulse,” Juliet replied quickly.

“Whoa, calm down, O’Hara.  What do you mean, he can’t find a pulse?” Carlton asked.  His own heart sped up a little.

“Gus found Shawn in front of the Psych office, bleeding.  He said he’s cold and can’t find a pulse!” Juliet answered.

Lassie, by that time, already had Mr. Thunderstick in his holster and was grabbing his suit jacket.  Marlowe watched him walk by, talking on the phone.

“I’ll be there in a few, O’Hara,” he said, hanging up afterward.  He turned to Marlowe with a sympathetic look.

“Marlowe, honey, I have to go.  Guster found Spencer in front of their office.  Something’s wrong.  You get back to bed and I’ll call you later, okay?” he said sweetly to his wife.

“I’ll be waiting.  I hope Shawn’s all right,” she said, kissing Carlton on the cheek.

“I hope so, too.  As much as I hate his antics and his craziness, I have to admit he’s…grown on me,” Carlton acknowledged.

He left his condo and jumped into his Ford Fusion; heading directly to the Psych office.  He wondered what would await him there.

‘I hope he’s all right,’ Lassie thought to himself.

Gus sat and waited for the ambulance, Juliet and Lassie to arrive.  He tried not to look at Shawn; but the detective in him couldn’t help it.  He noticed the two puncture wounds in his friend’s neck.  The trail of blood that indicated he’d been standing when he was attacked; then the strange thing.  Blood around Shawn’s mouth. 

He didn’t know if that was from spitting up his own blood or what, he just hoped that someone would find some answers soon.

“Please don’t die on me, Shawn,” Gus said as Juliet’s VW came roaring up, with a black Ford Fusion right behind.

Ten minutes later, the scene was complete chaos.  Juliet, Gus and Carlton watched in horror as Shawn’s body was placed in a body bag.  It confirmed their worst fears; Shawn was dead.

The police on the scene all took off their hats, showing their respect for one of their own.  Buzz was among them, his eyes filled with tears for his friend.

Juliet was holding Gus, but felt her knees go weak.  They fell in a heap, crying into each other’s shoulders.  Carlton watched as they loaded Shawn’s body into the corner’s van then carefully picked up his partner and Guster.

“O’Hara, Gus…I…I’m sorry.  I’m going to head to the station and get started on this right away.  The marks on Shawn’s neck look like the ones for the last three murders in the area,” he whispered.

Gus stopped crying instantly, “Murders?  You never said anything about murders.”

“We didn’t want to get you two involved, Gus,” Juliet said quietly, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

“We’re…I’m involved now,” Gus said, wiping away tears and putting on a determined face.

Lassie was taken aback by Guster’s sudden attitude change.  He glanced over at the now moving coroner’s van.  Inside lay a friend to the entire police department.  Looking back at Guster, he nodded affirmatively. 

“Guster, follow us back to the station.  We’ll give you everything you need to work on this case with us,” Lassiter said. 

Gus, still sniffing, stood up tall.  He was in pain, right now, but he knew he had to do this, for Shawn. 

“Let’s go, then,” Gus said.

Juliet nodded, but she felt horrible inside.  Her boyfriend was dead.  Dead!  Anger boiled inside her as she realized that the person she and Carlton were after had just killed one of their own.  Her boyfriend! 

“Let’s get going,” Juliet said through her tears. 

With those words, Carlton knew that whomever did this, he wouldn’t be the only one ready to kill them.  He’d have the backup of his partner and Shawn’s best friend, Guster. 

Two hours later, Woody stood in the morgue, staring at the lifeless body of one of his best friends.  He wiped his eyes carefully, then took a deep breath.

“Okay, Sh…Shawn.  Let’s see what happened to you,” Woody said, sadly.

Taking one look at Shawn’s neck was all Woody needed to decide that he didn’t want to go any further until the rest of the gang arrived. 

He covered Shawn’s face with the sheet (he didn’t have the heart to strip him down yet) then went upstairs to the main station to find the detectives, Gus, Henry and the Chief. 

All were upstairs in Karen’s office, but no words were being spoken.  Henry’s eyes were red-rimmed and he looked much older than usual.  Carlton was trying not to show any emotion, but the anger he felt was threatening to come out any minute.

Gus was shaking with anger.  For the moment, it took over the extreme sadness that his best friend was dead.  He was more focused on who did this.  He would find Shawn’s killer. 

They all turned when Woody entered the room.  Juliet, with her bloodshot eyes, looked upon the coroner.  He looked disheveled, weary and emotional.  Her heart went out to him, knowing the pain he was feeling.

“I, uh, I just, I wanted to, um, ask if, if you all could,” Woody stuttered.

“Dr. Strobe?” Karen asked, her voice hoarse.  She didn’t let her officers see it, but she had been crying herself ever since she got the call. 

“Wouldyouallcomedowntothemorguewithme?” he spit out.

“What?” Lassiter asked.

“Would you all come down to the morgue with me?” he said slower.

The gang looked at each other, wondering if they could stand seeing Shawn that way.  Lying on that cold, metal table, pale; eyes closed.  Permanent, that’s what death was; but it hadn’t sank in yet. 

Instead of debate, the Scooby gang gathered their strength and walked behind Woody down to the morgue.  Juliet stopped at the door; a look of dread on her face.  Gus stopped next to her with the same look on his face.

“Jules?” he asked.

“Gus, I can’t.  I can’t go in there and see him like that,” Juliet said.

Gus nodded in agreement, “I know, Jules.  I can’t either.  But, we have to.  We have to go in there and face our fears for Shawn.  We have to go in there and find out what happened, so we can get to the bottom of this and put the person who did this out of their misery.”

Juliet looked at Gus with wonder.  Here was Shawn’s best friend, a man who’d known the pseudo-psychic Detective for pretty much his whole life, being much more brave than he ever had been. 

Juliet took a deep breath and nodded, “You…You’re right, Gus.  Let’s go in together.”

Gus held out his hand; which Juliet grabbed with assurance.  They went in together, forcing themselves to do what they didn’t want to do. 

Shawn’s body was so pale, it made Gus want to turn around.  He looked at Juliet, whose eyes were fixated on her boyfriend’s body and knew he couldn’t leave.

Woody slowly uncovered Shawn’s face.  The puncture wound on his neck was prominent to all of them.  Karen set her face and looked at the team.

“Okay, we have to find out who did this, for Shawn.  Woody, have you seen anything on him?” The Chief said.

Woody was staring at Shawn’s form until someone cleared their throat.  He looked up at Henry, who was staring at him. 

“I…I did see something strange.  A…around Shawn’s mouth was more blood.  I ran a quick analysis before coming up to get all of you.  It…it wasn’t his,” Woody explained. 

They all looked at each other, “What?” asked Lassie.

“It was someone else’s,” Woody stated, then walked over to his desk.  Picking up a clipboard, he flipped pages before speaking again, “The other three bodies had no blood at all in their bodies.  They were drained completely.  Sh…Shawn, here, still has blood in his system, then the blood around the mouth which doesn’t belong to him.  I say, that whosever blood this is, that’s our killer.”

For a few moments, everyone let the news sink in.  They didn’t know what else to think or do.  Finally, Henry spoke up.

“I have to call Maddie and tell her the news.  Juliet, will you come with me, please?  I’m…going to need moral support,” he said.

Juliet looked at Gus, then nodded at Henry.  They left without a word.  Gus was next with Karen.  Woody then walked out behind them, which left Lassiter standing alone with the body of the psychic detective.

“Damnit, Spencer.  Who did you tick off now?” he asked the corpse, “Don’t you worry, we’ll find them and bring them to justice.  I actually wish I could hear you say Lassie one more time.”

With that, Lassiter walked out of the morgue, taking a deep breath in the process.  He was about to head upstairs to help plan the hardest funeral of his life.  At least he could do that to the man he considered a friend, even if the pseudo-psychic didn’t know it.

The next couple of days were a blur for the team.  Shawn’s body was taken to the local funeral home (the very one that had ‘buried’ Desperaux after his untimely death the year before) to be prepared for the actual funeral.

On the day of, Gus was writing and re-writing his eulogy.  He just felt he couldn’t get the words right.  He knew what he wanted to say, but it just felt empty without the banter of his best friend.  Without Shawn’s wit and humor, everything seemed dull and lifeless. 

‘There’s irony for you, Shawn,’ Gus thought as he straightened his black tie.  He stood outside the doors of the small chapel within the home, waiting for the mourners to arrive to pay their final respects. 

Henry and Juliet were the first to arrive, thanking Gus for helping with the final arrangements.  The entire team had a hand in the planning.  In Shawn’s words, it was pure awesomeness of epic magnitude.

Lassiter followed soon after with a very pregnant Marlowe by his side.  He looked up to see Guster ready to greet the people before they walked in.  He led Marlowe down to a seat then went back to Guster.

“Guster, let me greet the people.  You go sit with O’Hara and Sp…Henry.  They need the support,” Lassie said gently.

“I’d really appreciate that, Lassiter, but what about Marlowe?” Gus asked.

“She already approved it.  Now, go.  When the Chief gets here, I’ll send her in,” Lassiter answered firmly.

It took almost an hour for everyone to show up.  The entire police force of the SBPD had come to pay their respects to Shawn.  Most had come bearing pineapples and set them around his open coffin.  Shawn was in a dark suit that Gus had picked out, his hair gelled, of course.  In his hands he held a flower that Juliet insisted was placed there.  A single rose, a sign of her love.

Gus walked up to the podium and looked out at the huge crowd.  There were no more seats, so most were standing in the back; ready and listening.  The silence that fell was almost too much to bear, but Gus closed his eyes, breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, and began his eulogy.

“What can I say about Shawn?  He was my best friend since we were small.  He and I would go everywhere together, do everything together.  We were inseparable.  That is, until he left for those few years out into the world.  Shawn was very adventurous, ending up in Argentina or Peru to teach skydiving lessons, then somewhere like the Great Lakes to teach jet ski lessons,” Gus began.

Henry got up afterward and looked around.  Maddie was in the front, her eyes full of tears.  He almost lost it right then and there, but managed to speak after a moment.

“Shawn Henry Spencer.  When he was born, I didn’t know what to think.  Here I was, a new father with no answers to what I was supposed to do.  Maddie and I were new to the parenting scene, as they called it then.  It took three months for him to smile at me.  After that, I knew I wanted him to become a police officer.  However, he had other plans and went off around the world, as Gus mentioned.  When he returned, I didn’t know what to do, but it wasn’t until he opened the detective agency,” Henry stopped and looked over at Lassiter, Juliet and Karen, “His psychic detective agency that I realized he was doing exactly what I taught him, albeit with the psychic twist,” Henry said.  He continued his speech for a few more minutes, then sat down next to his ex-wife and embraced her.

Juliet was sitting next to Gus with a fearful look on her face.  She didn’t know if she could get up there and speak.  She’d hardly said a word since they looked at him in the morgue.  Now she was staring at the coffin, a sleek green coffin that held the man she loved.  A man who was strange, unusual, but one of the finest detectives she’d ever known. 

Slowly and methodically, she made her way to the podium.  It felt robotic, like she wasn’t in control of her own body.  For a moment, she stared at his face.  It looked like any minute, he’d wake up and yell Boo and make them all jump.  But she knew that wouldn’t happen.  He’d never speak again.  Never walk again. 

Juliet lost it then and there.  Lassiter and Gus helped carry her back to her seat.  Lassiter prepared himself for his speech and made his way to the podium.

“Spencer.  That’s what I called him.  He would always call me one of many very annoying names, like Lassie, Lassifrass, Lassiopolus, and so on.  I shouldn’t of, but I let him get away with it.  If it hadn’t been for the results he delivered, I would’ve kicked him out of the station years ago.  I’ve let it slip before, but this time I’m going to say something and mean it.  Shawn, you were a damn good detective, in fact, one of the best I’ve ever worked with.  I still don’t know how you always managed to mess up only to get the right person in the end, but at least you brought your game every time.” Lassiter started to tear up, which he quickly wiped away.

“So, I planned something for him that will cement the fact he was a part of this station and a coworker.  If everyone would follow me outside,” he said, then walked down the aisle to the outside.  Everyone followed to find a firing squad standing at attention with a bugle player ready to play.

“A 21 gun salute,” Lassie said.

A man in uniform stood near the seven guns and raised a sword.  “Ready!  Aim!  Fire!” he cried.

The guns went off three times, signaling the 21 shots.  The bugle player played Taps while everyone hung their heads.

After most had paid their respects to Shawn, the funeral home emptied quickly; heading toward the cemetery a few miles away.  Gus, Juliet, Buzz, Karen, Woody, Lassiter, Henry and Maddie waited until everyone else was gone to pay their final, private respects. 

After they left, the caretakers closed the casket and readied it for transport to the graveyard.  They left the coffin alone while they went to move the cars around and prepare for the drive.

‘What’s that noise?  Where am I?  What’s going on?’

Gus woke up around eleven that night, a nightmare causing the sudden alertness.  Shawn had walked into the Psych office as if nothing had happened; covered in dirt and rotting away, smiling and joking like he always had.

Shivering from the image of a Zombie Shawn, Gus got up to use the bathroom.  He sighed as he turned on the light.  There, in his bathroom, was something sinister.  A face appearing in the mirror.  Gus screamed.

He woke up in bed, sweating and screaming.  Realizing he was safe under the covers, he fell back into a restless sleep; his dreams filled with images of Zombie Shawn.

Across town, Juliet had similar dreams.  In it, she could see Shawn walking toward her.  Elated that he was alive, she ran to him, only to stop mid run and scream.  Shawn’s eyes were empty sockets and his skin was hanging off his bones in pieces.  She could almost smell the putrid scent of rotting flesh.

Juliet sat up quickly, her eyes wide open, freaking out and breathing heavy.  She looked around, getting a sense of the room.  Placing a hand to her chest, she took three even deep breaths to calm herself.  The images of Shawn floated in her mind; making her shake her head to clear them.

Shawn ended up at the door of the warehouse, stomach burning with hunger.  He couldn’t understand all of this.  He wished he could wake up from this dream; no, nightmare.  True, it was fun for a few minutes, but he realized not too long after that this was no longer fun.  He wanted out of this nightmare, now.

The door opened on its own accord, which made Shawn jump back in surprise.  He peeked his head inside, using his gift to look around. 

Shawn swallowed, “Anybody home?” he called.  No answer made him a little braver; as he then ventured in slowly.  He was then stopped by an invisible force.

“What the…okay, why can’t I get any further?” he asked.

“Mostly because I have to invite you in.  It’s the rules, Shawn,” came the voice.

“What?  Who are you?” Shawn asked, still standing in the doorway.

“Come in, first, Shawn.  You’re officially invited,” the voice spoke quietly.

Shawn could suddenly move again and almost stumbled inside.  The door slammed right behind him.  Turning, he tried to open the door to no avail.  He turned around only to face a very scary face. 

“Ahh!” he cried, jumping back.

“Why, Shawn, why so jumpy?” the woman said.  Her long, red hair fell just past her midsection in loose curls.  Her eyes were dark, almost black.  They bore into Shawn, like she could read his soul.

“Who are you?  I won’t ask again,” Shawn said angrily.  He felt the fangs again.  Like they were growing as his anger was.

“Easy, there, Shawny-boy.  Don’t vamp out on me yet,” she said.

“Vamp out?  What are you talking about?” Shawn asked.

“Well, you are a vampire now, Shawn.  When you get angry or upset, you vamp out,” she replied softly.

Shawn could feel the anger rise in him, plus the hunger was attacking his stomach area again.  He felt the teeth, he felt the rage and he had a target: Ms. Crazy.

Seemingly without warning, Shawn lunged at her, mouth wide open.  He didn’t, however, expect her to move out of the way so fast he ended up kissing floor.

She tsked, giggling, “Easy, Shawn.  That’s no way to treat your Sire.”

Shawn got up from his floor worshipping and turned around toward her.  His head hurt from the bump that now presented itself, thanks to said floor.

“Did you get a booboo?  Here, I’ll kiss it and make it all better,” she said, walking toward him.

“STAY BACK!” Shawn growled.  He was surprised to hear the bass in his voice at that moment.

“Shawn, you’re hungry.  You need to eat,” she said gently, still walking toward him.

“I tried that,” Shawn said, his fury still flaring, “but everything tasted like cardboard or worse.”

“That’s because you no longer require that kind of sustenance.  You’re about to go on an all liquid diet,” she said with a giggle.

“Sorry, lady.  I’ve eaten solid food since I was eight months old.  I’m not going to stop now,” Shawn said as he backed away.  The teeth were starting to shrink.  The anger he felt was being overcome by fear.

“If you don’t, you’ll die before you even begin to experience what wonders await you, Shawn.  You have power, now.  But you must learn how to control it, how to use it, or else it will control you.  You wouldn’t want to hurt that pretty detective girlfriend of yours, would you?”

The teeth resurfaced as Shawn lunged again.  This time, he caught her and pinned her to the ground, “If you lay one finger on her, so help me,” he started.

“Easy, I haven’t touched her.  She’s safe, as are all your other friends and family.  Now, about your diet,” she said, carefully slinking out of his grasp.

Shawn lay there, stunned.  What was happening to him?  He could tell something now.  This was no dream.  It was a nightmare; come true. 

“You must drink blood in order to live, Shawn.  It is what feeds us vampires our power.  In blood contains life itself, so pure and free that it must be savored fresh.  So, you must kill in order to live,” she explained.

“Like hell, I will.  I don’t kill people.  I help them,” Shawn snapped.

The ghoulish girl vampire turned with a smug expression, “I love it when my fledglings claim to be so innocent.  I suppose you’ve forgotten about your stint off the coast of Africa just before you returned home?”

Shawn’s mouth dropped, “No.  That wasn’t my fault.  She…she fell.  I didn’t kill her,” he stuttered.  The teeth were now gone, the color returning to his eyes. 

“Shawn, you were the one who pushed her.  She was trying to tell you something and you pushed her away.  She fell right through a glass window to her death ten stories down,” the girl vamp said.

“No!  She tripped!  I tried to grab her! Her hand slipped out of mine!” Shawn said.

“You’ve killed before, you’ll kill again.  You have to kill to eat!”

“What’s your name?” he asked straightforward.

“Melinda,” she said.

“Good, now I know your name.  That means when I stake you through the hole where your heart should be, I can say goodbye, Melinda!” Shawn shouted as he lunged at her with a piece of metal he’d picked up.

The metal piece went right through her chest, making Shawn shout in victory, “Yes!  I slew the vampire!  Or, is it slayed?  I’ve heard it both ways.”

Shawn expected to see Melinda fall, but she just started laughing.  Grabbing the metal piece, she pulled it out slowly; making Shawn glare. 

“Silly new vampire.  Metal doesn’t work on us.  Only a nice, sharp piece of wood does the trick.  You can’t kill me, anyway.  If you do, you’ll die,” she said.

Shawn could see that, for now, he was defeated.  He’d figure out a way to get rid of Melinda later.  Turning on the old Shawn charm, he knelt in front of her.

“What do I do, oh great Seer?” he asked.

“It’s Sire.  I am like a mother to you, now,” Melinda said.

“Then teach me, Mother.  Teach me how to be a vampire,” he said, bowing.

Two weeks.  Two weeks without Shawn Spencer.  To Carlton, it wasn’t as joyful as he’d thought.  His partner still hadn’t returned to work, he hadn’t seen Guster since the funeral, Henry wouldn’t answer his phone, it was a mess.  He looked down at the files that littered his desk.  The only constant was the bodies that kept appearing overnight.

Carlton looked up to see Guster walk into the station with an armload of papers.  The latter spotted Lassie and walked straight to him, dropping the stack on the detective’s desk with a loud thump. 

“Guster?  Where have you been?  I’ve been trying to call you so we could work on finding Shawn’s murderer,” Carlton asked.

“I know, Lassie.  That’s what I’ve been doing.  I searched for every murder like Shawn’s in the past 10 years,” Gus said, pointing to the stack of papers.

“From where?  All of Europe?” Lassiter asked in annoyance.  He didn’t like the look of all those names.

“Actually, from all over the world.  There have been over 3000 unsolved murders that have the exact same marks on the neck as Shawn and the others had,” Gus said.

“That’s all good and well, Guster, but I’d like to stick to Santa Barbara.  I don’t need to know about someone on the other side of the world,” Lassie spat.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Juliet’s voice wafted over from behind them.  Gus turned to see her dressed in her usual detective clothing.  Her eyes were clear and focused. 

“O’Hara?  Where have you been?” Lassiter asked as he walked over to his partner.

“I’ve been resting, Carlton.  That’s what you do when you can’t sleep,” Juliet retorted.

“Easy, O’Hara.  I was just asking a question,” Lassie snapped back.

“Sorry, Carlton.  I just haven’t slept much since, since Shawn died,” Juliet said.

Lassiter cleared his throat and nodded, “Yeah, I…I know.  Listen, I…we need your help.  Victims are piling up and we need to find the killer.  We haven’t had any leads except the blood from around Shawn’s mouth.”

“Which was a dead end.  Literally.  The blood around his mouth was from another dead person,” Gus said.

“Right.  The blood was from a woman who…” Lassie grabbed a file, “died off the coast of Africa in 2005.”

“So, how in the world did someone…wait, 2005?  Shawn was there at that time,” Gus said.

“Thank you for that useless piece of information, Guster.  We’re trying to find a serial killer, not name places Spencer went,” Lassiter snapped.

Gus and Juliet glared at him, making Lassiter step back for a moment.  He realized he’d step over the line.  He stuttered through an apology and looked down at his file. 

“Carlton, we need to figure out what’s going on.  Every victim has the same marks on their necks.  Two evenly spaced holes; bodies drained of blood.  We have over two dozen bodies,” Juliet said.

At that moment, Henry came rushing in.  Up to that morning , he’d avoided Shawn’s grave, not wanting to feel the pain of losing his son.  Maddie had insisted, so they went to visit.  It was there Henry saw that his son’s grave was empty.  The grass was gone, the grave dug up.  His coffin; empty. 

Juliet hadn’t visited, either.  Until today, she had hardly gotten out of bed.  She couldn’t bear it; seeing the headstone with his name.  The name of her boyfriend, the man she fell in love with.  So she avoided it.  Now she watched as Henry rushed in, fear in his eyes.

“Henry?  What is it?  What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Shawn’s grave.  It’s empty,” he announced. 

Gus, Lassiter and Juliet looked at him with confusion, then at each other with horror.  Lassiter turned, grabbed his gun and began to walk toward the doors.  Turning, he looked back at the others.

“Anybody coming with me?” he asked. 

They all launched as one unit, heading out to the cars.  Karen followed them in protest.

“Where are you going?  Detectives?  Mr. Guster?” she called.

“It’s Shawn’s grave.  It’s empty,” Gus said, getting into the Blueberry.

Karen stood for a beat, then entered the passenger side of the car.  Gus looked at her then drove off to the cemetery.  He felt strange going back himself, but when he had gone last week he hadn’t noticed anything different.  Unlike his coworkers, he couldn’t really drag himself away from the grave.  He hadn’t visited yet today, but now he wished he had.

Henry was riding along with the detectives, his mind flashing back to what he saw.  The dirt was mounded on the sides of the hole, Shawn’s coffin opened.  He shook his head at the audacity of some punk grave robber.  Desecrating his son’s grave was something no one would get away with.  Henry felt violated.  Anger grew in his heart.

Trekking toward his grave, Gus saw something strange all around him.  More than one grave was vandalized.  In fact, five were messed with. He shook his head, disbelieving what he was seeing.

They gathered around Shawn’s grave, shaking their heads.  It was as Henry had said, the grave had been dug up.  Shawn’s green coffin was wide open, but no Shawn lay within.  His body was gone. 

“Who would do such a thing?”  Juliet asked. 

“Someone who doesn’t have a soul, that’s who,” Lassiter growled.

Silence settled over the group as they looked down at the empty coffin.  Minutes passed while their minds wandered back to different memories of Shawn and his crazy antics.  His ‘psychic’ visions, his sharp detective skills, his way of getting on Lassiter’s nerves without getting shot.

“We’ll find out who did this, and find the killer.  That is a promise,” Gus whispered. 

With that, they left the site.  They were all of one mind at that time.  Find Shawn’s killer and find out who would disturb his final resting place. 

Shawn, in the interim, was in the warehouse, ducking away from the little patch of sunlight that shone through a hole in the ceiling.  He was awake, not able to sleep due to his stomach.  Yes, he’d eaten, but it was mostly rats.  He shivered.

‘I’m reduced to the blood of rats.  Yeah, being a vampire is really cool,’ Shawn thought. 

In the two weeks since he ‘gave in’ to Melinda, she’d taught him how to use his newfound powers and how to, well, kill a human being. 

He simply refused to kill anyone, which infuriated Melinda.  She would always complain about how he wouldn’t live unless he did drink fresh, life giving blood directly from a human’s body.  After the first few days, regrettably, he had to do it to appease her.  She threatened to kill his family and friends, even going so far as to show him pictures she’d taken from Juliet’s apartment. 

It was a young woman, about twenty-two years old, that Melinda had dragged in.  She was squirming, trying to get away.  Melinda brought her toward a weak Shawn, a smile on her crazed vampire face.  Yes, Shawn had finally figured out she was a pineapple short of a fruit salad.  Make that two pineapples.

“You must eat, Shawn.  Or you will perish,” she said.

“Then I’ll die.  I’m not killing her,” Shawn said.

“You’ll do the killing or I’ll kill your girlfriend,” Melinda warned.

Shawn growled, his teeth showing, “You wouldn’t dare!”

Melinda looked at the girl she was holding, then dropped her down to the floor.  The young woman was knocked unconscious.  The girl vamp then walked over and grabbed an envelope.  She walked back and handed it to Shawn with a devilish look on her face.

He took the envelope with curiosity.  Inside the envelope were pictures.  Pictures from Juliet’s house; pictures of him and Juliet together.  She’d been in his girlfriend’s house.

“How dare you go into her house!” he growled.  He went to leap at Melinda but fell short.  He was too weak to even lunge.

“Kill her or I kill your girl,” she warned.

Shawn looked at the poor girl, not wanting this.  Melinda growled, showing her teeth. 

At that time, the girl opened her eyes.  Shawn’s own eyes turned white, but filled with tears. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.  She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. 

Shawn then bit down on her neck and drew in the blood that poured from her wound.  He could feel himself get stronger with every gulp.  Halfway through, he looked up at Melinda with blood on his mouth.

“Keep going, my fledgling,” Melinda said with an evil smile.

Shawn finished the girl, wishing he could feel sick to his stomach.  He swore at that moment he’d never kill again. 

Now, he sat in the corner, waiting for the sun to go down.  He had found out that the sun didn’t make him burst into flame, but it DID hurt after a few minutes.  He’d tried before, only to end up hiding under the shade of a pine tree until dusk. 

Sighing, he turned over and looked up at the ceiling.  He could see the puffy clouds float past the holes above.  Shawn gazed into the great beyond, wondering if he would actually be up there one day.  Of course, he never contemplated that until he knew he was the undead. 

“Okay, I’m here right now, I need to focus on the now.  On the ME!” Shawn said to himself.  Getting up slowly, Shawn carefully made his way to the doors.  He turned to check on Melinda.  She was sound asleep in her own box. 

Shawn had refused to sleep in a box, or a coffin, or anything for that matter.  He wished he had his comfy bed that he shared with Juliet. 

Juliet.  Just her name made his undead heart ache.  Honestly, Shawn didn’t know it was possible to still love someone when you were supposed to be a blood sucking demon.  He did, though.  He still loved her more than life, or death, itself.

Fate seemed to be with him as giant storm clouds covered the sun that Shawn used to worship.  Taking the advantage of non-sunburnage, Shawn slunk out into the day, hoping his knowledge of all things vampire was right on.

Shawn had to admit one good point about Melinda’s teachings; she did teach him about his awesome powers.  True, he hated the whole biting, blood-sucking, killing thing, but the other powers that he now possessed were worth the training.  He zoomed from tree to tree, still avoiding as much exposure as possible. 

About five minutes later, he’d arrived near the Psych office.  Under the shade of a nearby tree, he peeked around the corner to see the Blueberry and Juliet’s VW parked in front.  He was about to walk toward the front entrance when he was stopped with a thought.

‘Wait, they think I’m dead.  What am I going to do?  Waltz right in and say hi, I’m back?’ he thought as he shrank back under the tree.

After thinking it over, he turned the corner, walked down and went inside the office with a smile on his face.

“Hi, I’m back!” Shawn called. 

Nothing.  There was absolutely nobody there.  He blinked and looked out again at the cars.  His super hyper vision saw two tire tracks behind the cars.  They all left in another car.  If he was right, they were with Lassie. 

‘To the SBPD,’ he thought.  Sighing, he moved out, the rain starting to pour from the storm clouds above.

Walking and Shawn had never mixed before his death.  Now, after, it wasn’t as problematic, but it was still a hassle.  It was all so strange to be out like this, during the day, in his same suit he’d had on for two weeks, knowing that his friends and family thought he was worm food.

“Worm food?  Really, Shawn?” he asked himself.

When he arrived, he saw Lassie’s Crown Vic parked in his parking spot.  No one was around, surprisingly, so Shawn managed to sneak up to the door.  He almost screamed when he didn’t see his reflection in the glass. 

‘Oh, man!’ he thought.

Standing there, he didn’t notice someone walk up next to him, “Hey, Shawn,” Buzz’s voice said.

Shawn gasped as the tall cop walked into the station as if nothing was wrong.  Shaking his head, Shawn began to walk away.

Buzz got inside the doors before stopping and turning, “Shawn?” he asked as he looked out the door.  There was no one there. 

“I must be losing it,” Buzz said to himself.

“MCNAB!  Get me some coffee!” Lassiter shouted.

“Get your own damn coffee!” Buzz yelled back.

The entire station stopped and stared.  Buzz instantly cleared his throat, “Sir,” he finished.

Lassie gave him a withering stare and began to look over more files on the murders.

Shawn was walking away when his head began to hurt.

*Shawn?  Where are you?* Melinda’s voice called in his mind.

“Damn telepathic power,” he said aloud.

*I’m nearby, Mistress.  I got hungry,* he thought to her.

*In the day?  You must’ve been starving!  Come back to me, and bring me fresh blood,* Melinda thought to him.

*I’ll be out all night.  You’ll have to hunt for yourself,* he projected to her.

*Very well, Shawn.  Be careful and be back before sunrise,* she demanded, sounding like his mother more than a Sire.

*I will, Mistress,* he sent.  He shook his head, blocking her from reading his thoughts.  He was thankful he had always been a quick study.  He’d learned within a couple of days how to block the thoughts of that witch.

‘Wait, that’s an affront to witches everywhere,’ he thought.  ‘Demon spawn.  Yeah, that’s it, she’s demon spawn.’

Turning a corner, he spotted something he needed; a clothing store.  At that time, he knew he couldn’t just walk in and start trying on clothes.  Besides, he didn’t have money and, well, no reflection.  People were bound to notice that. 

“Have to break in after dark.  Advantage, I’m dead.  Criminal records no longer exist,” he said to himself.

Shawn was just starting to get used to the fact that he was, indeed, dead.  It felt weird not having to breathe, that his heart didn’t beat nor pump any blood throughout his body, and such other normal things a person that had life could do. 

Walking still, he noticed the sun starting to set low in the sky.  Night was approaching.  Good, he could stop sneaking around like he was the black spy in Spy Vs. Spy and get what he needed.  First, however, he needed to eat.  When Santa Barbara General came into view, he smiled. 

“Perfect.  All you can eat buffet, no waiting!” he said. A person walking by him gave him a strange look.

Shawn growled low and deep.  The person turned and ran off, deciding that she’d better get somewhere safe and quickly.

‘Advantage number two: I can scare people easily,’ Shawn thought happily.

Why hadn’t he thought of all these advantages before?  Of course, he’d never been out on his own until tonight.  Melinda had been with him every step of the way, showing him the ropes and such, so he had no time to himself except when she slept.  Of course, he was usually sleeping, too.

Shawn went around the back of the hospital and managed to sneak inside an open door that was waiting for deliveries.  The lights were somewhat bright, making Shawn duck into a side office.  As luck would have it, sunglasses were sitting on a desk with a lab coat hanging on a coat rack near the door.

‘No name, perfect,’ he thought as he slipped the jacket over his shirt and tie.  He really wished he could see his hair, but just messed with it for a minute and prayed it looked good as he slipped on the sunglasses. 

Walking out, he made himself stand tall and proceeded down the hall.  Using his own Super Sniffer (Gus would just hate that) he followed the scent of the blood bank on the other side of the hospital. 

Shawn had noticed the quick thunderstorm that flew through left a little power outage behind.  He *saw* clocks blinking the ever famous start time, 12:00 AM.  Looking around, he spotted different sections that he knew to memorize in case someone asked him something medical like.

“Excuse me?  Who might you be?” an orderly asked him.

Shawn had to think on his feet, “Dr. Dare.  I’m just doing my rounds.”

“Dr. Dare?  I don’t remember you,” the orderly asked with a questioning glare.

“I’m new.  I just started my…my,” Shawn started, ‘Where’s Gus when you need him?’

“Residency?” The orderly stated, annoyed.

“Exactly.  I was just testing you.  I’m heading to the blood lab,” Shawn said.

“You mean Phlebotomy?” he asked.

“Yes!  I’ll talk to you later, Mr. Johnson,” Shawn said, walking down the hall. 

“My name is Andrew!” he said as the vamp walked away.

Shawn continued walking, letting his new vamp nose lead him to the blood.  At least, this way, he wouldn’t kill anyone.  The blood was there for the picking, so what was the harm in taking a couple of bags?

The door to the Phlebotomy lab was unlocked and the light was on, so Shawn was stealthy as he entered.  There, standing with his back turned, was Woody.  He was adjusting a few bags of blood, seemingly straightening them.  Before Shawn could leave, Woody addressed him.

“Hello, there!  I assume you’re here to pick up a few packages?” he asked.

Shawn was staring out the door, so Woody couldn’t see his face.  If Shawn still had a heartbeat, it would’ve been racing.

“Doctor?” Woody asked, inching closer to Shawn’s back.

Shawn could smell Woody; rather his blood.  Mentally scolding himself, Shawn turned around.  He thanked the heavens above he had the sunglasses on.

“Yes, I am.  If you could, Dr. Strode, place them in a bag or box, please,” Shawn said in a disguised voice.

“Of course, of course.  One moment,” Woody said, turning to grab them.  He turned back with five bags of blood in a cooler.  He handed it to Shawn without hesitation.

“Take care on your trip to San Diego, Doctor.  I hope those bags will suffice for the experiments,” Woody said.

Shawn blinked, “Experiments?”

“Right, what experiments?  Just as long as my name is cleared from that list,” Woody said covertly.

“It will be,” Shawn said slowly.  He turned, walking out with the cooler. 

“My, that man needs blood himself.  He was really pale.  Nice hair, though,” Woody said to himself as he walked the other way.

Outside where no one could see him, Shawn grabbed a bag of blood and sucked it dry.  He still couldn’t get over the fact that blood tasted REALLY good.  He hated to admit it, but Melinda was right that the fresher, the better, but he wasn’t going to go on a killing spree.  The young woman haunted his memory for a moment, but he shook it away as he grabbed another bag.

After his meal (which, when put together, equaled at least three people) Shawn discarded the lab coat and put the sunglasses in his pocket.  He went back down the streets toward the clothing store. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t as late as he’d thought.  The store wasn’t closed, yet it was empty.  Only a couple of employees were inside, standing around and talking.  Shawn gathered up his courage and walked inside.

“Good evening, Sir.  How can we help you?” said the female employee.  She gave Shawn a disgusted look.

He couldn’t blame her.  His suit he’d been buried in was completely filthy.  He hadn’t been able to get back to his apartment at all and knew it’d probably be empty by now.  Now, he’d have to steal some clothes. 

“May I see some of those jeans and a green polo shirt?  Size medium,” Shawn said.

“Of course, sir.  Let me just get that shirt from the back.  What size jeans?” the male employee asked.

“Thirty, thirty-two,” Shawn replied.

“I’ll be back,” he said.  Going to the back, Shawn could hear (with his cool hyper hearing) the man complain about last minute customers.

A minute later, a loud clattering made the female employee run to the back to help him.  It gave Shawn a chance to look at the security cameras.  Walking toward the cash counter, he spotted the screen hiding under the register.  He smiled wide when he saw exactly what he wanted; nothing.  He couldn’t be seen.

Taking the advantage, Shawn grabbed a medium shirt, a pair of jeans and ran out of the store at his vampire speed.  No alarms went off or anything! 

‘Awesome, if I want to turn to a life of crime.  Mental note, call NBC with new show idea.  Vampire Criminal.  He can’t be caught!’ Shawn thought happily.

He found a place to change and dropped the dirty suit in a trash bin.  He went into a bathroom a few blocks over and washed his hair the best he could.  With no mirror, he mussed with his hair and hoped for perfection as he walked out toward the police station. 

Shawn was still determined to see the gang, whether or not they freaked out about him returning from the grave.  He slowed as a thought presented in his mind; would they accept him as a vampire? 

“I’m a vampire.  They aren’t going to believe that without proof.  With proof, Lassie will probably shoot me repeatedly.  Well, it’s not like bullets can hurt me, now.  Time to have fun,” Shawn said as he approached the station.  He looked to see that Lassie’s car was there as was his dad’s truck. 

Mentally preparing (since he couldn’t take a deep breath) Shawn opened the door to the SBPD and proceeded inside. 

The lights were bright, so he grabbed the sunglasses and placed them on his face.  There ahead of him was the entire gang, including Buzz and the Chief, standing around Lassie’s desk.  They were going over files; and by the looks of it, there were a *lot* of files to go through.

Shawn stopped.  How was he going to do this?  Fake a vision?  Pretend that the death was fake?  He suddenly wished he’d planned this out just as Juliet looked up at him.

“Can we help you, sir?” she asked very professionally.

Shawn cleared his throat, “Yes.  I was wondering if you were Juliet O’Hara.”

Juliet tilted her head. ‘This guy’s voice sounds awfully familiar.’ “I am,” she answered.

“Jules!  It’s me!” Shawn said, whipping off the sunglasses.

Juliet fainted right there.

The others stared.  They could do nothing but stare.  There he was, Shawn Spencer, the man who they’d buried two weeks ago, standing there in front of them. 

Lassiter was the first to react, as he pulled out Mr. Thunderstick and aimed it at Shawn.  His eyes were on fire as he spoke.

“I don’t know what kind of sick, twisted game this is, but Shawn Spencer is dead.  He died two weeks ago.”

“Lassifrass, take it easy.  It’s me, really.  Shawn,” he said carefully.

Buzz and about twenty other officers drew their guns and aimed them toward the man who claimed to be their deceased friend.

“Not the reaction I was hoping for.  Look, um, Gus!  Gus, I can prove it, but we have to talk privately.  You guys might want to check on Jules,” Shawn said, dragging Gus away quickly (so he wouldn’t get shot or run).

“Whoever you are, my best friend….” Gus started.

“Gus, it’s me!  It’s really me!” Shawn insisted.

Gus glared at him.  Yes, it looked like Shawn, but there was no way.  He looked at this imposter with hatred.  How dare this guy say he was Shawn. 

“Okay, if I’m not Shawn, then how do I know we opened our own Psychic Detective Agency called Psych, even though I’m not a real psychic.  I just have a hyper observant gift that my dad honed as I grew up,” he said.

Gus’ eyes widened in shock.  Nobody but Henry, Juliet, he and Shawn knew the truth.  It couldn’t be! 

“Shawn?” he asked, his face contorting.  He was about to cry.

“Buddy, as much as I’m touched you missed me, I’d rather you didn’t cry,” Shawn said.

“I’m sorry, but how?  How are you alive?” Gus asked, his eyes full of tears.  The face instantly changed from sadness to fear, “Wait!  We buried you alive, didn’t we?  Oh, my gosh!  We did, we buried you alive!” Gus rationalized.

“Gus, don’t be the big box for a little shipment!  Of course you didn’t bury me alive!”

Gus looked at Shawn in confusion, “If we didn’t bury you alive, then, then…”

“I’m dead.  I was bitten by a vampire, Buddy,” Shawn announced.

Suddenly things took a turn.  Gus, ever vigilant, whipped out a small cross and placed it against Shawn’s chest.

“Be gone, Demon!” he cried.

Shawn stood there, giving Gus his ‘Really?’ face. 

“Dude, that only works if I’m evil.  I’m not, you know.  Don’t you think I would’ve killed you all by now if I was?” Shawn said, pushing Gus’ hand away.

Gus considered this for a moment, still holding the cross up in front of Shawn.  They both heard a groan and looked to find Juliet standing up, holding her head.

“What just happened?” she asked. 

“You fainted, Jules,” Shawn said softly. 

Her eyes widened upon seeing Shawn.  She shook her head, backing away from him.  Shawn could smell the fear radiating off her.  Sighing, he walked toward her with determination. 

“Jules, it’s okay. I’m back,” Shawn said. 

The cops that still had their weapons drawn followed him carefully.  Lassiter had his still in his hand, but it was no longer aimed.  He’d seen Guster’s reaction. 

“No, this isn’t possible.  You’re not here, you’re not real.  It’s just wishful thinking,” Juliet said, still backing away.  Her back planted against the conference room door.  Shawn walked right up to her, still smelling the fear. 

“Juliet, don’t be afraid, okay?  It’s all right my little Cuddle Bunny,” Shawn said calmly.

She watched his pale hand as it reached out to touch her face.  She closed her eyes as his fingers brushed her cheek.  The cold fingers make goose bumps rise on Juliet’s face and right side.  She gasped, making Shawn stop for a moment.

“You’re so cold,” she said, her eyes still closed.

“Jules, look at me.  Please,” Shawn begged.

She slowly opened her eyes and stared at Shawn’s.  They were still the same beautiful color they were before.

“Shawn?” she asked fearfully.

“Yeah, Jules.  I’m back,” Shawn said softly. 

“No, that’s impossible,” Juliet said.

Shawn sighed and stepped back.  He wasn’t ready to show her the vampire fangs, so he turned to Gus. 

“Gus, is it me?” he asked.

“Yes.  I don’t believe this!” Gus answered, running up and hugging Shawn.  He jumped back quickly.

“You’re like ice!” he exclaimed.

“Hence the being dead portion of the show,” Shawn said, annoyed.

“Shawn?” Henry whispered. 

Shawn turned toward his father, knowing full well this probably would take a toll on him.  When he saw Henry’s face, he saw what his death had done to his dad.  His eyes were sunken in a little and red-rimmed.  He looked much older than he ever had.

“Dad, it’s me.  Look, I know this is beyond weird,” Shawn said.

“I saw you myself, Spencer.  I felt for your pulse.  So did Guster and O’Hara.  You didn’t have one,” Lassiter said, making Shawn turn to face him.

“Feel for it now, Lassie,” Shawn said. 

Lassiter gawked, “I’m not touching you, Spencer!”

“Come on, Lassie!  All you have to do is touch my neck for a minute!”

“No freaking way!” Lassiter said.

“I’ll do it,” Gus said. 

He walked up to Shawn, shaking fingers outstretched toward Shawn’s neck.  He pressed his warm digits to the other’s icy neck and felt.  For thirty seconds, he stood there, feeling around until he dropped his hand to his side.

“Well?” Shawn asked.

“None.  No pulse,” Gus whispered. 

“Of all the crazy, flipping…” Lassie said, feeling for a pulse himself.  After another thirty seconds, he dropped his hand in shock.

“No pulse,” he said. 

Everyone looked shocked.  Lassiter saying he didn’t have a pulse struck a chord.  Shawn, ever the optimist, smiled wide.

“Okay, now that that’s out of the way,” he said.

“How?” Juliet asked, coming to her senses first.

“That’s going to be the kicker.  I…ow!  Oh, man!  Give me a minute,” Shawn said as a headache hit.  Melinda was calling him.

*Yes, my Mistress?*

*Where are you?*

*Out,* Shawn growled in his mind.

*Don’t you dare get testy with me, Shawn!  I will kill the ones you love,* Melinda growled back.

*I’d love to see you try.  I’m protecting them now,* Shawn announced.

He shook his head, breaking the link between Sire and fledgling.  He hoped to never hear her voice again.  When he turned back to his friends and father, they screamed or jumped back in fright.

Shawn’s fangs had appeared, his eyes had gone white.  He chuckled, “Oops, not the way I wanted to tell you.”

“What happened to your eyes?  Why do you suddenly have fangs?  What’s going on here?” Karen asked. 

“I’m a….vampire,” Shawn said with a shrug.

“You’re a WHAT?” cried Lassiter.

“I’m a vampire.  That’s what the holes in my neck were.  I was bitten by another vampire named Melinda.  She’s the one that’s been killing all these people you’ve been finding,” Shawn explained.

“Wait, what?  You mean you know who the killer is?” Juliet asked, her shock wearing off for the moment.

Shawn’s teeth had receded and his eyes were back to normal.  He nodded at Juliet’s question, then looked at Lassie’s desk.  Picking up one, he looked over the victim’s statistics.  Two holes in the neck, drained completely of blood.  Yep, that was Melinda.

“Melinda was my Sire.  She’s the one that turned me,” Shawn said to the gang. 

Henry felt strange asking his next question, “She’s the one who killed you?”

“Yes, Dad.  She killed me, but made me drink her blood so I would come back as a vampire,” Shawn explained matter-of-factly.

“Never were a subtle guy, were you, Shawn?” Juliet asked.  Her smile was wavering, but it was present. 

“Look, I know this is beyond the norm.  I mean, I’m the walking dead, in real life!  I’m not going to harm anyone.  I made that promise already.  Jules, I will never hurt you.  If I need to eat, I’ll find my blood elsewhere.”

Gus turned green and ran toward the bathrooms, “Of course, Gus is going to have to get used to that fact,” Shawn joked as he watched his friend run off.

“I’m not sure if I believe any of this, Spencer, but if you know where this Melinda is, you’d better lead us to her,” Lassiter said.

“I’ll have to sense her.  She’s out hunting right now.  You’ll have another body by morning if we don’t move soon,” Shawn said.

“Sense?  You mean you’re still a psychic?” Buzz asked.  He had long holstered his gun, but this story was keeping him interested.

“Yes, Buzz.  I’m even more psychic now.  She and I are connected mind to mind.”

Gus had returned, looking slightly better, “Mind to mind?  Like a telepathic link?”

“Yep,” Shawn agreed.

“Then *sense* for her, Spencer.  Let’s not dilly-dally,” Lassiter said.

“Dilly-dally?  Really, Lassie?”

“Shawn, focus,” Henry said, falling back into his fatherly role.  He didn’t know what else to do or think, so he chose to push on. 

Shawn closed his eyes, focusing on Melinda.  He wasn’t happy that he had to contact her again, but it was necessary to find her. 

*Mistress?  Where are you?* Shawn thought.

*Shawn?  I thought you were protecting your loved ones.  To me, it sounded like you were done with me,* Melinda thought back.

*I apologize for the lack of judgment, Mistress.  Please, forgive me, my queen,* Shawn thought back in the nicest tone possible.

Silence ensued for a moment, but Shawn could still feel her.  She finally spoke with softness in her voice.

*I forgive you, but any more insolence out of you and I will kill your friends and family.  Is that understood?*

*Yes, my Mistress.  Thank you.  Where are you?*

*I am near you.  Use your powers and find me.  I have a treat.  A young man who has O positive blood.  The very best,* Melinda thought sweetly.

*Is he dead?  I want him alive,* Shawn thought, hoping the answer was no.

*No, I haven’t bitten yet.  I’m waiting for you.*

Shawn shook his head and opened his eyes.  He saw everyone staring at him and realized the fangs had appeared again.

“Sorry, that happens when I talk to her.  She’s about a mile away.  She has a young man in her grasp, but he isn’t dead, yet.  She wants to meet with me,” Shawn said.

“Well, lead the way, Spencer.  Let’s get this undead degenerate before she does kill him!” Lassiter said as he grabbed his suit jacket and began to walk out.

Gus stopped Shawn before he started walking, “Don’t we need essentials?  Garlic, crosses, holy water?”

“On her, your little cross will keep her at bay.  Oh, if we have to use force, we can only kill her with a pointy stick of wood.  Any other material won’t work.  I know, I’ve tried.”

Gus grabbed his cross and put it in his shirt pocket, “Right.  I’ll make sure it’s ready.  We should call Father Wesley and let him know what’s happening.”

“Tell the Father of a church that I’m a vampire?  He’d either try to exercise me or kill me, Gus.  Although, exercise won’t kill me anymore.  I walked five miles today without even breaking a sweat.”

“In the sun?” Gus asked as they walked out into the night.

“We don’t burst into flames like the movies depict.  It can hurt me, though.  A few minutes here, a few minutes there and I’d be fine.  The longer in the sun I am, the worse I’ll be,” Shawn explained as he climbed into the Blueberry Gus had brought back.

Gus looked at Shawn, wondering if he were dreaming this whole thing.  “Shawn, I…I’m glad you’re back.  Even if you are an undead creature of the night.”

“Hey, I missed you, too, Magic Head,” Shawn said, rubbing Gus’ head like a brother would.

They drove off, leading the other officers on the chase for a killer vampire.

He lead Gus through the streets, sensing Melinda through his powers.  He could feel her hunger and worried that she’s renege on her word and kill the man before they got there. 

“Gus, she’s hungry.  I hope we find her soon,” Shawn said worriedly.

“How can you tell she’s hungry?”

“I can feel it.  When you Sire someone, you’re linked through your emotions.  With vampires, hunger is not only a physical thing, but a mental thing.”

“So, if you were to bite someone and turn them, you and that person would be linked for all eternity?”

“You got it.  Turn here.  She’s close and still hungry,” Shawn said, his eyes searching the alleys.

Behind the Blueberry, Lassiter followed closely.  He couldn’t believe it; not only was Spencer walking around claiming to be a vampire, he was convinced that another vampire was killing people. 

Lassie didn’t get how Spencer hid his pulse, but he was going to find out.  If he did know where the killer was, though, he’d get her first.  He looked over at O’Hara and saw the look in her eyes.  She was confused and frightened.  Henry looked worse for wear in the rearview mirror. 

“Carlton, they’re turning the corner onto State Street,” Juliet said.

Lassie turned behind them, looking up and down the alleys himself.  The Echo stopped suddenly and Lassiter watched as Spencer jumped out and ran down an alley to the right. 

“He must’ve found something.  Or she’s in there,” Henry said.

“Let’s go, then.  Henry, stay here,” Lassiter ordered.  He and Juliet cocked their guns and got out quietly.  They could hear Shawn talking to the woman and listened in from around the corner.

Gus was right with Shawn, a cross in his hand held up to the other vampire.  The young man was in her grasp, but alive.

“Mistress, don’t.  It’s over.  Let him go and we can leave,” Shawn said, trying to play the good son card.

“I don’t think so, Shawn.  You brought more humans with you.  Why does that one hold that cross up to me?” Melinda said.

“He fears you.  You fear the cross, as you have told me many times.  I don’t, however.  Let him go or Gus, here, will bring out the holy water,” Shawn warned.

Without waiting for a reaction from the other human, Melinda dropped the young man.  He got up and ran out to the waiting detectives around the corner.  She growled low.

“You will pay for your insolence, Shawn!  With your friend’s life!” she cried, then leapt onto Gus. 

“SHAWN!!!” Gus cried.  The cross was still in his hand, so he pushed it against Melinda’s forehead. 

She screamed in pain, letting Gus scramble out of the way.  He ran around the corner, which gave Lassie and Jules the signal to go in.  Guns raised they shouted at Melinda.

“FREEZE!  SBPD!” Lassiter cried.  His adrenaline was pumping through his system.  He loved when he cornered a killer.

“Lassie!  Jules!  Run!” Shawn cried.  He was staring Melinda down.

Melinda’s eyes glowed as she growled low. To Juliet, it sounded like a wild animal.  When Shawn returned the growl with one of his own, she gasped. 

“Run, Jules,” Shawn said, turning toward her.  His eyes were white, but glowing.  His fangs were prominent. 

“No, Shawn.  We have her cornered,” she returned bravely.

“Cornered?  You don’t have me cornered, Detective O’Hara.  It is I who have you cornered.  I warned you, Shawn that if you didn’t listen, I’d kill your friends and family.  I’ll start with your girlfriend,” Melinda said, leaping toward Juliet. 

Carlton jumped in front of his partner and took the full brunt of the female vampire.  A gunshot went off, but all Melinda did was laugh. 

“Your puny human weapons can’t hurt me, Detective Lassiter,” she snarled. 

Lassie’s eyes went wide.  He’d shot her, square in the chest.  He watched as the hole closed in on itself.  Hardly any blood and she was still on top of him.  She was strong; almost superhuman strength.

“Lassie!” Shawn shouted. 

It distracted Melinda for a second, in which Lassie tried to escape.  He couldn’t move.  She *was* super strong. 

“Carlton!” Juliet cried as she watched this Melinda woman open her mouth wide.  She had fangs like Shawn’s!  Melinda moved her head forward, biting Carlton in the neck.

“NO!” Shawn cried, leaping on top of Melinda. 

She pushed him off and continued biting Lassiter’s neck.  He was screaming in pain.  Juliet just stood there in shock.  She couldn’t move.  She was frozen in fear.

“Lassie!  Fight back!” Shawn said as he got up.

Lassiter was frozen.  He couldn’t move his hands as the woman sucked down his blood.  His feet stayed still. 

Shawn looked around quickly.  With his night vision (another advantage of being a vampire) he found a piece of wood with a sharp point.  In one quick motion, he grabbed it and stabbed Melinda in the back; right where her heart would’ve been. 

Melinda let go of Carlton’s neck and screamed.  Suddenly, she stood up, turned and looked at Shawn.

“One day you’ll pay for what you did to me, Shawn.” 

With that, she turned into a pile of dust and vanished.  The minute she did, Juliet ran toward Carlton.

“Carlton?  Carlton?  Shawn!” she cried.

“Jules?  What is it?”  Shawn asked, afraid of the answer.

“He’s dead.  Carlton’s dead,” Juliet said softly, holding the head detective’s head in her lap.

“Oh, God, no!” Gus said behind them. 

Juliet’s eyes filled with tears.  She was actually surprised she had any left.  Shawn looked down at Lassie and decided right there to help him.

Without a word, he bit his wrist, making blood flow from it.  Juliet watched as he put his wrist to Carlton’s lips.

“Come on, Buddy.  Drink.  I know you’re still there. Come on, Lassie,” Shawn coaxed the detective.

Barely a sound was made as Carlton’s mouth touched Shawn’s wrist.  Blood dripped into his open mouth, finding its way into the detective’s system.  Amazingly, Carlton latched on, unlike Shawn had when Melinda had done it.

Juliet and Gus watched in shock and mild disgust as Lassie drank.  Shawn hissed in pain, but kept his wrist there for a moment.  He finally removed it from Lassie’s face and stood up.  He felt a temporary dizzy spell, realizing that turning Lassiter weakened him.  He’d have to find more blood himself, soon.

“Shawn?  His pulse.  He doesn’t have one,” Juliet said.

“He won’t.  I’ve turned him.  When he wakes up, he’ll be like me.  A vampire,” Shawn said.

“You all right, Shawn?” Gus asked.

“I need some…nourishment.  The hospital has a lot of blood,” Shawn said, watching Carlton.

“A vampire?  She was a vampire, too.  I don’t believe this!  Vampires exist!” Juliet said suddenly.

“I felt the same way when Melinda proved it to me,” Shawn said.

“So, Carlton’s going to be one, too,” Juliet stated more than questioned. 

“That’s the plan.  He’ll be the walking dead, but he’ll be walking around,” Shawn replied. 

“Shawn, you don’t, bite people, do you?” Gus asked.  Henry had walked up by then and was helping Juliet with Carlton.

“No way, man.  Never.  There’s a blood bank at the hospital.  I’ve got to go there and get some,” Shawn assured his friend.

Gus looked relieved for a moment, but panic set in again, “Shawn, you said that when you turn someone, you and they are linked for all eternity.  Doesn’t that mean that you and Lassie are going to be linked?”

“Yeah.  That’s what it means.  He’s not going to like it one bit, but it was necessary.  Dude, don’t tell him I did it.  Tell him Melinda turned him before she was killed.”

Juliet heard that last part, “Why would we lie to him?”

“Because if he knows I’m linked to him, he’ll probably try to stake himself,” Shawn joked.  When he saw the serious faces instead of smiles, he changed his tone, “His pride will be hurt.  Don’t tell him.  If I have to, I will.  I have to show him the ropes, anyway.  Take Lassie to the old abandoned warehouse on Fifth Avenue and wait for me and Gus,” Shawn instructed.

“Where are we going?” Gus asked as they all complied and returned to their cars.

“The hospital.  I’ve got to have blood,” Shawn said.

Gus turned green again, “Shawn.”

“What?” He asked.

Pulling into the hospital a few minutes later, Shawn got out and snuck inside.  He knew Woody was gone as soon as he walked into the back entrance.  The lights were off and the door was locked. 

‘No problem there,’ Shawn thought as he opened the door with his inhuman strength.  Inside, he grabbed a cooler and loaded it with blood packs, then ran out carrying the vessel that now contained his nourishment to the car.

Gus watched in horror.  ‘Is he robbing the blood bank?’ It looked like it; Shawn running out and carrying a very big cooler. 

“Dude!  Let’s go!” Shawn called as he threw the cooler in the trunk.  He jumped in and the car drove off toward Fifth Avenue.

“Did you just steal that?” Gus asked as the tires squealed through a turn back on State Street.

“No, I borrowed it.  I’ll repay them with another supply later.  Of course I did!  What do you propose I do; bite someone?” Shawn asked in annoyance.

“We’ll have to figure out another way to get blood for you.  Maybe find a supplier,” Gus said as they rounded another corner.

“Slow down, no one’s coming after us.  I don’t want to have to turn you, too,” Shawn said.

“Turn me?” Gus asked in fear.

“Dude, if you were dying.  Simple as that.  Not unless you asked me to,” Shawn added when he saw the look on Gus’ face. 

“Where’s the warehouse?” Gus asked, avoiding another confrontation.

“Up ahead.  Hopefully Dad and Jules made it there already,” Shawn said.

Henry and Juliet had made it to the warehouse and got Carlton inside.  Run down were the best words to describe the inside of the old storage place.  It once held car parts for the local auto factory, which closed down about ten years before.  Now, it held three people; two standing and one on the brink of dying.

“Henry, do you think Carlton will be all right?” Juliet asked as she cradled Carlton’s head in her lap. 

“I’m sure he will be.  I’ve seen a lot of strange things in my time, Juliet, but tonight has been the cream of the crop.  Vampires, I’m still in shock.  Did you really see Shawn kill a vampire?”

Juliet nodded, “Yes. While she was…biting…Carlton, Shawn moved faster than I’ve ever seen him move and stabbed her with a wooden stake.  She turned into a pile of dust in front of my eyes.”

Henry shook his head in disbelief.  It sounded absolutely bonkers, but it did happen.  Vampires existed in the real world!

They heard the Blueberry pull up and two car doors slam.  Hearing the trunk slam shut, Juliet and Henry looked at each other with questions in their eyes.  The doors opened as Gus and Shawn walked in, cooler in between them.

“What’s in the cooler?” Henry asked, helping them bring it in.

“Blood,” Shawn said.

Henry dropped the cooler in surprise, “Blood?  Why do you have a cooler of blood?”

“I need it, and so will Lassie when he wakes up,” Shawn explained.

He opened the lid and grabbed out a bag for himself.  He hadn’t eaten yet and could feel the hunger pangs attacking his stomach.  He looked at Gus with an apologetic glance. 

“Go ahead.  I know you have to,” Gus said, turning away.

Shawn downed the contents quickly as to not make anyone uncomfortable.  He then sighed and walked over to Lassie with another bag in his hand.

“What are you doing?” Juliet asked.

“He’ll be out for a while.  You three can go for now.  Tell everyone at the station that Lassie went home.  He should wake up tomorrow sometime.  I’ll let you know,” Shawn said.

“Shawn, here.  Lassiter gave me your phone after they took you to…the morgue,” Henry said, handing Shawn his iPhone.

“Thanks, Dad.  Be careful out there.  I’m not sure if there are any more vampires out there yet.  I haven’t been able to sense any, but it’s a ‘we’ll see’ situation,” Shawn said as he took the phone.

The three left, questions still on their minds.  Juliet looked back once more at her boyfriend and her partner.  She walked back to them.

“Jules, what is it?”

Juliet didn’t say a word, but kissed Shawn.  She then turned and knelt down beside Lassie.  She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead. 

“Take care of him, Shawn,” she said.

Juliet walked out as Shawn watched.  He turned back to Lassie, who stirred slightly.

“I will, Jules.  I will,” Shawn whispered.

Shawn got restless waiting for Lassie to wake up.  He was hoping this would go over smoothly with the head detective.  He was sure that Lassie wouldn’t be happy.  He would be one of the walking dead, after all. 

Shawn thought of all the times he’d teased Lassie for being stiff and cold.  Now, it would be the truth.  Okay, maybe not the stiff part, but definitely the cold part.  He looked over at Lassie; the man still stirring as he was transformed from human to vampire.  Shawn saw the fangs appear as Lassie’s transformation completed.  He was a full vamp now. 

“Lassie?  Lassieeee….” Shawn prodded the detective.

Slowly, Lassiter opened his eyes and looked around.  He felt awful!  He felt stiff and sore; especially his neck.  If felt like he’d been bitten by some kind of animal.  His eyes widened and he sat up; realizing too late that it was a dumb idea to move that quickly.

“Oh, what happened?” Lassie asked.  He hadn’t noticed Shawn until he turned to look at his surroundings.

“Hi, Lassie,” Shawn said quietly.

“Spencer, what in Sweet Justice happened?”

“Well, it’s not easy to explain, Carlton,” Shawn said.

Lassiter looked at him funny.  Shawn never used his first name; never.  Something was wrong.

“Did I save O’Hara?  Did we get Melinda?” Lassiter asked hopefully.

Shawn nodded, “Yeah, Lassie.  You definitely saved Jules.”

Lassiter looked at him, “You don’t sound to happy, Sp…Shawn.  Juliet is okay, right?”

“She’s fine.  Melinda’s dead.  Dusted, really,” Shawn said as he walked over to the cooler.  He grabbed a bag of blood and walked back to Lassiter.  Settling down next to the lanky detective, he sighed and placed the bag in Lassie’s lap.

“What’s that for?” Lassie asked.

“Lassie, prepare yourself.  I dusted Melinda after she…she…” Shawn stuttered.

“Out with it Spencer!” Lassie said. 

“She bit you, Lassie!  She chomped down on your neck!  She, she killed you,” Shawn finally got out.

“Um, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m sitting up and talking,” Lassie stated.

“Dude, so am I.  You saw her.  You saw the teeth, the bullet hole close.  You felt her strength.”

Carlton looked at Shawn for a moment while the memories of incident flashed through his mind.  He *did* remember the teeth coming at him; the bullet wound closing up.  He turned toward Shawn with a look of dread on his face.

“Shawn,” he started, but closed his mouth as he watched the pseudo-psychic down a bag of blood.  Lassiter had seen a lot in his time, but this was on the top of the ‘disgusting’ list. 

“You were saying?” Shawn asked.  Blood dripped down the side of his mouth, which he promptly licked with his tongue.

Lassie shook his head and began to get up, but Shawn pulled him back down with his strength.  After sitting down hard, Lassie got heated.

“Spencer, what in the hell was that for?” Lassie spat. 

That’s when he felt the teeth.  Reaching up, he touched two points that were slightly protruding from his mouth.  He looked at Shawn, who merely nodded.

“Yes, Lassifrass, those are vampire teeth.  You’ve been turned,” Shawn said, grabbing another bag of blood from the cooler.  He put it in Lassie’s lap and shrugged.

“She, she turned me into a vampire?” Lassiter asked.  Shawn couldn’t believe what he heard in the head detective’s voice; fear.

“She about sucked you dry.  I saved your life by staking her with a wooden stick I found in that alley.  If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead,” Shawn stated.

Carlton looked at him, then the blood in his lap.  He didn’t know what to think or do.  Here he was in a horror movie.  Shawn had saved his life from a vampire!  Said vampire had bitten him and turned him into one. 

“No, I can’t believe this!  I’m an officer of the law!  There’s no way I could be a vampire!  They don’t exist!”

“Lassie, I’m a vampire!” Shawn said.

“Come off it, Spencer!”

“Lassiter, I’m serious!  We are vampires!  The walking dead!”

Lassie glared at Shawn, “Vampires don’t exist.”

Shawn stepped toe to toe with Lassie, “They do.”

“They don’t.”

“Do!”

“Don’t!”

“DO!”

“DON’T!”

Shawn leapt onto Lassie and knocked him to the ground.  His fangs were out and his eyes flashed.  He pinned Lassiter down and stared into his eyes.

“LOOK AT ME!  LOOK AT MY EYES!” He shouted.

Lassie rolled him over and pinned Shawn down, “IT’S CONTACTS!”

“WHAT ABOUT MY TEETH?!” Shawn questioned loudly.

“ABNORMALLY POINTY!” Lassie yelled.

“Abnor….you’re teeth are pointy, Lassie.  You felt them.  You’re eyes look like mine.  White.  They aren’t blue right now because you’re angry,” Shawn said in his normal voice.

Lassie let go of Shawn and stood up, straightening his tie.  He saw the blood that was all over his brand new tie and grumbled as he removed it.  He looked back up and felt really dizzy.

“Feeling dizzy?” Shawn asked.

“Does it matter?” Lassiter asked angrily.

“Yes, it does.  You’re weak right now.  You’ve been turned into a vampire and you need blood,” Shawn explained. 

“You are crazy, Spencer,” Lassie said, walking away from the “psychic”.  His mind was racing, thinking about what he’d said.  The teeth, the eyes, the dizziness. 

That’s when Lassie doubled over in pain. His stomach was on fire.  Without hesitation, Shawn ran over with the bag of blood.

“Here!  I know it sounds beyond crazy, but drink!  NOW!” Shawn said, shoving the bag into Lassie’s face.

A splash of blood landed on Lassie’s lips.  He tasted it accidently and was very shocked that it was delicious. 

“Gimme that!” Lassie said, grabbing the bag from Shawn. 

Slowly, he put the bag to his lips.  He could smell it.  It smelled delightful.  ‘How could it smell so good?’ he thought as he tasted it. 

Within seconds, the blood was gone.  Lassie drank it all and looked around after.  His nose led him to the cooler where he grabbed another bag and gulped it down.

“That’s better,” Shawn said gently.

“I can’t believe this.  It’s tastes…good.  How could blood, which usually tastes metallic, taste like a good wine?”

“Because we’re vampires, Carlton,” Shawn said.

Lassiter looked at Shawn long and hard with his steely blue eyes (they had changed back after the blood).  Could this be true? 

‘Well, it has to be true.  Melinda turned me into vampire.  She turned Spencer into a vampire,’ Lassie thought as he sat down next to Shawn.

“You all right, Lassie?” Shawn asked. 

“I think so.  Does this mean I can’t be Head Detective anymore?” he asked.

Shawn was actually taken aback by the question.  He studied Lassie’s face carefully.  He wasn’t happy.

“Of course you can, Lassie!  There’s no reason for you to quit your career,” Shawn insisted, “You can still walk and talk, you still have your…sm…smarts,” he continued.

“Thanks, Spencer.  I suppose you’re going to teach me everything I need to know?” Lassiter said sarcastically.

“I have to.  You’ve got power, now.  Strength, speed, and a craving for blood.  If you don’t learn to control those abilities, you’ll hurt someone without meaning to,” Shawn explained.

Lassie put his head in his hands, “Marlowe.  What am I going to do?”

Shawn felt for him; since he was feeling the same way about Juliet.  Sure, she seemed to have accepted the fact her boyfriend was a blood sucking vampire, but he knew things would never be the same between them again. 

“She’ll understand, Lassie.  Marlowe is a strong woman, and so will be your baby boy.”

Lassiter gave Shawn an appreciative look, “Thanks.  She is a strong one; and you’re right, so will Colt.”

“Colt?”

“Well, his name is yet to be determined, but I’m aiming for Colt or Magnum,” Lassie said as he stood up.

“Aiming?  Really, Lassie?”

“What?”

“Let’s just get to work on your abilities.  We already worked on strength by that display we just put on,” Shawn said, rubbing his shoulder.

“So, speed, then?  How fast can we go?”

“Pretty fast.  Watch,” Shawn said.  He’d been standing in front of Lassie and suddenly was at the other end of the warehouse behind the detective, “Over here!”

Lassiter turned, showing no emotion now.  He didn’t want to look weak again, especially in front of Spencer.  He cursed his temporary lapse of judgment toward the younger man. 

“Lassie, I have to tell you this now.  I can hear what you’re thinking.  Don’t ever be afraid to show weakness in front of me.  I’m not going to call you out on it,” Shawn said.

Carlton blinked, “Wait, you can read minds?  What, is that part of the whole psychic bit?”

“No, Carlton.  It’s part of our newfound power.  You and I can speak through telepathy,” Shawn said happily.

“Oh, dear God,” Lassiter said.

*Come on, Lassifrass, it won’t be all bad!* Shawn thought.

“How could it be good at all?  You knowing my innermost thoughts is like a nightmare!”

“Agree to disagree,” Shawn said aloud.

“Spencer, if you ever breath a word of whatever I’m thinking to anyone, I will stake you myself.  Is that clear?” he warned.

“Hey, we’ve got a Psychic/Detective confidentiality going between us.  No problemo!”  Shawn said with his usual flair; the kind that annoyed Carlton.

It was then Shawn realized something; he’d have to be careful what *he* was thinking.  Lassie still believed that he was a real psychic.  Okay, maybe not, but still, Lassie would definitely turn him in for it, unlike Jules did when she found out. 

“Hey, Carlton, the same goes for you.  Don’t tell anyone what I’m thinking,” Shawn said seriously.

“Like there was anything to tell,” Carlton said sarcastically.

“Ouch, that hurt,” Shawn replied, holding his hand over his chest.

“Okay, let’s just work on this speed and strength.  We’ll worry about all the hocus pocus stuff later,” Lassie ordered.

“Okay, here’s what you do…” Shawn started.

A few hours and a sunrise later, Lassiter was sitting on an old wooden box drinking another bag of blood.  He wouldn’t admit out loud, but Spencer was a good teacher.  Lassiter now had a lot of the fine points of being a vampire down. 

Shawn was laying on the ground, shifting in the uncomfortable silence; save for the sucking sounds Lassiter was making when he drank a pint.  Shawn knew they were already running out of the substance, and that meant they’d have to get more before the day was over.  It wasn’t going to be easy to get it in broad daylight for many reasons.  Foregoing the sleep, Shawn stood up and walked over to his fledgling.

“We’re running out of blood.  We’ll need more to survive the night,” Shawn stated.

Lassiter looked at him with an almost empty bag hanging from his lips, “How?”

“That’s what I’m not sure of.  Maybe Woody can get it for us.”

“That idiot?  How could someone that dense get us anything?”

“You’re underestimating him.  He’s a coroner.  He could get blood whenever he wanted; for us.  We would just have to make it worth his while,” Shawn explained.

“How about we say we’ll bite him if he doesn’t deliver?” Carlton joked. 

It earned a growl from Shawn, “Dude, that’s just wrong.  We don’t bite the living!”

“What about that Melinda?  She did.  Plus, every vampire movie I’ve seen has the vamps biting humans for their blood.”

“Have you ever seen the TV show Buffy: The Vampire Slayer?”

“No, I only liked the movie.  Something about that Kristy Swanson,” Lassiter started to daydream.

“In the show,” Shawn started, getting Lassie’s attention, “there were two vampires that didn’t or couldn’t bite human beings.  Angel and Spike.  Angel had a soul and wouldn’t do it.  Spike had a chip implanted by some secret organization and couldn’t do it.”

“What’s that got to do with us?”

“We’re like Angel.  We still have our souls, if you want to get all metaphysical.  We still have the mindset that killing is wrong, no matter what the cost,” Shawn explained.

“So how does Strobe fit into all this?”

“We tell him everything and see what he comes up with.  He’s pretty easy to persuade, without threatening his life.”

“It’s day.  Does that mean we have to wait until dusk?”

“Nope.  Grab a bag and follow me.  We’re heading back to the station,” Shawn said, then looked at Lassie’s clothes and neck, “After we get you home and wash up.”

“I’ll have to face Marlowe at some point.  Might as well do it quickly,” Lassie complied.

They both grabbed the last bags of blood and headed out into the day, ducking into the shade whenever possible.

While the two new vampires made their way to Lassie’s, across town a woman awoke with an awful headache.  She’d gotten off her job at the local advertising agency about eleven o’clock the night before and was feeling sick when she’d gone to bed.

“Ow,” she said as she went into the bathroom to grab some aspirin and some water when her phone rang.

“Ugh, who could that be?” she said, making an about face toward her phone in the living room of her two story condo.  She sighed as she answered with a annoyed hello.

“Well, Amanda, that’s a nice way to greet your superior,” said the male voice at the other end.

Amanda sighed, “Sorry, Sir.  I just had a long night trying to make mock ups for some dumb TV show.  What’s the word?”

“We’ve got a blip on the radar.  There have been a least a dozen bodies appearing in the last two weeks.  Holes in the neck, bodies drained of blood.  Your specialty; vampires,” he said.

“No, my specialty is all things supernatural.  What do you need me to do?” Amanda asked after downing a pill and some water.

“You know what to do, Agent Chalmers.  Seek and destroy,” said the man.

“Yes, Sir, Commander Jordan,” Amanda said, hanging up the phone.  She then picked it up again and dialed her advertising agency.

“Santa Barbara Advertising?” said the secretary.

“Hi, Barb, it’s Amanda.  You’ll have to tell Harry to give my account to Joe.  I’m not coming in for a few days.  I just got back from the doctor.  I have a severe case of the flu,” she lied.

“Oh, Amanda!  I’ll let him know.  You rest up and feel better!” Barb said before she hung up.

“Will do, Barb,” Amanda said as she walked into her bedroom.  In behind her normal clothes, she opened the hatch that held her real work clothes. 

“I do love being a secret agent.  Let’s see, Vampire killing suit…vampire…ah ha!  There’s the good one,” she said, pulling out a tight leather cat suit.  She then put it aside and pulled out her brown pantsuit. 

“Perfect.  Blah and dowdy.  So as not to attract attention.  Now, let’s see where the hub of activity has been,” she said, grabbing her cell phone out. 

The GPS was specifically designed by the government to seek out supernatural phenomenon.  From ghosts to vampires, the map could pinpoint the location of whatever she wanted to find. 

“What do you wish to find?” asked the phone.

“Vampires.  Santa Barbara area,” Amanda spoke.

“One moment, please,” the phone said.  After a moment of silence, it beeped, “Five vampires in the vicinity of Santa Barbara.  Two are on the move headed toward the Santa Barbara Police Department.”

“SBPD? What would two vamps want with the police?  Well, no time like the present to find out.  Let’s see; dowdy suit, amped up phone, and bag full of weapons. Better check on the silver,” she said.

A half hour later, she was out the door with a purse that held three wooden stakes, a silver gun with silver bullets, holy water, garlic and other essentials for vampire hunting.  She knew she wouldn’t get much during the day, although the two moving toward the police department were worrisome.  Vampires moving during the day signaled one thing; danger.  If they were willing to risk their lives for blood, they were to be killed on site.

She climbed in her car and drove off toward the downtown area with a back story in her memory.  She smiled, thanking the government for the experiments so long ago.

“Time to kill some vamps, Agent Chalmers,” she said to the rearview mirror.

Lassie and Shawn, meanwhile, had arrived at Lassie’s apartment.  Marlowe was instantly shocked at the wound on her husband’s neck and the blood that was dripping down from it. 

“Marlowe, honey, there’s something I have to tell you, and it won’t be easy for you to hear,” Lassie started.

For a few minutes, Marlowe sat and listened as he told her the whole story.  She stayed quiet while he washed off his neck and put on some clean clothes with a turtleneck to cover the bite marks.  When he returned to the living room, Shawn was sitting at one end of the table and Marlowe on the other.

“Carlton, I…I,” she stuttered.

“I know this is a lot to take in, Marlowe.  I didn’t want to believe it, either, but Spencer, sorry, Shawn convinced me otherwise,” Lassiter explained.

“I was just going to say, I know a supplier that can get you both all the blood you need.  Before my brother got really bad, we’d found someone to supply the blood he needed.  I’ll make a couple of calls.  You be careful out there, both of you,” Marlowe said.

Shawn smiled wide, “Thank you, Marlowe.  We really appreciate that.”

“You mean you accept this?” Lassiter asked.

“Why would you lie to me?  I don’t have a reason not to believe you,” she said with a seductive smile.

“Okay, we’d better go.  We have to find Jules, my dad and Gus,” Shawn said, getting between the two lovebirds.

Lassiter growled and showed his teeth, “Spencer.”

“Hey, easy, Lassie.  Besides, you don’t have full control of your powers yet.  You don’t want to hurt Marlowe, do you?  Give it a few more days before you two,” Shawn said, making the gesture that meant ‘do it’. 

“What are you, ten?” Lassiter asked.  He kissed Marlowe and they left toward the SBPD.

Amanda drove down State Street, following a track on her GPS.  She stopped near an alley just before the turn onto Fourth Street.  Getting out, she looked carefully for what was causing the blip.  There, almost hidden, was a wooden stick.  Scanning it with a scanner the government provided, she found traces of vampire dust. 

“Looks like someone’s doing my job for me.  Match the dust on this wood against the database,” she said into the phone.

“One moment, please,” it returned. 

“Come on, come on,” she said, anxious to get back on the road toward the station.  She didn’t want it to be too late and have to call in the Cleaners.  She shivered at the thought of those, things.

“Match.  Melinda Sanders, Argentina, age 25 at time of death on May 15th, 2005.  Turned May 15th, 2005 by Armando Santez.  Disappeared 2006 from government facility.”

“Looks like she was found.  There’s blood over here,” Amanda said to herself, spotting the blood pool nearby. 

“This is the part of my job I hate,” she said, touching the blood.  Instantly she was watching the whole ordeal go down.

“Lassie!  Jules!  Run!” Shawn cried.  He was staring Melinda down.

Melinda’s eyes glowed as she growled low. To Juliet, it sounded like a wild animal.  When Shawn returned the growl with one of his own, she gasped. 

“Run, Jules,” Shawn said, turning toward her.  His eyes were white, but glowing.  His fangs were prominent. 

“No, Shawn.  We have her cornered,” she returned bravely.

“Cornered?  You don’t have me cornered, Detective O’Hara.  It is I who have you cornered.  I warned you, Shawn that if you didn’t listen, I’d kill your friends and family.  I’ll start with your girlfriend,” Melinda said, leaping toward Juliet. 

Carlton jumped in front of his partner and took the full brunt of the female vampire.  A gunshot went off, but all Melinda did was laugh. 

“Your puny human weapons can’t hurt me, Detective Lassiter,” she snarled. 

Lassie’s eyes went wide.  He’d shot her, square in the chest.  He watched as the hole closed in on itself.  Hardly any blood and she was still on top of him.  She was strong; almost superhuman strength.

“Lassie!” Shawn shouted. 

It distracted Melinda for a second, in which Lassie tried to escape.  He couldn’t move.  She *was* super strong. 

“Carlton!” Juliet cried as she watched this Melinda woman open her mouth wide.  She had fangs like Shawn’s!  Melinda moved her head forward, biting Carlton in the neck.

“NO!” Shawn cried, leaping on top of Melinda. 

She pushed him off and continued biting Lassiter’s neck.  He was screaming in pain.  Juliet just stood there in shock.  She couldn’t move.  She was frozen in fear.

“Lassie!  Fight back!” Shawn said as he got up.

Lassiter was frozen.  He couldn’t move his hands as the woman sucked down his blood.  His feet stayed still. 

Shawn looked around quickly.  With his night vision (another advantage of being a vampire) he found a piece of wood with a sharp point.  In one quick motion, he grabbed it and stabbed Melinda in the back; right where her heart would’ve been. 

Melinda let go of Carlton’s neck and screamed.  Suddenly, she stood up, turned and looked at Shawn.

“One day you’ll pay for what you did to me, Shawn.” 

With that, she turned into a pile of dust and vanished.  

“Wow.  Was that a vampire *helping* humans?” Amanda asked herself, astonished.  She’d never, in her years of being a secret agent, had encountered a *nice* vampire.

‘One things for sure, I have to find them, fast.  Nice or not, they have to be cleansed from the earth,’ she thought as she returned to her car. 

Shawn and Lassie were halfway to the station.  Lassie sighed as he leaned against a tree. 

“We’re almost there, Lassie.  Just hang in there for a few more minutes,” Shawn said as he stood next him.

“Spencer,” Lassie growled. 

Shawn looked and made a face.  Lassie’s teeth had made an appearance and his eyes had gone white.  He was hungry.

“Easy, Lassie.  You need to calm yourself.  I know you’re hungry, but we have to get to the station first,” Shawn said calmly.

“Dammit, Spencer.  I’m not sure if I can make it to the station,” Lassiter said. 

Shawn could see this was the truth.  He sighed and held up his finger.  Disappearing behind a building, Shawn did the one thing he’d been doing at the warehouse. 

He came out with a huge rat squeaking in his grip.  Lassiter’s face fell.  This wasn’t happening. 

“A rat?” he asked.

“I had to resort to rats in order to survive, Lassie.  You’ll have to have this one so we can make it to the station.  It’s not like it’s someone’s pet or something,” Shawn reasoned.

“But it’s full of disease and germs,” the detective said with a shiver.

“Dude, we’re dead.  We don’t have to worry about that anymore, remember?”

“No,” came a woman’s voice, “You’ve got bigger problems than that, vampire scum.”

Lassiter and Shawn looked over toward the voice and saw a short girl in a brown pantsuit.  She was holding a stake in one hand and a cross in the other.  Her brown hair was pulled back in a long ponytail and her blue/green eyes shined in the sunlight.

“Excuse me, but who the hell are you?” Lassiter asked, his hand resting right near his gun.

“Name’s Amanda.  Agent Amanda Chalmers,” she said, “Not that it will matter to the two of you in a few seconds.”

“Why would that be?” Shawn asked, watching her very closely.  He *saw* that she had a few scars on her face and her right hand, which was holding the stake.

“Because you’ll be dust.  There is no room for vampires in this world,” she said.

“Wait!  I see something!” Shawn said, putting his hand to his temple.  Amanda looked stoic as she sighed.

“Spencer, I don’t think she’s going to listen to your psychic shenanigans,” Lassie said.

“Psychic?  You were a psychic?” Amanda asked.  

“I am, still.  Shawn Spencer, Psychic Detective for the Santa Barbara Police Department.”

“Head Detective Carlton Lassiter for the SBPD,” he said, showing his badge very slowly.

“You’re cops?  Oh, this is just perfect!  And I thought this was going to be a cinch.  Take out the two stupid vamps that were out for a daylight stroll and then find the other three.  Apparently, I was right,” Amanda said, ready to lunge.

Lassiter pulled out his gun and flashed it, “Unless you want to have a bullet in you, Agent Chalmers, I wouldn’t suggest it.”

“Nice, Lassie!  Listen, Amanda, right?  Can I call you Mandy?”

“How about you call me from the great beyond?” she said.

“That’s a lot longer than your normal name.  I don’t know if I can remember all that.  I’ll call you Mandy.  So listen, Mandy, we are vamps, as you put it, but we’re the good guys,” Shawn said, carefully making his way over to her.  Lassie still had his gun trained on her.

“There are no such thing as good vampires.  All vamps are blood sucking demons that kill innocent people for the fun of it,” Amanda stated vehemently.

“You’re info is way off, Sister.  It’s not often I agree with him, but he’s right about this.  We don’t hurt people,” Lassie said, gun still trained.  His eyes were fuzzy from hunger, but he kept Mr. Thunderstick steady.

Amanda laughed, “All you vampires are the same.  You try to convince me that you’d never hurt a fly, yet bodies are showing up all over the place, two holes in the neck and drained of blood.  It’s pretty obvious.  Where are the others?”

“Others?  We don’t know about any others?” Shawn said.  He was now within ten feet of the girl with the wooden stake.

‘Mental note: use that title as your next novel,’ Shawn thought.

In one swift motion, Amanda stepped up and held the cross at Shawn’s chest.  Her smile faded as she realized that this brown haired vampire wasn’t screaming in pain.  He was standing there with a smirk.

“What?” she asked.

“I don’t fear that thing.  I am a good vampire,” Shawn said steadily.

Amanda removed the cross and pulled out some holy water.  She threw it on Shawn to see his reaction.  He was motionless; but no screaming, no smoking.

“That’s impossible!  What about you, Bean Pole?”

“Same here.  We can’t be hurt by those things.  We’ll, except that stake.  Put it away, Agent,” Lassie said, carefully putting his gun into his holster.

Amanda took the opportunity to lunge at the tall, dark haired vampire.  She then felt strong arms grab her and pull her back.  Landing hard with a loud ‘Omph’, she looked up at the two vamps.  Their teeth were bared and their eyes white.

“We said we weren’t dangerous.  Don’t make it a lie.  We’re heading to the station, and you’re coming with,” Lassiter said, grabbing her and slapping cuffs on her.  She struggled but had no luck writhing out of their grasp.

“What should we do with her?” Shawn asked as they began their trek again toward the station.

“Let’s put her in the holding cells for a while until we finish our business with Woody and the others.  Maybe she’ll cool off,” Lassiter said with a grin.

“Why don’t you just bite me and get it over with?” Amanda asked loudly.  People walking by stopped and stared.

“She’s on drugs.  Don’t do them, kids!  They’ll mess with your mind!” Shawn called out.

By the time they had reached the station, Amanda was quiet and stone-faced.  In her mind, she was trying to figure these two vamps out.  They hadn’t dragged her into an alley to bite her, they didn’t fear the cross or get hurt by holy water, and they were friends of some strange sort.  They acted human, even though they didn’t have a pulse.  It made no sense.  In all her years of training, she’d never encountered vampires like this. 

‘I’ve got to see what happened.  Maybe there’s a witch involved or something along those lines.  I’ll have to keep a close eye on these two.  First sign of trouble, I’ll stake them,’ she thought.

“Um, listen, Shawn, right?  I’m sorry.  It’s just I’ve never come in contact with nice vamps before.  I usually run into blood sucking demons who won’t smile let alone try to convince me otherwise.  I was trained to seek and destroy since I was fifteen,” Amanda said sweetly.

“I could sense you’ve had a lot of fights,” Shawn said, looking over at Lassie, who shook his head in disbelief.

“So, you’re a psychic, huh?” Amanda asked.

“No, he’s just being a Jack Ass.  Anybody can tell that you’ve been in fights because of the scars on your face and hands,” Lassiter said smartly.

“Nice, Lassie.  I was wondering if you noticed those,” Shawn complimented.

Amanda tilted her head, “You guys are friends and colleagues, right?”

“Yes, we have a very special relationship.  We can almost read each other’s thoughts,” Shawn said proudly.

Lassie rolled his eyes, “No.  We aren’t friends and he’s barely a colleague.  He’s a consultant for the department.  I’m actually a cop.”

“Ouch, Lassie, that was below the belt.  I figured after all we’ve been through…wait, you do consider me a friend!  I know because you were thinking about it this morning!” Shawn suddenly cried.  They’d arrived at the door of the station at that time.

“For the love of…Spencer, I told you to stay out of me head!  Now, quit it and help me get this girl inside,” Lassiter scolded.

“Hey, I’m not a girl.  I’m a woman, Mister,” Amanda said hotly.

“You got a badge on you?” Lassiter asked.

“Yeah, in my back pocket.  It’s behind my license, but you’ll have to let me get it,” she said, reaching into her pocket with the handcuffs digging into her wrists.

Shawn grabbed the wallet out of her hand before Lassiter could and opened it.  There, behind her license, was a plain piece of cardstock.  He scoffed and held it up to Lassie.

“Nice.  A piece of paper.  Until we get things sorted out, you’re going into the cells, Miss Chalmers,” Lassie said happily.

Amanda grumbled, but complied for the moment.  She’d get even with these two soon.  Very soon.

An hour later, Lassie and Shawn were talking to the gang in Conference Room A, discussing the way to handle not only the now solved murders and the media, but how to handle this woman Amanda, who claimed to be some sort of Agent.  Shawn sighed, knowing full well the time had come to admit a few things to his friends and family.

“Okay, listen.  Before we continue on, I need to get something off my chest,” he started, making sure everyone had their eyes on him.  He sighed, sitting down in a seat.

“What is it, Spencer?” Lassiter asked.  He actually felt the shift in Shawn’s demeanor. 

“She says she’s an agent,” Shawn said, more to himself than the group.

“Right, she said Agent Chalmers.  So what?  She has no proof,” Lassie said.

“Lassie, for once, stand down,” Shawn ordered.

“You can’t tell me what to do, Spencer, no matter what we may share,” Lassiter demanded.

This earned looks from the Chief, but they were ignored as Shawn began to tell his story. 

“In 2003, I was traveling down in South America.  I was…on a mission down there,” he started.

“A mission?  What kind of mission?  Looking for some get rich quick scheme?” Henry indicated.

“No, Dad,” Shawn sighed, “I was on an undercover mission.  At the time, until I came back to Santa Barbara, I was an agent for the…CIA.  Crazy as it was, I was in a special division following supernatural phenomenon.”

“Okay, come off it!  You expect us to believe this load of crap?” Lassie demanded.

“Make the call if you don’t believe me,” Shawn said, staring down Lassie. 

“Did you two, eat?” Juliet asked slowly.

“Yeah, just before we came in here,” Shawn said, “Lassie, I’m serious.  I know it sounds farfetched, but trust me.”

“What about that girl down in the cells?” Lassie challenged.

“She’s none of your concern, Detective,” a voice came from the doorway.  The entire gang looked to see a stately gentlemen standing there.  His steely grey eyes bore into Lassiter and Shawn.

“Who in Sweet Justice are you?” Lassiter asked.

“Commander Aaron Jordan.  My former boss,” Shawn answered.

“Spence?  How’s life been treating you?” Aaron asked.

“Well, funny thing,” Shawn said as he got up and moved away from the Commander.  Lassie sensed it immediately, Spencer was afraid of this man.  He didn’t know why, but he moved in front of Shawn out of some sort of protective feeling.

“Where’s Amanda?” Aaron asked.

“Why does it matter to you?” Juliet asked, getting defensive.

“That’s for me to know and you never to find out, Detective O’Hara,” Aaron said.

Shawn wanted to move in front of Juliet to protect her, but knew he couldn’t.  The Commander had a way to fish the truth out of anyone or anything.  He’d seen it first hand in Argentina, then again off the coast of Africa.  He shivered at the thought.

“Cold, Spence?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah, a little,” Shawn said.

Gus, who had been quiet for the entire story, finally spoke up, “Shawn, what’s going on?”

“Commander, may I introduce my partner Jolly Rancher,” Shawn said, pointing to Gus.

“What?” Aaron asked.

“What do you want, Commander?” Karen asked.

“I’m here to pick up Amanda and take her home,” Aaron said.

“You would never come get someone unless they failed in their mission,” Shawn said.

“Spence, what are you talking about?  She’s not on any mission.  She’s my niece,” Aaron lied.

“I doubt that, Commander.  She was sent to kill me, Lassie and three other vamps in the area.  I may have not been in the game for a while, but I know a Vampire Hunter when I see one.  She must be a good one to have sent her alone.  I had to have a partner,” Shawn said boldly.

Aaron looked like he’d been told he was dying.  He sighed and sat down, which made everyone else relax slightly. 

“Alright, Spence, you got me.  Yes, Amanda was sent to kill vamps in the area.  You and Detective Lassiter were on her radar.  Who turned you, Spence?”

“Melinda Sanders.  She was staked yesterday in an alley off State Street,” Shawn answered.

“Melinda?  Oh, wow, Spence, I’m…I’m sorry.  I honestly didn’t think she’d find you after so long,” Aaron said sadly.

“Wait, you knew her, Spencer?” Lassie asked.

“It’s a long story, Lassie,” Shawn said.

“Chief!” Buzz’s voice called.  He appeared in the doorway with a sideways glance at Shawn before handing Karen a casefile.

“Another body was found about a half hour ago near the wharf.  Looks like another murder,” Buzz explained.  Another sideways glance at Shawn and he rushed out.

“Looks like we’re going to need all the help we can get.  We’ve got rogue vamps on the loose,” Aaron said.

“What’s that mean?” Juliet asked.

“It means that there are vamps who are just killing because no one has taught them how to survive.  Vampires have to be taught how to be vampires.  They have to be taught by the one who turned them,” Shawn said, not realizing he’d just given himself away to Lassie.

“With the exception of you showing me the ropes.  Since Melinda was dusted after she bit me,” Lassiter said.

Shawn flinched; which Aaron caught, “Spence,” he said with a grin, “Doesn’t he know how a person is turned?”

“Um, well, sort of,” Shawn said sheepishly.

“Spencer?  What is he talking about.  You said that Melinda bit me and turned me.  Just like she did you,” Lassiter said.

“Detective, the only way to turn someone is to bite them, then have them drink your blood.  Otherwise, you’d be dead,” Aaron said.

For a moment, Lassie was quiet as he absorbed what Aaron had said.  It then dawned on him and he turned to Shawn with his teeth bared. 

“SPENCER!”

“Easy, Lassie!  I had to or you would’ve died,” Shawn said as he scrambled around the table, away from the now fuming head detective.

“Carlton, think about Marlowe and your baby!” Juliet jumped in.

He stopped and looked at Juliet with a knowing glance and nodded, “You’re right.  I would’ve left my beloved Marlowe and Colt behind.”

Juliet looked at Shawn and mouthed Colt.  He shrugged and turned back to Lassie.  “So, do you forgive me?” he asked the Irish man.

“Temporarily, Spencer, until we catch the other vamps in the area.  I’ll go get Amanda and we’ll have to figure out a plan.  And Aaron, I don’t fully trust you.  Know this now, you double cross anyone including Shawn, so help me,” he warned.

“Detective,” Karen said shortly.

“I understand completely.  Just bring my agent in here, please,” Aaron begged, holding his hands up in defense. 

“I’ll be right back.  Spencer, watch him like a hawk,” Lassiter said as he left.

“Not to worry, Lassie, I will,” Shawn agreed, sitting next to Aaron with a smile.

Lassie headed down to the cells, grumbling the whole way about how Spencer had lied to him, again.  Not only about being his Sire, but about being an agent.  The man had been in the CIA and didn’t know how to conduct himself at a crime scene? 

‘Spencer, now that I know you’ll have to start acting like you know what you’re doing,’ Lassie thought as he opened the door to the holding cells. 

‘You got it, Lassie,’ Shawn’s voice rang in his head.

‘I told you to stop that, Spencer,’ Lassie growled in his mind.  This telepathy thing was bad enough; but to be linked with the department ‘psychic’ was just too much.

“What’s the matter, Detective?  Didn’t eat yet?  Here to kill me before the other one does it?” Amanda taunted from the cell.

“No.  I’m here because your boss is here.  Commander Aaron Jordan,” Lassiter said as he opened the cell door.

Amanda blinked.  “Say that again?”

“Your boss, Commander Aaron Jordan, is here to talk to you, Agent Chalmers,” Lassie repeated. 

Amanda didn’t want to believe it, but she could almost sense he was telling the truth.  She scolded herself for believing a vampire, but kept silent while she was being led back to the conference room.  She’d get them back soon enough.

Until she walked in the room, Amanda had every intention of staking the vamps with the closest piece of wood possible and running.  She froze when she saw the commander sitting at the table next to the other vamp.

“Commander?” she asked fearfully.

Aaron turned to look at her, “Hello, Amanda.”

“Did they capture you or something?  You two vamps are crusin’ for a brusin’, you know that?” Amanda threatened.

“Excuse me, young lady, but that is not how you address officers of the law!  Especially in my station!” Karen said.

“You employ vampires, Chief!  This whole station should be on government lockdown!” Amanda retorted.

“Agent Chalmers, stand down,” Aaron said firmly. 

Amanda slinked back a little, but still gave the chief a dirty look.  Juliet caught it and cleared her throat.

“Amanda, I would suggest you sit down and explain what in the hell is going on.  I’m not a happy camper, myself,” she said to the young agent.

Amanda picked it up almost instantly, “You care about these two vamps, don’t you?”

Juliet had the deer in the headlight look and didn’t speak.  Lassiter and Shawn jumped in together.

“She’s my partner!”

“She’s my girlfriend!”

Amanda looked at them with a disgusted glare, “Girlfriend?  You’re both the walking dead!  Eww!”

“How mature,” Shawn stated.

“I’m married, for crying out loud!  Detective O’Hara is my partner here at the station,” Lassiter said.

“Married!  Oh, I may be sick,” Amanda said, finally sitting down.

Lassiter scoffed at the young agent.  Shawn looked at her and Juliet, smiling at his girlfriend. 

Aaron looked around at the people in the room.  There was the Chief of Police, some older, balding man, Detective Juliet O’Hara, Shawn “Spence” Spencer, the guy that Shawn had talked about so much back in South America (Gus, he remembered) and Detective Carlton Lassiter. 

For a few minutes, they stayed silent, until Karen remembered she was holding a file for another murder. 

“Detectives, Shawn, Gus, maybe we should figure this murder out.  We’ll get back to you, Commander,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Let me see the file, Chief,” Lassiter said, taking the folder from her.  He opened it and looked over the information they had. 

“Found at the old, abandoned warehouse on Fifth Avenue,” he said, looking at Shawn with raised eyebrows.

“What?” Shawn asked, grabbing the file from the detective.  He looked over it, memorizing the details with his photographic mind. 

“The body was already transported here to the morgue and I’m sure Woody is examining her as we speak.  Maybe we should all go down there and check it out?” Karen asked.

“We’re coming, too,” Aaron said, standing up.  Amanda followed suit.

“Um, why?” Gus asked.

“If it really was a vampire, then we would be the best people to tell you.  You can’t trust vamps.  They lie and think with their teeth,” Amanda said, staring down Shawn.

Aaron turned toward Amanda and gave a silent shake of his head.  She closed her mouth and hung her head low.

“I’m sorry about my agent’s actions.  She won’t speak badly again, will you?” Aaron asked. 

Amanda shook her head and stayed silent as they all made their way down to the morgue.  Outside the room, while everyone else went in, Amanda and Aaron spoke.

“Amanda, you need to keep your emotions in check.  I thought we’d taught you that back at the academy,” Aaron said.

“I’m sorry, Sir.  It’s just, somehow this is all reminding me of my parents and the vamp that killed them.  She was so nice and sweet, then one night she drained my parents dry and left me to die after almost killing me,” Amanda recalled.

“Is that it?  Because Spence and this Lassiter are nice vamps?  Amanda, don’t worry!  Once we’re done here, you can stake until your young heart’s content.  Let’s just play along until then, okay?  You know how to act, so put on a show, got it?”

Amanda drew in a deep breath and let it out slow.  She planted a smile on her face and looked at Aaron, “Yes, Sir.  I will.”

“That’s a girl.  Come on, let’s see what they can get off the body.  We’ll test their powers and see if they know how to track the other vamps,” Aaron said, opening the door.

“…so she definitely died from loss of blood, as you can see by the discoloration of the skin and the two puncture marks in the neck.  Vampire,” Woody said.

“Woody, we kind of already figured that.  Is there anything you can tell us that we don’t already know?” Juliet asked, watching as Amanda and Aaron walked in.  She didn’t trust that girl nor the Commander.  Something was off about them.

Amanda saw there were no bruises on the body and spoke up, “Whomever the vamp was, this girl knew them.  No signs of a struggle.”

Shawn looked up and nodded, “Yes, I can sense that, Agent Chalmers.  She did know her attacker.”

Aaron tilted his head, “Sensed?  Spence, you weren’t a…”

“Commander, look!” Amanda said before Aaron gave away Shawn’s secret. 

They all looked to see the girl’s eyes open wide and blink.  She was waking up there on the metal table!

“Where am I?  Why am I so cold?  Why am I naked and surrounded by people?” she questioned, pulling the sheet closer to her neck and looking wildly around at the gang.

“Hi, I’m Woody and I was examining you,” he said, sticking out his hand.

Suddenly, the girl bit down on the coroner, making him scream.

“WOODY!” cried Juliet.  She drew her gun but didn’t want to fire inside the morgue.

Amanda took the opportunity, grabbing a stake out of the Commander’s jacket and staking the girl in the heart.  The new vamp screamed and turned to dust right there on the table.  The gang stared at the sheet, shock on their faces. 

Shawn was the first to come out of the trance, “Woody, let me see your hand.”

Woody was cradling the hand, which was dripping with blood.  He carefully handed it over to Shawn, who looked closely at it. 

“Woody, you’d better get to the hospital.  You’re going to need stitches for sure,” Shawn said seriously.

“Am I going to become a vampire?” Woody asked in excitement.

“Sorry, Woody, but that won’t happen.  You’d have to drink our blood,” Shawn asked.

Lassie made a face, “Wait, that means I would’ve had to drink your blood.  Oh, Sweet Justice!  That’s disgusting!  Who knows what kind of drugs you did beforehand?”

Shawn couldn’t help but smile, but it faded as he caught Amanda’s eye.  She had a wild look in them.  Like killing the vamp gave her a rush.  He shivered.

“Okay, so that was another rogue vampire, right?  We have to find the others before they leave any more bodies behind,” Juliet said.

“That sounds like a plan, O’Hara.  Let’s go.  And Woody, have McNab drive you to the hospital to get that stitched up, okay?” Karen said.

“Right, Karen.  I feel like I shouldn’t drive right now.  I feel dizzy, sweaty, hungry, thirsty,” Woody said.

“Dr. Strobe, go find McNab.  Henry, would you go with him and make sure he’s all right?” Karen asked of the older Spencer.

“Yeah, sure, Karen.  Come on, Woody.  Let’s go find Buzz,” Henry said, leading the coroner out of the morgue.  The others looked at the sheet, noticing the dust left behind.

Amanda took out her cell (she had grabbed it on the way to the morgue) and turned it on, “Scan residue,” she ordered into it.

“Wait, your phone has a scanner?” Lassiter asked.  His interest in government devices was now officially peaked.

“Yep.  It’ll tell me who this was, her age, even when she was turned,” Amanda said proudly.

“Elsia Davis, 25 years old from Santa Barbara.  Turned two days ago by Unknown,” the phone said.

“Unknown?  That’s one I haven’t heard.  Check again.  Who was she turned by?” Amanda asked.

“Checking.  No update.  Unknown vampire,” the phone said.

Aaron pulled out his cell and pushed a few numbers, “This is Commander Aaron Jordan.  We have an Unknown Rogue Vamp.  Send out the units,” he ordered, then hung up.

“What was that all about?” Juliet asked.

“We’ve been prepared for just such a problem.  An Unknown is dangerous for two reasons.  One, because it makes them harder to track down,” Aaron said.

“And what’s number two?” Shawn asked.  Lassiter looked at the psychic and realized he was acting more grown up than ever.

“Two is that if we don’t catch whoever it is, we’re all dead.  An Unknown could be an Ancient.  Someone who’s been around a hundred years or more.  If so, we could be dealing with dozens of rogue vamps or dead bodies,” Aaron continued.

Shawn looked down at the ground, fear engulfing his mind.  An unknown, old vampire that would just continue killing for the fun of it?  Turning people then leaving them to fend for themselves?  He suddenly felt a kindness to Melinda.  At least she hadn’t left him alone. 

“Obviously we have to stop them,” Juliet said.

“Spence, Lassiter, you two have to track the Unknown.  You’re both vamp..ires.  All vampires have a connection with each other,” Aaron said.

Amanda nodded, “The Commander has a point.  All vampires can find each other.  In the meantime, Commander, do you think the Cleaners should be called in?”

Aaron slowly let out a breath before answering, “Unfortunately, yes.  They have to be informed of the situation.”

Amanda groaned as Shawn and Lassie exchanged looks.  Juliet stared at them with the same distrust, even though they seemed to be helping. 

“Shawn, could I speak to you privately for a moment?” she asked suddenly.

“Sure, Jules,” Shawn said.  They both walked outside the doors and moved out of the way of the windows.

“Shawn, did you notice anything about them?  I mean, did you *observe* anything?” 

“Amanda’s eyes were wild after she staked that woman.  I think she gets a thrill out of it.  We should keep an eye on her, especially for Lassie’s and my safety,” Shawn said.

“What about Aaron?  He doesn’t seem trustworthy,” Juliet said, giving a sideways glance through the window at the Commander.

Shawn shook his head, “He’s not.  I can smell fear coming from him.”

“Smell fear?” Juliet asked.

“It’s part of my vampire powers.  I can smell fear.  I guess it’s supposed to be how bad vampires find their…food,” Shawn hesitated.

Juliet shivered, but nodded.  She knew deep down they would have to keep tabs on these “Government” people. 

“Plus, we have to find out about these Cleaners they were talking about,” Shawn said.

“Right, let’s get back in there.  Lassiter is looking like he’s getting hungry.  It might not be a good idea to leave him alone with them too long,” Juliet said as she nodded toward the window. 

Shawn agreed when he saw Lassie’s face.  It was turning white, as were his eyes.  Carefully, he concentrated.

‘Lassie!  What’s wrong?’ Shawn thought.

‘They’re talking in hushed tones.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can *sense* they’re afraid of these Cleaners,’ Lassie thought back.

Shawn walked in, taking Aaron and Amanda by surprise.  He saw the look in Amanda’s eyes.  Fear danced within the retinas. 

“You fear these Cleaners, don’t you?” Shawn asked suddenly.

Lassiter couldn’t believe what he heard in his head from Shawn.  He was about to say something when Aaron answered the psychic’s question.

“Yes.  They are a team of…people that clean up after rogue vampires,” Aaron said sheepishly.

“You have people that clean up after rogue vamps?  Apparently you’ve known about this problem for a while,” Lassiter said angrily.  He was getting hungry again.

Shawn walked over to Lassie, more to keep him from attacking the two agents than anything else.  He felt the detective’s demeanor change and knew he had to get the lanky Irish man out fast.

“Lassie, why don’t we go upstairs for a few minutes and let these two talk.  We have to eat, after all,” Shawn said firmly. 

Amanda’s eyes flashed with anger, but she managed to cover it before anyone saw it, or so she thought.  Shawn watched her as she turned away from them, hiding the wildness in her eyes.

‘Lassie, let’s go.  If you don’t get something to eat soon, you’ll go ballistic,’ Shawn thought.

‘Fine.  Where are we going to get blood?’ Lassie thought back.

‘Woody’s got a stash in the back office.  We just have to get these two agents out,’ Shawn returned. 

Lassie couldn’t help but think of when Spencer first started working cases at the station, and how annoying he was.  Like the time he horned in on the wedding ring theft, or the time he had that damn cat and claimed it was feeding him info.  He looked over at Shawn with a different mindset after what he’d heard earlier.

“We feel that there may be a vampire nearby.  Why don’t you two go check it out,” Shawn said.

Amanda and Aaron nodded and headed out.

“Come on, let’s eat then we’ll get to work,” Lassie said.  He wouldn’t say anything now.  He wanted see Shawn’s process; how he actually did his thing.

After eating, Lassiter and Shawn went to find the two agents, just to discover they had disappeared.  Juliet was about to follow them when she was distracted by the chief and questions about what was going on.  By the time she returned, they were gone. When Shawn and Lassiter found her, she was pacing angrily back and forth by her desk.

“Jules?  What’s wrong?” Shawn asked.

“I told those two to wait for me, then they vanished.  I don’t trust them at all, and now that they claim there’s some sort of unknown ancient vampire, I don’t even want to think about what’s going to happen,” Juliet answered.

Shawn nodded, thinking about his past as an agent.  A smile spread across his face as ideas came to mind.  He pulled out his phone and looked to Lassie.

“What?” the detective asked.

“I have the most awesome idea,” Shawn said, dialing a number. 

“And that would be?”  Juliet asked.

Shawn held up his finger and walked away out of earshot of Juliet.  He hoped that his old connections would remember him.

“Yeah?” answered a deep male voice.

“Hey, Josh, how’s it going?” Shawn said happily.

“Who the hell is this?” Josh asked.

Shawn sighed, ‘So much for remembering me.’

“Josh, it’s me, Spence,” Shawn said, using his nickname from the CIA days.

“Spence?  Shawn?  No, it can’t be,” Josh said.

“It is, Man.  How are you?”

“Shocked.  I heard you left the trade years ago,” Josh said.

Shawn sighed as he sat in a chair, “I did, but things have, well, come up and I need your expertise.  It’s a matter of urgency.”

“What’s up?” Josh asked.

Shawn began to tell him the whole story, from Melinda to the announcement of an Unknown Ancient who seemed to be walking the streets of Santa Barbara.  Josh listened intently, giving his two cents when he could. 

“So, will you help?” Shawn asked after the story.

Josh sighed, “I’ll see what I can do, Spence.  In the meantime, you and this Lassiter had better up your senses.  An Unknown is nothing to mess with.”

“I know.  I learned that from experience,” Shawn admitted.

“I’ll be there this time tomorrow.  I just have to finish some other business, first.  Catch ya later!” Josh said, then hung up.

Shawn tapped the end button on his phone and smiled.  This was a good plan, but he’d have to bring the gang in on it.  Sighing, he began dialing another number. 

Lassiter paced outside, wondering why Spencer’s mood suddenly shifted.  He hated this; knowing Spencer’s innermost feelings and thoughts.  Well, except for what he’d heard earlier in the morgue. 

The fact Shawn had been lying so long to the SBPD about his being psychic made Lassiter wonder how he had gotten away with it.  How did he get away with making a million false accusations only to find the real culprit?  How did he know so much about the case when he’d only glanced at the file or the crime scene? 

Sighing, Lassiter decided he wasn’t going to stay quiet about it.  He was going to tell Spencer he knew and see where that lead.

Shawn was busy on the phone when Lassie opened the door.  Turning, the faux psychic put his finger to his lips and continued talking on the phone.

“Do you think it’s possible?” he asked the person on the other end.  He waited, listening intently to whoever it was and nodded.

“Right.  Thanks, Manny, I owe you big time,” Shawn replied to the person, then hung up.  He looked up at Lassie before speaking, “What’s up, Lassie?”

Lassiter shut the conference room door and crossed his arms over his chest.  Shawn felt the demeanor of his fledgling change.  This wasn’t good.

“Sp…Shawn,” Lassiter started, “I heard something down in the morgue earlier that got me thinking.  Something I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to hear, but it was there, clear as day.”

Shawn swallowed, “What’s that, C…Carlton?”

“Why don’t you tell me?  You’re the psychic,” Lassiter challenged. 

If Shawn still had color in his face, it would’ve been drained.  Lassiter knew.  He knew Shawn was a fake.

“Yep, that’s right.  I know.  You’d better tell me everything right now, or I’m going to the Chief,” Lassiter said.

“How long do you have, Lassie?” Shawn asked.  His voice registered the shock he felt.  The shock Lassiter was taking in as a sort of power up.

“You know, maybe this mind link isn’t so bad after all.  I’m finding out bunches of good stuff on you. Now, spill,” the detective said with an evil smile.

Shawn mentally slapped himself for not putting up those mental blocks as he began to speak, “It all started when I was little…”

Over the next hour, Shawn explained how his dad trained him daily to be the best detective ever.  From the “How Many Hats” bit to “How to survive in the wild”, Shawn gave Lassie every detail of every type of test Henry had put him through.  He even explained why he’d left Santa Barbara and went on the most fantastic journey of his life through every city, every country he could get to.  Even how he ended up in the CIA and why he left.  That’s when the touchy subject came up; Melinda.

“Wait, you knew the vamp that bit me?” Lassiter asked.

“Yeah.  We were an item for a while.  She was a spy working with the CIA and trading secrets with the Argentine government.  I figured out she was double crossing both governments and selling secrets to our enemies.  I confronted her one night in our hotel room and she denied ever doing anything wrong; citing things about freedom and such.  I went to approach her and she tripped over some luggage.  She…fell over the railing down to the cement below.  She must’ve been turned not too long afterward.  I never saw who did it, but when I saw Melinda again as a vampire…” Shawn drifted off.

“Why didn’t you say anything when you walked in that day?” Lassiter asked.

“You all were in a state of shock that I was even walking around.  I don’t think telling you guys I was a former agent, or that my former lover just happened to be a vampire and she’d turned me out of spite would’ve been very helpful to a traumatic situation,” Shawn explained.

Lassie nodded, “I suppose not.  So, with these skills, why did you decide on saying psychic that day we met?”

Shawn looked Lassie right into his blue eyes, “Officer Allen may have had a hand in it.”

“Officer Allen?  She knew you were faking?”

“No.  She had all those totems and crystals and charms.  Just before she slapped the cuffs on me, I zoomed in on her earrings and necklace.  It just kind of popped in my head.  I mean, come on, Lassie.  If I had told you I was just hyper observant, do you really think you wouldn’t of arrested me?”

Lassiter considered this for a moment, “I probably would’ve anyway just for you being a Jack Ass.”

Shawn caught the small smile that Lassie tried to hide, “He does care about me!  Aw, Lassie!”

“Come off it, Spencer.  I was just thinking about how you looked genuinely frightened at the prospect of being in a holding cell with those two other thugs that day.”

“Uh, uh, Lassie.  You can’t lie to your Sire.  I know exactly what you were thinking,” Shawn teased.

Juliet walked in at that moment, “What are you two doing in here?”

“Getting to know each other better, apparently.  He knows, Jules,” Shawn announced.

Juliet’s eyes widened as she turned to her partner, “Carlton, look, I know that this is something that the Chief…”

“Take it easy, O’Hara.  For now, I’m not going to tell her anything.  We need to focus on the matter at hand, which is finding those two agents and this Unknown Ancient.  What was with the phone calls, Spencer?”

“Calling in a few favors.  By this time tomorrow, we’ll have all the info we need.  Not only on the Unknown, but on Agent Chalmers and *former* Commander Aaron Jordan,” Shawn emphasized. 

“Former?  He’s not an agent?” Juliet asked.

Shawn shook his head, “Nope.  He was fired six months ago for selling government weapons to other countries.  He claimed it was to stop the paranormal from attacking, but they were real weapons.  Things that could kill human beings.”

“So, what about that girl?” Lassiter asked.

“She doesn’t know about it.  I guess he was the only contact she had with the paranormal division.  I knew something was off when she was sent alone.  Protocol states that no agent *ever* goes on missions alone.  Well, ones like these, anyway,” Shawn admitted.

“So, what do we do with this tidbit of information?” came Gus’ voice.  The three looked to see him standing in the doorway, an angry look on his face.

“Buddy!” Shawn exclaimed.

“Why are you three talking about the case without me?” Gus asked as he walked in. 

“Dude, they were here first.  What was I supposed to do?  Call you and say, hey Gus, hurry down to the station because I have info on what’s going on?  I’ll hold off Jules and Lassie until you do?”

Gus sighed, “You could’ve told me earlier, Shawn.”

“Actually, no I couldn’t.  I didn’t know about a lot of this until about twenty minutes ago.  I called in a few favors from my old team in the CIA.  One’s coming here tomorrow to help out on the Unknown Ancient angle, while another is digging up everything he can on Amanda and Aaron.”

Gus tsked, but knew Shawn was telling the truth, “Fine, but no more private meetings.  We’re a team, right?”

“You know that’s right,” Shawn said, making a fist and holding up to Gus.

Gus returned the fist bump and nodded, “Okay, so what do we know?”

Shawn repeated everything to Gus, from Melinda to the agents and everything in between.  Gus looked at Lassie at the mention of South America in 2005.

“Not such a useless piece of info, now was it, Lassiter?” Gus asked triumphantly.

“Gus, don’t be a chocolate brownie with not enough chocolate chips!” Shawn exclaimed.

“I think we should start by finding those two agents and getting them to talk,” Lassiter said.

“Um, Lassie?  Amanda doesn’t know except what she’s been taught.  I’m detecting a little psychology was used on her.  She probably had something happen to her when she was young and he’s been using that against her,” Shawn said.

“Then let’s stop sitting here.  It’ll be dark soon, so any rogue vampires will be moving soon.  Plus, that Unknown Ancient will probably strike.  Spencer, you and I will sniff out the rogues and hold them at bay.  O’Hara, Guster, grab all the vampire hunting stuff you can and meet us at the warehouse.  We’ll plan from there,” Lassiter ordered.

No protests were heard as they all sprang into action.  Shawn and Lassie headed out, sunglasses on, toward the warehouse to prepare and talk more about what they may face; Gus and Juliet headed to the Psych office to grab some items before meeting them.

On the way to the office, Juliet decided to get something off her chest.  She turned to Gus with a worried glance.

“Gus, what do you think about all this?”

Gus looked at Juliet then back at the road, “About what, Jules?”

“Shawn being a vampire?  And Carlton, too?  I mean, doesn’t it feel like we’re all having one huge, very strange dream?”

“I wish it were, Juliet.  Honestly, I’m scared.  I mean, Shawn and Lassie are the materialization of nightmares we had as kids.  My best friend, your boyfriend, is a blood sucking demon,” Gus rationalized.

“Except the demon part.  It’s one thing that Amanda was saying; you can’t trust vampires, no matter what they say,” Juliet said.

Gus shook his head, “She’s not all there, Juliet.  One thing we know for sure about Shawn and Lassie; they would never hurt anyone, no matter what.”

“You’re right, Gus.  I don’t even know why I doubted that.  Ugh, I’m such a terrible girlfriend,” she answered.

“You are not!  Shawn would move heaven and earth to be with you; and I know you’d do the same.  If you weren’t a good girlfriend, you would’ve left him forever after finding out his secret,” Gus replied.

Juliet considered this as they pulled into the parking spot in front of Psych.  She read the sign as she had a million times before, but something stuck out.  She burst out laughing.

“What?” Gus asked.

“I must’ve been so focused on other things I never noticed that Psych also meant ‘Gotcha!’.  That was Shawn’s plan all along, wasn’t it?”

“Well, he also rationalized that it meant Psych-ic.  At least, that’s what he said to me the first day I saw this place.  I was so mad at him for putting my name on that lease,” Gus said as they got out of the car.

“Wait, you didn’t know about this at first?  He signed your name to the lease without your knowledge?”

Gus realized that Shawn hadn’t told Juliet everything about how they started.  He had overstepped his bounds.

“Well, that’s all over now.  I’m happy to be a part of this adventure,” Gus said with a smile as he opened the door.

They walked in to find the office in shambles.  Paper was strewn everywhere and the laptops were destroyed.  Grabbing her gun, Juliet motioned for Gus to fall back so she could scan the room.  He complied as she walked forward with the stealth-ness of a cat. 

Suddenly, Juliet heard Gus grunt.  She turned to find him lying on the ground unconscious. 

“Gus!” she cried, running over to him.

She felt a prick in her neck at that moment.  She fell to the floor and began to feel very sleepy.  Her eyes went out of focus as a shadow appeared over her.

“Hello, Detective O’Hara.  Have a nice nap.  When you wake up, no one will hear you scream,” he said.

Juliet’s world went dark to the soundtrack of a menacing laugh.

Shawn and Lassie had made it to the warehouse around the same time Juliet and Gus had gotten to the Psych office.  Shawn sat down on a block of cement and grabbed a bag of blood from the cooler they had brought with them.  He tossed one to Lassie and they drank in silence.

It was strange, creepy even what happened to Shawn next.  He felt this sinister feeling creep up behind him.  Turning, he saw nothing but empty space, but the feeling was still present.  

“What’s the matter?” Lassie asked, feeling the change in Shawn’s behavior.

“I don’t know.  I just got this sinister feeling.  Like something bad was about to happen,” Shawn said with a shiver.

“I don’t feel anything,” Lassiter said matter-of-factly.

Shawn didn’t reply.  Instead of Lassiter standing in front of him, he saw Juliet tied up and looking terrified.  Her mouth was gagged and she was bleeding from the neck. 

The next thing he knew, Lassiter was shaking him out of the trance, “Spencer!  Hey, Spencer, wake up!”

“Lassie!  How many times have I told you to cut those nails?” Shawn said, grabbing his shoulder where the head detective had just grabbed him. 

“You were screaming O’Hara’s name,” Lassie said.

“Jules!  She’s in danger, we have to stop them from leaving the Psych office,” Shawn said, grabbing his phone out.  He tapped Juliet’s name on his list and waited impatiently.

“Hi, this is Detective Juliet O’Hara of the SBPD.  Please leave a message,” he heard.  Groaning, he hung up and tried Gus.

“Burton Guster?” came his buddy’s voice.  It sounded weak and gravely.

“GUS!  What happened?  Where’s Jules?” Shawn fired the questions like Lassie fired his gun.

“I don’t know.  She and I walked into the Psych office to grab supplies and saw the office was in shambles.  She told me to stay behind her as she checked the place out.  Next thing I knew, I was waking up alone.  She’s gone,” Gus said.

Shawn felt that familiar feeling; the same one he felt when Yin took Juliet.  Terrified.  Gus was yelling something into the phone, but Shawn didn’t hear.  He hung up the phone, cutting off Gus mid-sentence.

Lassiter heard everything, “Come on, we have to find her.”

“Lassie,” Shawn said with tears in his undead eyes, “It might already be too late.”

Juliet woke up groggy and tried to open her eyes.  At first she couldn’t; her lids were too heavy.  Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and tried again.  Gradually they opened, only for Juliet to find a very dimly lit room awaiting her. 

“Well, the detective is awake.  How did you sleep, Juliet?” came a familiar voice. 

She looked up to see none other than Commander Aaron Jordan smiling at her.  A brief look of shock washed over her face as she stared him down.

“You’re behind this?” she asked angrily.

“Not exactly.  While I am the one that took you out of the Psych office, I’m not responsible for everything that’s been happening.  You’ll get to meet the mastermind in a while.  Take a look at your chair mate,” Aaron said smugly.

Juliet looked over to see Amanda tied up in another chair next to her.  She was still out cold.  Bruises were forming on her face, and blood was dripping from her head.  There was blood all over her shirt, especially on one side. 

Aaron chuckled, “She’ll wake up in a few.  She’s just a tough little cookie.  I might’ve trained her too well.”

“You sick son of a…” Juliet started, but was met with a slap to the face. 

“Watch your mouth, Detective.  That pretty little mouth of yours shouldn’t say those nasty words,” Aaron said, sounding more like a controlling father than a former agent.

‘Great, he’s crazy, too,’ Juliet thought.

Aaron walked off into the darkness, which gave Juliet a chance to try and loosen the ropes that bound her hands.  All she did was tighten the ropes.  Her hands tingled as the circulation was slowly being cut off.

“Ouch,” she said quietly.  She heard a cough and looked over at Amanda.

“Amanda?  Are you okay?” Juliet asked.

“What happened?  Oh, man, my neck is killing me,” Amanda said, rotating her head a little. 

Juliet gasped at what she saw; two holes evenly space.  The blood wasn’t from her head, it was from her neck.  A vampire.  There was a vampire involved.

“What?  What’s wrong?” Amanda asked.

“Um, nothing.  How are you feeling?” Juliet asked.

“Weak, but I think I can get out of these ropes.  Give me a minute,” Amanda said as she started to struggle.

Juliet watched as Amanda tried to wriggle out.  She had almost succeeded when Aaron came out of nowhere and punched the young woman in the face.  Her nose began to bleed, signaling it was broken.

“Why are you trying to escape, Agent Chalmers?  Aren’t you excited to see who the mastermind is behind all this?”  Aaron asked.

“No, I’d rather not find out!” Amanda spat.

“It’s a little late for that, Amanda,” came another voice. 

Juliet gasped as she saw the face.  Amanda’s eyes widened. 

“It can’t be!” Juliet said.  

Shawn and Lassie had gone back to the station.  Gus had managed to get there himself, and they were gathered in the conference room with Karen and Henry.  They were going over the plan on how to get Juliet back when a knock came at the door.

“Spence!” Josh cried, running in.

“Excuse me, but who are you?” Karen asked.

“This is Josh Corbin.  He was once part of my team, Chief.  I asked him here.  Whatcha got, Josh?” Shawn said.

“It’s not good.  This Unknown Ancient vampire is a ghost.  He’s never been tagged, never been seen by any agent.  He can’t be sensed by other vampires, psychics or anything of that nature.  It’s like he never existed, but we know he does.  Even the GPS system can’t lock him down.  It’s like he’s kept his human traits,” Josh said.

“Or he was never turned,” Shawn said suddenly.

“Wait, this Unknown turned Melinda, I thought,” Lassie said.

“No, that was a vampire named Armando Santez.  He was dusted a few months ago outside Atlantic City by a team of agents working the boardwalk.  No, this guy, or girl, isn’t a vampire.  They’re human.  That’s why the tracking system won’t pick them up.  Spence, we have a real sicko on our hands,” Josh finished.

Shawn sat down, looking over the files that were spread out over the table.  He looked at his dad with a worried stare.

“Shawn, close your eyes,” Henry said.

“Dad, this is no time for tests!” Shawn said, ignoring the fact Karen was in the room.

Karen stayed motionless but said nothing as Henry spoke again.

“Shawn, focus.  We’re missing something.  There has to be something that we’re overlooking.  Close your eyes.”

Sighing, Shawn knew he’d have to do it.  It felt ridiculous, not having done the old “How Many Hats” trick in so long.  He closed his eyes and put his fingers to his temple.

“Okay, now go back to the day you returned.  What do you remember seeing?” Henry said calmly.

Lassie’s interest was piqued.  Spencer had told him about this, but seeing it in action actually gave the detective insight on how the younger Spencer did his shtick. 

Juliet gasped at the person who stood in front of her.  He couldn’t be the culprit!  He, of all people, couldn’t be a vampire!

“You can’t be a vampire!  You don’t have any of the signs of being one!” Juliet said.

“I’m not.  You see, Juliet, I don’t drink the blood I drain from people.  I use it to feed my own little army of vampires.  I’ve known about them for years,” the man said.

“What!  Your own army?” Amanda asked.

The gentleman nodded and pointed over to his left.  There, in cages, were about twenty different people.  All of them were vampires.  They looked hungry and dangerous.  He walked over to them and teased the group of them with a bag of blood.

“Do you guys want this?  Come on, come and get it!” he said as he waved the bag back and forth.

Every vampire in the cage watched the bag carefully as if it were prey.  The man opened the cage, threw in the bag and slammed the door shut.  All at once, there was a chorus of angry growls and other sounds as they tore each other apart to get to the food.

“I never knew you to be so sick,” Juliet said. 

“You never knew me at all!” he yelled, then slapped Juliet in the face; hard.  She felt blood drip from her nose.  He’d broken it.

“Aaron, I’m going to go out for a while, I have to make an appearance before I’m missed.  Keep an eye on them until I return,” the man ordered.

“Yes, Sir,” Aaron said, bowing to him.  The gentleman walked off into the darkness.  A door opening and closing signaled he’d left.

Juliet looked over at the vampires in the cage.  The blood was everywhere, which meant they hadn’t had enough.  They were watching her and Amanda with much interest. 

“Oh, you’ll be on the menu soon enough, Detective.  Amanda, too.  They already started on her, but the master wanted her alive.  For now,” Aaron said, then walked off himself.  Save for the men with guns, the two women were alone.

“We have to get out of here, now,” Juliet whispered.

“Yeah, but how?” Amanda asked.

“First, we have to get these ropes off.  If we can get to those shelves, we might be able to break free.  Do you think you can?”

Amanda looked over to the shelves Juliet was talking about.  She then looked over at the two guards and grinned.  Turning back to Juliet, she nodded and winked.

“Oh, boys.  Could you do us a little favor?” Amanda asked in a sweet sing-song voice.

Shawn’s memory flashed back to the day he returned.  He hadn’t walked in the first time.  Buzz had said hi to him and walked into the station.  He remembered hearing the tall cop yelling at Lassiter to get his own coffee. 

Flash forward to when he did return.  Everyone had their guns drawn, even Buzz.  Something he’d noticed that hadn’t seemed important at the time, Buzz had put his gun away immediately after. 

Another flash and it was yesterday.  Buzz had brought in the file and gave a sideways glance to Shawn; twice. 

Shawn opened his eyes with shock, and looked up to Lassiter. 

“What?  What is it?” Lassie asked.

“Buzz.  He’s the killer,” Shawn said quietly. 

“McNab?  You’ve got to have your signals crossed somewhere, Shawn,” Gus said.

“No, it’s him,” Shawn said sadly.

Karen looked at Shawn with wonder and shock.  McNab; a killer?  How could that be possible?  She looked up in time to see the aforementioned cop walk into the building. 

“Shawn, he’s here,” Karen said.

They all looked over to see Buzz, the man who was like ‘an enormous baby’ sit down at his desk as if nothing were wrong.  That’s when Shawn ‘saw’ something on his hand.  Blood.  He bit the inside of his cheek and looked over at his dad.

“Dad, I’ll be right back.  Lassie, stay behind me, just in case I’m right.  He’s got blood on his hand.  Let’s see if we can find out who it belongs to.”

“What about me?” Gus asked.

“And us?” Josh asked of the others and himself.

“Just in case he gets crazy, Chief, get your gun from your office.  Josh, you know what to do.  Dad, please tell me you have your gun on you,” Shawn asked.

Henry nodded and drew his trusty pistol.  Karen straightened herself up and walked into her office as if everything was all right.  Shawn prepared and walked over to Buzz like old times.

“Buzz!  How are you?” he asked.

Buzz actually looked a little startled, but smiled.  Shawn could *see* it was forced.  Strike one.

“I’m all right, Shawn.  How goes the undead?”

Shawn chuckled as Lassiter came up behind Buzz, “Oh, all right, for being a blood sucking vampire.  Hey, did you cut yourself?  Your hand is bleeding.”

Buzz raised his hand just enough for Lassiter to sniff the blood (without it looking weird).  He frowned and nodded to Shawn.  It was Juliet’s.

Anger filled Shawn’s mind, but he pushed it down long enough to speak to Buzz civil-like, “Buzz, can we talk?  Privately?”

“Why?  Something you’re sensing?” Buzz asked. 

Shawn smelled the sudden shift in Buzz’s attitude.  He was instantly cautious, but no fear was present.  The hair on the back of Shawn’s neck stood up.  Buzz was a Psych-O killer.  No fear, just careful planning. 

Lassiter sensed it, too and his fangs appeared.  Eyes white, he tapped Buzz on the shoulder.  The tall cop/killer turned to see Lassiter vamped out.  Buzz turned back to see Shawn the same way. 

“What’s going on, guys?  Lassiter, I didn’t know you were a vampire,” Buzz said.  He was reaching for his gun.

“Don’t even think about reaching for your weapon.  It wouldn’t work on us, anyway,” Lassiter said in a low growl.

Buzz stopped and dropped his hands for a moment.  Then, with lightning fast reflexes, he reached in his drawer and pulled out a wooden stake.

Shawn jumped back as Buzz swung it toward him.  It ripped his shirt, but nothing more.  Buzz turned to Lassie, who was now past arm’s length with his weapon drawn.

“Officer Buzz McNab, you’re under arrest,” he spat.

“On what grounds?” Buzz asked. 

Shawn felt it; the demeanor in the formerly friendly cop.  Anger set in and he knew they’d have a lot of trouble finding Jules.

“Where is she?” Shawn asked angrily. 

“Who?” Buzz asked innocently.

“You know perfectly well who we’re talking about,” Lassiter growled. 

Buzz’s face changed at that moment.  It went from innocent and kind to sinister.  No vampire fangs or white eyes.  Just a very sick human being.

“You’re going to have to find her yourself.  But you both are going to have bigger fish to fry.  I already gave the order.  In about ten minutes, twenty very hungry rogue vampires are going to be released into Santa Barbara. I know.  They’re my undead army.  Good luck stopping them all,” Buzz said.  The evil tone in his voice was foreign to everyone within earshot. 

Karen appeared from her office, gun drawn and trained on one of her own.  This wasn’t happening again.  Another cop gone bad.  This time, it was someone she would’ve never expected.  Someone who’d been anxious to take the detective’s exam, who was always anxious to learn from his fellow officers.

“Why, McNab?  Why would you do this?” Karen asked him.

The coldness in his eyes as he turned made the Chief of Police shiver, “Simple.  I figured it was time everyone paid attention to me.  I’ve always wondered what would happen if I did something out of the ordinary.  Turns out, I’m damn good at it.  An army of vampires under my control is just the tip of the iceberg,” Buzz explained.

“Where’s Juliet?” Shawn growled.

“You’ll find her, after she’s dead,” Buzz said wickedly.

Gus suddenly leapt at Buzz and took him to the ground.  Fists began to fly as the pharmaceutical rep went from calm to dangerous.  He was really wailing on the cop/killer.

“Guster!  Stop!  We want him alive so he can tell us where O’Hara is,” Lassiter yelled.

Henry saw that Gus wasn’t listening, “Shawn, pull him off.  Now!”

Shawn moved quickly and pulled Gus off with his inhuman strength.  Amazingly enough, it was difficult to pull his best friend off Buzz. 

“Dude, calm down.  We’ll handle this,” Shawn said calmly.

Buzz stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth.  A crazed look had entered his eyes as he stood there, surrounded by a few other cops, Lassiter, Shawn, Karen , Henry and Josh.

Josh slowly inched forward next to Shawn and tapped him, “So, what do we do with him?”

“Simple, we put him down in the holding cells.  He’ll be safe there until we get Jules back,” Shawn said.  He was still staring Buzz down.

“Juliet’s not the only one I have, you know.  That cute Amanda is with her, if she hasn’t been thrown to the vampires yet,” Buzz said.

“Let’s go, Buzz,” said another cop.  He placed the cuffs around the latter’s wrists and led him away, making sure Lassiter had his gun before heading down to the holding cells.

“He’s got that young agent, too?  How sick is he?” Lassiter asked as he holstered his gun. 

“Lassie, I’m astonished.  You kept your cool, even though you had every right to beat the crap out of him,” Shawn said approvingly.

“Well, you’re a better teacher than I originally thought, Spencer.  Now, let’s go find my partner,” he replied.  Picking up the stake off the ground, he placed it ever so gently in his front pocket.

Gus nodded, “I’ve got more.  When I headed back here from the office, I grabbed every piece of vampire hunting gear we had.  It’s in the Blueberry.”

“Good going, Buddy.  Start handing stuff out to everyone you can in here.  Lassie and I will venture out to see what we can find.  Whatever you guys do, don’t let Buzz out of your sight.  I would suggest keeping a guard or two on him at all times,” Shawn said.

Karen turned toward the two closest cops, “You heard him.  Go watch McNab.  I’m man point up here with Henry and five uniforms.  You, you, you, you and you,” she said, pointing to the ones she wanted.

“Shawn, could I speak to you for a moment?” Gus asked.

“Well, we’re kind of in a hurry,” Shawn stated, but changed his mind when he saw the look on his friend’s face, “Okay, in the conference room.”

The best buds went into the room and stood there for a moment.  Suddenly, Gus hugged Shawn with the grip of a bear, like he had way back when he was in that bank hostage situation. 

“Whoa, tight hug again.  Good thing I don’t need to breathe anymore. What brought this on?” Shawn said.

Gus let go and looked Shawn straight in the eye, “Just in case I never see you again.  I’ll man the fort here with the Chief and your dad.”

“Dude, look at you!  Bad Ass Gus has made an appearance!” Shawn said happily.

“Shawn, be serious for a moment.  I know you have to joke your way through to make yourself focus, but I need Serious Shawn.”

Shawn cleared his throat, “All right.  Look, you aren’t going to die.  You and the others are going to be just fine.”

“What about you?” Gus asked.

“I’m the walking dead, Gus!  Except for a piece of wood directly through the heart, I can’t die!” Shawn exclaimed.

Gus shook his head, but a small smile presented itself, “Go get Juliet and Amanda.  Looks like she was a pawn in all this, anyway.  Just be careful, Bro.”

“I will.  Arm yourself heavily, including that garlic,” Shawn said as they walked out.

No words were spoken between Shawn and Henry, but a huge hug was exchanged; the same with Karen.  Shawn and Lassie saluted the force and headed out into the darkening world.  Sunset was upon them and they were ready to face whatever came their way.

“At least they have one advantage,” Shawn said as they moved through the streets at a high rate of speed.

“What’s that?”

“The vamps don’t stand a chance against Santa Barbara’s finest.”

Lassie nodded as they passed State Street.  They both didn’t know where they were going, but both had the set idea they would find Juliet and Amanda before it was too late.

Juliet, meanwhile, was free after Amanda used some of her training to take down the guards from her chair.  The detective was rather impressed with the young agent until she picked up a stake and headed toward the cage.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Juliet asked.

“They’re vampires!  They have to be destroyed.  I mean, if they’ve been going hungry, it won’t be pretty if they got out.  We’d be their first meal, Juliet,” Amanda said.

Juliet pursed her lips and nodded sadly.  She recognized a couple of the vampires in the cage.  They were cops.  Not well known ones, but part of the family nonetheless. 

“There’s only one problem with your tactic, Amanda,” Aaron’s voice said.  He appeared a moment later, “It’s too late.  They’ll head out into Santa Barbara on orders from the Master.  He hasn’t returned, so it appears I’m in charge, now.  Besides, you’ve never faced this many alone; and they have a taste of your blood.  Detective O’Hara might come out unscathed, but you won’t be so lucky.”

Juliet walked right up beside Amanda and set her face in a daring stare, “You underestimate her, Aaron.  She’s a very tough woman and she could knock you down with one blow.  Plus, I’m going to help her.”

Aaron had slowly made his way to the cage, which made Juliet curse.  He’d managed to sneak by them both while talking.  A key suddenly appeared in Aaron’s hand and he made to unlock the door.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Amanda said, running toward him.

“Too late!” Aaron said, opening the cage. 

Juliet watched in horror as the twenty vampires, hungry and angry, stalked out of the door; their sights set on the young, brown haired girl with the stake in her hand. 

Shawn stopped, suddenly sniffing the air.  Lassie stopped with him, the same scent wafting to his nose.  Juliet’s fear.  She was nearby and scared out of her skull. 

“Jules,” Shawn said.

“Now which way?  By the scent, she’s in danger,” Lassie said.

“Let me try something,” Shawn said, putting his fingers to his temples.

Instead of protesting, Lassiter watched as Shawn closed his eyes.  After a moment of concentration, the faux psychic opened his eyes and headed East toward the shopping district.

“Jules is really close by,” Shawn said. 

A sudden scream pierced the air, which made Shawn and Lassie take off at top speed.

Gus was pacing back and forth, awaiting the arrival of, hopefully, Shawn, Lassie, Jules and that Amanda woman.  He knew better, though.  The possibility of those four coming in before the vampire army of Buzz’s were slim to none.

A shot was heard down near the holding cells, which made everyone take notice. 

“Shots fired!  Shots fired!  Officer down!” came one of the voices of the guards who were watching Buzz. 

“Oh, God,” Karen said as she headed down to the cells with her gun drawn.  Every uniform followed, along with Gus and Henry.

They encountered one cop on the ground with a gunshot wound to the back, the other hovering over him, rubbing his throat and an empty cell with the door wide open. 

“Where the hell is McNab?” Karen asked as she checked the wounded officer.

“I’m not sure, Ma’am,” the officer admitted.

“You’re not sure?  We had a dangerous killer being held and you aren’t SURE where he is?” Karen demanded.

“He accosted me from behind, Chief.  Grabbed my gun, shot Tompkins, pistol whipped me, grabbed my keys and ran.  He’s still somewhere in the building,” the officer listed.

Henry looked around and spotted it immediately; an open window.  Somehow Buzz had crawled out the window before they came down. 

“Karen, the window.  He’s outside,” Henry said.

“Oh, this is just not my day,” Karen said, turning around and going back upstairs.  The group followed except for the couple that stayed behind to help.  The shot officer was alive as it was just a graze in the shoulder.

As if they had ordered on horror story set form Hollywood, the lights went out and lightning flashed outside.  Gus swallowed hard.  This was not turning out well.

‘I just hope that Shawn and Lassiter have better luck with Juliet,’ Gus thought.

Woody struggled to stay awake.  Right after they had left the station, Buzz’s attitude changed.  Instead of heading to the hospital, Buzz took him to some building in the shopping district of Santa Barbara and tied him up in a basement. 

Woody’s hand was throbbing in pain, and from what he could tell, it was swelling.  The ropes weren’t helping, either, since they were cutting off circulation to the area.  He needed it to bleed to rid his body of any toxins the woman may have had. 

“How do I get myself into these situations?” he asked himself.  It was then he heard a scream coming from another room. 

“Detective O’Hara?” He asked. 

Another scream confirmed it.  It was Juliet and she was terrified out of her mind.  Woody continued struggling, hoping the ropes would break or finally release him.  The pain from his injured hand was making him feel faint, but he fought through, eventually releasing his good hand. 

With that, he carefully but quickly released his wounded hand.  He groaned when he saw it.  It was swollen and it looked like it was going to be infected.  Sighing, he ripped off a part of his lab coat and wrapped it around his hand, then headed for the only door he could see.

Pressing his ear to said door, Woody listened to see if he could find Juliet and get out of there.

Juliet watched in horror as the twenty vampires began to encircle Amanda.  Aaron was right about one thing, once they had a taste, they’d finish the job.  Looking around, she spotted a sharp piece of metal possibly left over from whatever used to be here.  Running, she grabbed it and started shouting to get the vampires attention.

“Hey, over here!  Look, fresh blood!” Juliet said, then did something she never believed; she cut her arm on purpose. 

The vamps stopped and sniffed the air.  Amazingly, it worked.  Too well, much to Juliet’s chagrin.  All twenty ignored Amanda and raced over to the blonde detective.  It was just the distraction Amanda was looking for.

Aaron, on the other hand, knew this wasn’t good.  In a quick motion, he grabbed Amanda and held her tight.  He was about to snap her neck when very strong arms grabbed him and pulled him off the young agent.

“Nice try, Jack!  Lassie, why don’t you take care of this fake while I get Jules?” Shawn said. 

“Works for me,” Lassie said, pulling out his gun.

Amanda picked up the stake and nodded at Shawn, “Let’s go dust a few.”

Shawn smiled, then vamped out.  He growled, which got the attention of the vampires surrounding Juliet. 

“Shawn!” Juliet cheered. 

“Why, hello there, vampires.  And goodbye!” Shawn said, lunging at the closest one. 

Amanda smirked and did her own thing, which was a roundhouse kick to a different vamp, which knocked him down.  A stake through the heart and he was dust. 

Woody pounded his shoulder against the door two, three, four times.  All he succeeded in doing was dislocating it.

“Great, a bite to the hand, tied up in some sort of storage area, dislocated shoulder and aliens are attacking Juliet.  Could this get any worse?”

Suddenly the door launched off its hinges.  Woody was thrown back and landed about ten feet away.  The blow knocked the wind out of him momentarily, but he watched as Shawn battled five vampires all by himself. 

“Shawn!  Over here!” Woody cried breathlessly.

Shawn continued fighting, but answered the coroner, “Woody?  Where’d you come from?”

With one last kick, Shawn dusted the last vamp he was fighting and ran over to Woody.  The door was a piece of cake to lift and Woody was out in seconds.

“Buzz dropped me here after we left the station.  He was supposed to take me to the hospital.  Did I say something to offend him?”

“No, Woody.  Turns out Buzz is our killer.  I’ll explain later.  Come on, we have to dust some more vamps!” Shawn said as he ran the other way; back into what looked like the Lion’s Den. 

“Vamps?  I thought they were aliens!” Woody cried as he walked through the door frame, now vacant of its closing apparatus. 

Juliet was now in the clear and ran toward Woody, “Woody, let’s go!  We have to get out of here!”

She accidently grabbed the swollen hand and Woody let out a cry of pain.  She quickly let go and grabbed his other hand, dragging him to the doors.  Lassiter covered them while they attempted to get out. 

The door was a tough one to open, but Juliet managed to get it wide enough to go through.  They never did, though. 

“Buzz!” Juliet cried, seeing the tall cop standing there, gun drawn and aimed at her head.

“I’m sorry, Detective, but this is the way it has to be,” he said.

A gunshot rang through the place, making everyone stop and turn.

Buzz dropped his gun like it was hot.  Lassiter had shot high, on purpose, which made the now former cop flinch. 

“HANDS IN THE AIR, MCNAB!  NOW!” Lassiter shouted. 

Buzz stood there, his hands at his sides.  He shook his head in defiance and smiled at Lassiter.

“You’re just going to have to kill me, Detective Dipstick,” he teased.

Lassie’s blood boiled at the nickname he’d gotten so long ago.  He looked over at Shawn, as if to tell him to grab Buzz.  But, Shawn was missing. 

“Spencer?”  Lassie asked, distracted.

Juliet had grabbed Buzz’s gun and was pointing it at the cop when she heard the confusion in Carlton’s voice.  She turned to look. 

“Shawn?  Shawn, where are you?”  she called. 

Amanda looked around, knowing that they’d gotten all the rouge vamps already.  Shawn had to be around here somewhere.  She glanced around the room; then noticed someone else was missing.

“Where’s Aaron?” she asked.

Lassiter looked back where he’d been and cursed under his breath.  Aaron had escaped custody.  Spencer must’ve gone after him.  He looked back at O’Hara.

“O’Hara!  McNab!” he yelled, watching as the tall cop started to make a hasty exit.  She raised the gun and shot him in the leg.  Buzz went down like a sack of potatoes. 

“Nice shot, Juliet!” Woody complimented.

“Thanks, Woody.  Carlton, call for an ambulance!  We need to find Aaron and Shawn, quickly,” Juliet said, heading toward Buzz with handcuffs at the ready.

Lassiter, in the meantime, closed his eyes and concentrated.  Before being turned, he never believed in all this hocus pocus magic junk.  Now, he focused on Shawn, his Sire and, dare he say, friend. 

‘Spencer?  Where are you?’ he thought.  There was no answer.

‘Damnit Spencer!  Where are you?’ he sent again.  Still no answer.

Amanda was still looking around when she spotted it.  Running over, she felt the cloth and gasped.  She looked up at Lassie with a worried glance.

“Lassie, it’s a piece of Shawn’s shirt; covered in blood,” Amanda said fearfully.

He bent down and picked it up.  With his vampire senses, he sniffed the blood.  Fear engulfed him.  It was Spencer’s blood.

The team returned to the station sans Shawn and Aaron.  Every one of them immediately set to work to find Shawn and bring him home, hopefully alive. 

Josh and Amanda teamed up, using their equipment to locate Shawn.  The Vampire Tracker that was installed on Amanda’s phone showed many vampires within a twenty mile radius.  None seemed to be Shawn.

“We’ll find him.  We have to,” Lassiter said to Juliet a few minutes later.

 They had just sent Buzz and Woody to the hospital in separate vehicles.  Four guards were with Buzz and another officer was escorting Woody.  Juliet sighed in reply.

“Carlton, I’m worried.  If Shawn’s blood was on that piece of his shirt,” she started, indicating the fabric now enclosed in an evidence bag, “Then he’s hurt, badly.”

Lassiter looked at the fabric then back at his partner, “One thing I’ve learned from Spencer is that he’s resilient.  No matter what, he’ll do his job before thinking about himself.  Strange that it took me being turned by him to realize that.”

“Carlton, what if I would’ve been shot by Buzz?  Do you think Shawn would’ve tried to turn me?” Juliet asked.

“If he thought your life was in danger, he would’ve done everything in his power to save you,” Lassiter admitted.

“Did you just give Shawn a huge compliment?” Juliet asked in astonishment.

“Just don’t tell him.  No matter what we share, there are things about me I don’t want Spencer to know,” Lassiter said seriously. 

Juliet saw a small smile for a millisecond, then watched it vanish.  Amanda and Josh came running at that moment.

“We think we’ve found him!  He’s in the warehouse district.  Looks like the warehouse you two had been using as a hideout,” Josh said.

“Can you tell if Aaron’s with him?” Juliet asked.

“We’re trying to get satellite feeds from the CIA.  Shouldn’t be much longer and we’ll be able to see everything over the last twenty-four hours,” Amanda said.

“Let’s just hope that Shawn has time,” Lassie said.      

Meanwhile, Shawn groaned and slowly opened his eyes.  He instantly recognized where he was; the warehouse he’d come to after climbing out of his grave.

“Well, you’re awake,” Aaron’s voice drifted from the corner.

Shawn felt like he had after Drimmer had him in Lassie’s apartment.  His eye was shut, for the moment, the pain telling him he’d been punched, hard.  Almost like Aaron had hit him with a boulder or something else really big and heavy.

He managed to look up and see Aaron with a stake, carefully walking toward him.  Shawn struggled against the ropes, but found it almost impossible to break them.  That’s when he realized they weren’t regular ropes. 

“These ropes have silver in them, don’t they?” Shawn asked breathlessly.

“Wow, you really are good at deduction,” Aaron replied sarcastically, “Yes, they do have silver embedded in the fiber.  With the cut on your hand and the blood coming from your mouth, I’d say you’re too weak to break them, anyway.”

Shawn pulled on the ropes and felt them tighten.  Unfortunately, Aaron was right.  He was too weak.

“You know,” Shawn said, hanging his head down, “there is a way for me to remedy my situation.”

“Really?  How’s that?” Aaron said, holding the stake up higher.

“I could kill you and suck you dry,” Shawn said menacingly.

“I doubt that will happen.  You’re tied up with silver rope, I’m holding a wooden stake and you are too weak to do anything but sit and feel sorry for yourself.”

Shawn felt the hunger pangs growing within his stomach.  He knew that he’d have to get blood, and soon, if he were to do anything.  Problem was, except for Aaron, who was very much free and able, there was no blood to be found. 

‘How do I always get myself into these situations?’ he thought.

Lassiter, Juliet, Gus, Henry, Amanda and Josh were piled into the Crown Vic, heading toward the warehouse district. 

Juliet was driving, since Lassiter was closing his eyes to see if he could sense Spencer nearby, just in case they were on the move.

“Why would Aaron take him to a spot we’d be sure to check?” Amanda asked.

“Simple,” Henry said, “Tactic.  It’s an exit strategy.  Without Buzz calling the shots and the vampire army destroyed, Aaron knows he’s already caught.  He just wants us to find him.”

“Like Yin did,” Gus added.

Juliet shivered slightly at the name, “So, when we get there, what are we going to do?”

Lassiter opened his eyes, “We have to feed Spencer.  I can sense him now, and he’s extremely weak.”

“What about Aaron?” Amanda asked.

“We take him down,” Lassiter growled, his fangs showing.

They pulled up to the warehouse a moment later.  Looking at each other, they knew just bursting in would be a death wish. 

“I’ll take the lead,” Lassiter said.

“No,” Gus said, laying a hand on the Head Detective’s shoulder, “I will.”

“Guster, you’d be killed in an instant,” Lassiter said.

“Aaron will be expecting you or Juliet.  Not a pharmaceutical rep,” Gus answered bravely.

“Gus, be serious,” Henry said.

Gus turned to look at the elder Spencer with determination, “I am being serious,” he replied. 

Amanda shivered, not from the chilly air of a California night, but from the coldness in Gus’ voice.  She didn’t know him well enough, but from the looks on the other’s faces, she knew he had surprised them all.

Without waiting for another argument, Gus walked bravely ahead of them, taking in his surroundings.  He hoped that he wasn’t about to walk into a trap, but if Shawn was hungry, Gus wanted to be the one.  The one to donate the blood needed for his best friend to survive.

Inside the warehouse, Shawn could suddenly feel Lassiter’s presence.  Smiling, he turned to his captor. 

“I can’t wait,” he said cryptically.

Aaron lifted an eyebrow, “Can’t wait for what?”

Shawn stayed smiling, but said nothing.  Aaron walked over to him, “Wait for what?” he demanded.

The psychic vampire stayed silent, but could feel Lassiter outside; anger filling his every thought.  Aaron watched as Shawn vamped out. 

“I don’t know why that would scare me, Shawn.  You’re trapped,” Aaron said.  His voice gave away the slight fear he was feeling.

Shawn breathed it in, sending a message to Lassiter at the same moment, letting him know that Aaron was afraid.

Lassiter smiled outside the door.  With a nod, he followed Guster until they got to the door.  Gus turned around.

“Is Shawn still hungry?” he asked.

Lassiter nodded, “Dangerously.”

Gus turned, took a deep breath and busted open the door.  He was followed by the whole group, guns drawn and fangs out. 

They stopped and saw nothing.  Aaron had vanished.  Gus looked over and saw Shawn in a chair, tied up and looking paler than usual.  He ran over to his best friend and pulled up his head.

“Shawn!  Come on, Buddy, drink,” Gus said, about to cut his arm.  A hand stopped him.

“No, Gus.  I’ll do it,” Amanda said. 

“He’s my best friend,” Gus said.

“I know.  He’d never forgive himself if he drank your blood.  He won’t care about mine.  Besides,” she moved her shirt to reveal the holes in her neck, “I’m already half gone.”

Shawn managed to look up and saw Amanda’s neck.  He turned away, “No!  I won’t.  Just get me some from the hospital.”

“Spencer, there’s no time for that,” Lassiter said.

“Aaron ran out the back door.  I can still sense his fear.  Go, get that SOB,” Shawn said.

Lassie took one look and ran off as fast as a vampire could go.  Henry consoled his son as Gus, Juliet and Amanda decided who Shawn would get nourishment from.

“Would you guys stop?” Shawn asked finally, his strength diminishing fast, “I’m not drinking from any of you.  That’s final.”

Henry pulled on the ropes that bound his son to the chair.  He saw the silver flash within the strands, and knew (from listening to Shawn and Lassiter) that silver was no good to a weak vampire.  Taking out his trusty Swiss, he cut through the ropes and freed his son.

Shawn fell over, but pushed himself up into a sitting position.  Looking around, he sniffed the air.  Slowly getting up, he walked over to a corner that was in complete darkness.  The group heard a squeak, a slight sucking sound and a thump of something hitting the wall.

Shawn reappeared, looking slightly better, but not much, “There, that’s better.  For now.”

Gus turned a slight shade of green, but recovered when Lassie came walking back in with Aaron in tow. Shawn got to him first with his fangs out and his eyes glowing red.  Lassiter matched his anger and his face.

“Looks like the tables have turned for you, Aaron,” Shawn growled. 

Lassiter glared at the man that now shook in his grasp, “He’s hungry.  You are the only one in this room that deserves to be drained.  I might even join him.”

Shawn’s face turned back to normal as he looked at Lassie with a strange glance.  He blinked, shrugged and vamped out once more.  Aaron’s fear smelled like a sweet perfume of something bound to be tasty.  He was about to sink his teeth into the turn-coat’s neck when he heard a gasp from the intended victim. 

Shawn and Lassie looked down and saw a stake protruding out of Aaron’s chest.  Amanda was crouched in an attack position, her hand still extended after throwing the stake.  She stood up and dusted her hands.

“There.  He won’t be running, guys.  Enjoy,” she said with a slight grin. 

Shawn and Lassie looked at each other and at Aaron, who was in pain, but not dying.  Without words the others could hear, they agreed on a pact and began to feed on the blood that was pouring from the wound.

A few hours had passed; the team already back at the station.  Aaron was at the hospital under heavy guard, but would pull through just fine.  Amanda was with the others at the station, feeling a warmth she hadn’t felt since before her parents died. 

“According to the satellites, there aren’t any more rouge vamps around Santa Barbara,” Josh said.  He’d stayed just to tie up loose ends.

Shawn smiled, “Thanks, Josh.  For everything.”

“Hey,” Josh said, putting his arm around Shawn’s shoulders, “Anything for a friend.  Besides, if I hadn’t you probably would’ve hunted me down, anyway,” he joked.

“True, I could now.  Especially with that deodorant you wear.  Ugh, that stuff smells awful!” Shawn said, ducking out from under the man’s arm.

Josh shook his head, “I think it’ll take a while to get used to the fact you’re a vampire.  I can tell it’s going to be a load of laughs.  And gross things,” he added as he watched Shawn grab another bag of blood.

“I bet,” Shawn said, walking out the door.  Just outside the conference room, he suddenly collapsed.

Shawn’s eyes fluttered open, revealing the team gathered around him.  Something felt soft underneath him.  Feeling around, he noticed he was laying on a hospital bed.  His neck, his back, everything was sore, like he’d been hit by a car.  Juliet was the first to see his eyes open.

“Shawn,” she gasped.  Her eyes were red-brimmed. 

“Jules,” he whispered.  He realized his throat was on fire at that moment, “Blood,” he croaked.

“Blood?” Gus asked.

Shawn nodded, although it took a ton of energy just to move a muscle. 

Lassiter stood up by the bedside, “Spencer, I can’t believe I’m asking this, but are you okay?”

Shawn looked over at Lassie, “Can’t you tell?”

Lassie blinked.  “What are you talking about?”

“Can’t you tell how I’m feeling?  We’re connected, remember?” Shawn asked.

“He’s fine,” Lassiter said with contempt. 

Shawn lay there, confused.  He couldn’t hear Lassie’s thoughts; couldn’t feel his emotions. 

“Where’s Aaron?” he asked. 

“Dead.  We shot him, remember?” Gus asked.

“No, we didn’t shoot him.  Amanda staked him and Lassie and I fed off him,” Shawn said.

Lassiter turned to him with disgust, “Fed off him?  What are you smoking?  O’Hara shot him.  You were weak with all the cuts and loss of blood.”

“Must have been hallucinating,” Henry said, standing up.

“I wasn’t hallucinating!  Lassie and I are vampires!  We fed off Aaron just enough so that he’d go unconscious!  Amanda staked him so we wouldn’t bite him!”

Every person in the room stared at Shawn like he’d grown another head.  Gus looked over at the bag on the pole next to Shawn, then nodded.

“Must be the Morphine.  He’s out of it,” Gus said.

“We’ll let you rest, Shawn.  You’ve been out of it for the last three weeks,” Juliet said, giving him a kiss on the forehead. 

Shawn frantically looked around, “Where’s Amanda?”

“Who’s Amanda?” Juliet asked.

“The girl.  She was going to kill Lassie and me until she realized we were good vampires,” Shawn explained. 

‘What is wrong with them?’ he thought to himself.

They left, shaking their heads at Shawn’s words.  He waited until they left the room, then got up slowly.  Pain ransacked his body, almost changing his mind about moving at all, but he pressed on.  He was in a private room, connected to a bag of liquid.  It said Morphine, but he saw that underneath it was just glucose.  He smiled, knowing that was his dad’s doing. 

The smile faded as he realized he was standing in a spot of sunshine from the window.  He blinked, not feeling any pain from the sun at all. 

When he looked out the window, he saw something strange.  Well, for him, anyway.  A man with brown hair and wearing a hospital gown.  He jumped back.

“That’s me!” he said to the air.

‘It couldn’t be!  I don’t have a reflection anymore!’ he thought as he carefully touched the surface of the glass.  His twin did the same.  The glass felt smooth and warm under his fingers.  With those same fingers, he reached up to his neck and pressed them against his skin.

His neck felt warm and a little damp.  He slid his fingers down slightly, feeling a bandage taped to the side of his neck and shoulder.  Carefully, he peeled back the tape.  Realizing the reflection wasn’t that good, he went into the bathroom. 

Turning on the light, he looked underneath the bandage.  It wasn’t pretty.  Two holes were visible, both red with dried blood and wet looking with the medicine he was sure they had applied that day. 

“I was bitten!  There why is everything different?  Why am I not a vampire anymore?  Was I ever one in the first place?” he said to his mirror image.

Shawn slinked back to bed, sighing as he crawled under the thin cover.  He didn’t get it.  Was it all a dream?  Or was this the dream world?

Sure, parts of it were real enough; even though his friends and family didn’t know, he had been CIA at one time.  Not in a supernatural division, of course, but he was an agent. 

Miranda; she had been real.  Just before he returned home, she and he were in South America, gathering intelligence.  She had fallen out the window.

‘No, wait, she was killed by gunfire outside the hotel on our last night there,’ Shawn thought, ‘Or, was she?’

Confused, Shawn fell into a fitful sleep.  What was real, what was imagined?

Hours passed.  Shawn’s eyes fluttered open again, seeing his friends and dad surrounding him.  Underneath him was hard and cold. 

“He’s awake!  Shawn, are you okay?” Gus asked.

“What happened?” Shawn asked.

“You just collapsed outside the doors,” Lassie explained.

‘Can you hear me?’ Shawn asked Lassie.

Lassie looked confused, ‘Of course.  What’s wrong?’

‘I don’t know.  Something’s off,’ Shawn thought back.

Gus saw the look between his friend and the Head Detective.  Somehow, he knew they were talking to each other. 

“What?” Gus asked.

Shawn looked at his best friend, “Something’s wrong.  I had this dream that I was in the hospital,” he pointed to his friends and dad, “You, you and you were there.”

“Shawn, quit goofing around.  What happened?” Henry asked.

“I don’t know.  I was normal again.  I had the bite marks on my neck, but I wasn’t the walking dead.  I was very much alive.  Blood was running through my veins,” Shawn said.

There was a look exchanged between the non-vampire people surrounding him.  Shawn wasn’t quite sure, but he thought it looked like hope.

“That’s what you guys want, isn’t it?  For Lassie and I to be normal again,” Shawn asked accusingly.

“No, of course not!” Juliet insisted. 

Shawn could smell it, though.  The fear they still had, lingering in the air.  He looked at Lassie.

“I smell it, too.  I should be angry with you for turning me, but if you hadn’t, I’d be dead,” Lassie said.  He looked up at the others with a scowl, “Would you rather we were both dead and buried?”

Silence.  Shawn looked directly into Gus’ eyes.  He could see the worry in those brown eyes; the hurt. 

“Look, Gus, I know this,” Shawn pointed to his fangs, which he forced to come out, “isn’t easy to see.  I can’t change it, though, without getting staked through the heart.  I know that’s not what you want.”

“No, definitely not, Shawn.  I know it won’t be easy, but I’ll be all right,” Gus replied.

“What about you, O’Hara?” Lassie asked, staring Juliet down.

“Just like Gus, I’ll have to get used to the idea.  For you as my partner, and you, Shawn, as my boyfriend.”

Amanda shuddered, “I’m sorry, but that still is a bad mental picture.  He’s the living dead, for crying out loud!”

Shawn didn’t say a word.  He was staring past them all out the window.  Something was off about the outside.

He stepped past Lassie and his dad and went to the window with confusion.  Lassie felt it immediately.

“What is it, S…Shawn?” he asked.  Shawn had vanished.

“Where’d he go?” Gus asked.

Shawn woke up again, staring up at the stark, white ceiling in his hospital room.  No one was present except him.  He blinked, seeing it was nighttime out the window of the room.  Getting up, he slowly walked over.  Outside the window was nothing.  Nothing but darkness.  No cars down below, no sky above.

‘What is going on?’ he asked himself.

Maybe this was the dream world?  He wasn’t sure what was real and what was his dream right now, although missing sky and missing cars in a hospital were beyond strange.  This had to be a dream. 

The thing was, even with his eidetic memory, he didn’t remember any dreams over the last few weeks.  He had slept, yes, but no dreams. 

“Trouble sleeping?” came a voice from behind.  A familiar voice.

Shawn turned slowly, not daring to believe who he was hearing.  His eyes fell upon a tall man with blonde hair.

“Despereaux?  What are you doing here?” Shawn asked.

“You could say I’m your guide, or your conscience, Shawn,” he replied, sitting on the bed.

Shawn smiled, “Really?” 

Pierre simply nodded as he picked up a needle, looked at it, then set it down again.  Shawn cocked his head, *seeing* something off about his criminal friend. 

Before he could ask Pierre any questions, the “art thief” stood up and crossed the room toward him.   

Without words, a hand was placed on Shawn’s face.  He could suddenly see a path ahead of him.

“That path you see is your future.  There are many roads to take.  It is up to you which path to take, Shawn,” Pierre said.  His voice had an echo, as if he were far away.

“Path?  I chose it already.  I’m choosing the life of a psychic vampire detective,” Shawn said.

“That’s not what I meant, Shawn.  That path is already taken, yes, but there is another path to choose.  You must find out what that path is, Shawn.  Now, go to sleep,” Pierre said.

As if in a trance, Shawn walked directly to the bed and climbed under the covers.  He closed his eyes and drifted off.

“Remember what I said.  Find your path,” Pierre’s voice echoed in his head.

The next thing Shawn knew, he was standing outside the Psych office. 

Shawn seemingly came out of his trance and looked around.  The sky was filled with stars, the ocean’s waves gently hitting the shore, and the green bold letters of Psych were almost calling him. 

Gently, he tested to see if he was a vampire or not.  The fangs appeared without much coaxing, and he knew ‘when’ he was. 

“In front of the Psych office, as a vampire.  What is going on?  Why am I going back and forth?” Shawn asked the air.  There wasn’t a soul around the boardwalk, which was slightly unusual for such a warm night.

He then detected it; the scent.  A scent of someone who was afraid and alone.  Shawn crouched by the entrance to the office, waiting.

She came around the corner, a girl possibly in her late twenties.  Brown hair falling down her back in waves, blue eyes shining with fear in the light from the street. 

Shawn could feel the hunger sweeping over him.  It was fact he hadn’t eaten all day, or was it longer?  He didn’t know for sure.  Here was a woman, ripe for the picking.  All alone and ready to be…

‘What am I thinking?’ he thought to himself as he watched the girl look around, ‘I don’t kill people.  I’ll find something else.  Maybe there’s some blood in the Psych office.’

He watched the girl walk away, then he dashed into the office toward the fridge.  He thought about the first day, after returning from the dead, how Gus couldn’t be in the room as he filled the ice box with blood bags from Woody. 

Shawn opened the door to find it completely empty.  Disheartened, and hungry, he went out and decided to run to the SBPD, where he was sure there was some stored in the morgue.

After a few minutes of running, Shawn stopped and looked around.  There was no one out and about.  Not another living soul that he could see. 

When he picked up the scent of the same woman again, he shook his head.  What was this, some kind of test of his will power?  Was someone seeing if he would stay true to his promise; that he wouldn’t kill another soul no matter how hungry he got? 

Shawn growled in frustration, “Come on!  I am not going back on my word!  Do you hear me, oh Cosmos above?  I am not going to be another vamp with an attitude!  I will not kill a living human being!” he shouted to the sky.

“No one said you had to,” came Pierre’s voice. 

Shawn looked around for the blonde haired man, but saw nothing but darkness and the girl still walking around in fear.

“Don’t bother looking for me, Shawn.  Just like my real life counterpart, I am neither here nor there,” Pierre said.

Shawn heard the woman scream, and turned his attention to her.  There, in the darkness, loomed another figure.  It now had the girl by her waist, and saw as the whatever-it-was tilted her neck to the side. 

Lunging, he reached them in one leap.  He growled and grabbed the creature by the arm, causing it to let the girl go.  She jumped back, watching the two things fight.

Shawn stared.  He suddenly let go of the arm in surprise. 

‘No, it can’t be.’

Lassiter stared out the window.  Shawn was nowhere to be found.  He couldn’t sense his Sire, and that troubled Lassie. 

Sure, a few years ago, he would’ve jumped for joy that Shawn stayed away from the police station.  Now, though, now that he considered Shawn a friend, ‘No, family,’ he thought, Lassie knew he’d have to find the fake psychic/real vampire/real detective soon.

That’s when Lassie felt a twinge of fear.  He looked around, unsure who it was coming from.  Outside, he spotted the source.  A young girl in her mid to late twenties, long brown hair and blue eyes, walking around as if she were lost. 

‘What the…?’ he thought.  She suddenly disappeared before his eyes.  Like a ghost.

A sudden jolt went through the head detective.  He felt Shawn for a split second. 

He ran back to the team with worry.

“What is it, Lassie?” Gus asked.

“Shawn.  I felt Shawn’s emotions for just a split second,” Lassiter answered.

Juliet didn’t like the look in his eyes, “What did you feel?”

“Hatred.  Anger.  And Hunger,” Lassie answered.

Shawn stared.  His mouth moved up and down, but no words came out as the surprise overtook him.  Was he really staring at…himself?

“What’s the matter, Shawn?” he asked menacingly.

Shawn’s hyper-observant mind kicked in, ‘seeing’ something different about this duplicate.  That’s when he saw the scar on the other’s lip.  It was fresh.  This Shawn was from about nine years ago; during his days in the CIA.  When Shawn was still bitter toward everyone and everything.  All he cared about was the kill. 

“I hear you made a pact.  You would never kill another human being.  What happened to me?  I’ve gone soft!” the Other Shawn said.

“But, you weren’t, I mean, I wasn’t a vampire ten years ago,” Shawn replied. 

Other Shawn laughed, “Vampire?  Apparently I’ve gone senile!  There are no such things as vampires!”

Shawn stood there, looking at his younger self, “Then what were you going to do to that girl?”

“Break her neck.  She’s a criminal that doesn’t deserve to live,” Other Shawn replied.

Shawn took a step back from his younger self, fear rising in his throat.  This wasn’t right.  Yes, he was bitter then, he did believe it was kill or be killed, but not innocent lives.  He did believe in the justice system.

“You’re not really me.  I would have never said that,” Shawn said accusingly.

“Are you sure about that?” Other Shawn asked, taking a step forward.

Shawn didn’t reply, so the Other Shawn continued, “What about your former partner, Miranda?  You killed her.”

“No!  She was killed, but not by me!” Shawn shouted.

“You killed her with a stake, Shawny-boy,” Other Shawn stated calmly.

“She was a vampire hell bent on killing Lassie!  What was I supposed to do?  Let her?” Shawn asked angrily.

“You felt remorse for it, though.  Don’t deny it.  You loved her at one point,” Other Shawn said.

“Before she was a vamp, yes.  She was my lover.  That was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away!” Shawn replied, a little fearful.  What was his younger self playing at?

“She deserved to be killed back in ’05.  Don’t deny it.  When you found out she was a traitor, you made sure she couldn’t trade secrets with the enemy ever again.  You pushed her out of that window,” Other Shawn accused.

“NO!  SHE FELL OUT THAT WINDOW!  I NEVER PUSHED HER!” Shawn shouted.  This was starting to feel like when he’d been interrogated by his superiors two days after her death. 

Shawn then began to think things through; what did this have to do with being a vampire or what had been going on the last few weeks?  Why was Miranda’s death the top of the list?  Why was it coming back to haunt him?

“So many questions, Shawn,” came Pierre’s voice.  Other Shawn had vanished, but Shawn could still feel the burning of his eyes.  Tears had formed from the memories.

Wiping away the tears, Shawn looked around and saw a shadow standing nearby.  The light from the street illuminated the hair of the shadow, revealing a dirty blonde head.  Relieved, he walked up to the art thief/possible secret INTERPOL agent.

“Okay, what in the Hell is going on?” Shawn demanded.

“Easy, Shawn,” Pierre said soothingly.

Shawn sat down on a bench nearby, the memories of Miranda drifting through his brain.  He began to curse his eidetic memory as he replayed the events nine years ago.  He could still smell her perfume, see the moon shining in her long black hair.  Her eyes as she fell backward out the window. 

Shawn shook his head, not wanting to recall the moment she screamed his name as she plummeted down several stories to the pavement below.  But, his memory mocked him and made him remember.  He could still hear the sickening crack as she landed.  Shawn remembered looking down at her lifeless body and…smiling.

“Was I really that sadistic back then?” He asked out loud.

“Did you really push her, Shawn?” came Juliet’s voice.

He looked up to see Jules standing there, all dressed in white, her hair flowing in an invisible breeze.  Her eyes held a sadness.

“No, Jules, I didn’t,” he said, eyes full of tears.

“Why don’t I believe you?” she asked.  Her voice sounded far away.

“I…I didn’t mean to.  She was struggling with me.  I pushed back against her, but I never meant to push her out the window.  I swear!” Shawn said, the tears spilling over.

Juliet vanished, leaving Shawn alone in a dark world. 

Lassiter, meanwhile, was pacing the floor of the SBPD, wondering where his Sire was.  The twinge he felt unsettled him.  Shawn was in trouble, but Lassie couldn’t help. 

Juliet watched her undead partner with worry.  He’d explained how he felt Shawn’s presence for a split second, how he was angry and hungry.  She wished she could understand what it felt like to know exactly how a person was feeling.  She believed that if she could share what Shawn and Lassiter shared, she could help. 

“Carlton,” she said, walking up to him.

Lassiter picked up the scent of fear from his partner, “Yes, O’Hara?”

She took a deep breath, “What’s it like?”

Lassie tilted his head, “What’s what like?”

“Being in tune with Shawn?  Being a vampire?” Juliet answered.

Carlton blinked.  That was a question he wasn’t expecting, especially from his partner who had already expressed her concerns about him being turned.

“Why do you want to know that?” he questioned.

Before Juliet could answer, Lassiter felt the familiar twinge.  Shawn was nearby, and he was distraught.

“What?” Juliet asked, seeing the look on his face.

“Shawn’s back,” Lassiter said, his face showing the feeling his Sire was conveying.

They turned to see the brown haired psychic vampire stumble into the SBPD and look around.  Spotting Juliet and Lassie, he slowly made his way over to them, putting his hands out in front of him.

“Put me under arrest, Lassie,” he said sadly.

“For what?” he replied.

Shawn looked at Juliet before answering, “For murder.”

Lassie’s face contorted into confusion, “What do you mean by that?”

Juliet instinctively reached for her throat, but pulled her hand away quickly. 

“I killed Melinda,” Shawn replied to Lassie.

“We know.  You did it to save Carlton’s life,” Juliet said.

“No, not then.  Before,” Shawn said, pushing his hands out further.

All Shawn got in response was two confused looks.  Juliet looked at Lassie, then back at Shawn before speaking.

“Shawn?  What do you mean, before?” she asked.

Shawn launched into the story of that fateful night, and how it ended so tragically nine years ago.  He had dropped his hands while speaking, then put them back up in defeat.

“So,” he finished, “arrest me.  Come on, Lassie, you know you’ve always wanted to.”

Lassiter stood there, letting Shawn’s story sink in.  His mind said no, Shawn hadn’t killed her.  He was trying to get her away from the window.  The head detective shook his head.

“No, Shawn.  You didn’t kill her.  At least, not on purpose.  It was an accident,” Lassiter said, shaking his head.

Shawn dropped his hands.  Was he serious? 

“Yes, I’m serious,” Lassie said, reading his Sire’s thoughts. 

“I think, right now, you need to sit down in the conference room and think for a few minutes.  As good as your memory is, I get the feeling you’re only remembering what you *think* you should remember.  You need to remember what really did happen,” Juliet said.

Shawn, too upset to speak, nodded and went into the closest conference room.  He sat down and watched Juliet close the door. 

‘Okay, Spence, try.  Think about that night.  Why is it so impertinent to now; to me being a vampire?’ he thought to himself, hoping Lassie could hear him.  He wanted the detective to hear every word, see every thought.

June 15th, 2005

                Melinda sat on the edge of the hotel bed, her satin red silk gown moving with her every gesture.  Shawn stood there, smiling. 

“What?” Melinda asked with a small smile.

“You are beautiful, you know that?” Shawn said, sitting down next to her.  He placed an arm around the woman.

“You’re freezing!  Here, take my shirt,” he said, taking off his over shirt and placing it on her shoulders. 

“I’m fine.  I told you, I don’t have good blood flow.  I always feel cold,” she said.  She took off the shirt and handed it back to him.

Shawn reached for it, only to watch it drop to the floor.  He looked up at Melinda, “Why’d you drop it?” he asked with a twinkle.

“You look better without it,” she replied, grabbing her cell.  It had started ringing.  She answered it quickly.

“Agent Sanders,” she said.  Shawn straightened up, knowing it was a call from headquarters. 

After a few minutes, Melinda looked to Shawn and nodded.  He immediately got up and began to adjust the camera that was focused out the window toward the cartel’s headquarters across the street from the hotel they were at. 

Shawn looked into the lens and saw the Head of the drug cartel in the middle of a deal.  He turned on the camera and made sure it was recording.  He then turned and gave Melinda a thumbs up.

“It’s on camera, Sir,” she said, then flipped the phone closed.  She gave Shawn an ‘oops’ face.

“Good thing we were here instead of on the beach.  By the way, why do you insist on going to the beach at night?  There’s this thing in the sky during the day called the Sun.  You could use some Vitamin D, you know.  Your skin is so pale.  Have you been sick lately?”  Shawn asked innocently.

“Shawn, I have to tell you…” Melinda started, but was interrupted by the sound of a deal going bad over the speakers. 

Gunshots were firing in rapid succession as Shawn and Melinda ran over to the camera.  Shawn grabbed the binoculars and Melinda looked through the camera lens.

The sight was chaos.  Blood was everywhere, and the head of the drug cartel was now lying face down on the pavement below.  Melinda cursed under her breath as Shawn slammed down the binoculars on the table.

“Damn!  We lost him!” he said.  Sighing, he opened the phone to call their supervisor.  He looked over to find Melinda gone. 

Closing the phone, he started looking for her.  He caught a glimpse of something in the camera and took a closer look.  There, next to the body of the dead cartel leader, was Melinda.  She was face down, her hands on the body.

“How the hell did she get over there so fast?  And what is she doing?” he asked out loud. 

For a few minutes, he watched his lover in fascination.  She barely moved, as if she were praying over the body.  He found it weird, considering she was not a religious person.  It was at that moment she lifted her head. 

Shawn jumped back, fear rising in the back of his throat, and disgust.  In the moonlight, blood was shining on her face.  And were those, fangs?

‘Come off it, Spence,’ he thought, ‘there are no such things as vampires.’

He dared to look again, only to find Melinda gone.  The image of what he thought he saw remained etched in his mind.

‘That’s it.  No more vampire movies before bed,’ he thought jokingly.

“Shawn?”

Shawn screamed like a girl upon hearing Melinda’s voice.  He turned to find her standing there, with a confused look on her face.  There was no blood to be seen.

“What’s the matter?  You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she joked, interlacing her arm in his.

“W…Where’d you go?” he asked, trying to calm his nerves. 

“I was in the bathroom.  I had some…thing stuck in my teeth.  Must’ve been that steak,” she said.  She shivered at the word steak.

Shawn’s memory flashed, recalling dinner earlier.  Melinda hadn’t eaten a bite.  When she opened the cover, a look of pure disgust crossed her face.  She thought she’d hidden it from Shawn.

“You didn’t eat anything,” Shawn said, deadpan. 

“Oh, well, it must’ve been something else, then,” Melinda said.  The look Shawn was giving her.  It was that look; the look he’d given a few criminals as they were cornered. 

“What’s going on, Melinda?” he asked. 

“Whatever do you mean, Spence?” she asked, using the nickname the old team had given him.

“Don’t ‘Spence’ me, Agent Sanders.  What’s going on?” Shawn said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Shawn, honey, what do you mean?” she asked sweetly.

It was then he saw something in the dim light.  A flash.  Her eyes were flashing.  A closer inspection revealed white eyes were there had been blue.  He saw her teeth, no, fangs, appear. 

“What the…?” he cried, backing away from her. 

“You shouldn’t of been snooping, Shawn.  I was just hungry, and there had been a fresh kill ripe for the picking,” Melinda sneered.

She inched closer to him, the teeth gleaming menacingly in the light from outside.  He suddenly wished he could just open his eyes and this would all be over.  A pinch of his hand, and a stub of his toe on the table confirmed he was living a nightmare.

                “Get away from me!” he whispered, fear taking his ability to shout. 

                “Just one quick bite, Shawn.  That’s all it’ll take!” Melinda teased, getting closer to Shawn. 

                His brow was wet with perspiration as she continued to come closer and closer.  Before he knew it, she had him up against the wall.  Shawn couldn’t tear his eyes away from hers; staring at those white eyes with a flash of red.

                “This won’t take long, Spence.  Before you know it, you’ll be walking among us as the living dead,” she said sinisterly. 

                “How about I take a rain check on that?” he said, trying his usual approach to humor. 

                “No rain checks, Shawn.  You die tonight, you’ll be back by the end of the week,” Melinda said.

                He didn’t know where it came from, but he pushed back against her with all the strength he could muster.  Somehow, he moved out of her way and grabbed the closest weapon thing he could find:  the tripod.  The camera still attached, he picked it up and swung it in her direction.

                Crack!  He heard the sound as the camera made contact with her head.  She was stunned momentarily, but shook her head to clear the stars afterward. 

                Shawn had now moved the other way, the camera tripod still in his hands.  He now stood front of the window.  His mind didn’t want to wrap around what was happening.  He was fighting an actual vampire. 

                When he thought about what he’d been doing over the last few months with Melinda, his stomach lurched.  He ducked as she went to jump on top of him, and she flew out the window toward the ground.

                He watched as she landed expertly on her feet, ten stories below the window of their room.  Swiftly, she began to run and vanished out of his sight. 

                Leaning against the wall, he gasped for air.  He had just fought a vampire.  A real, blood sucking vampire!

                ‘If only Gus were here,’ he thought. 

                That’s when he heard her voice one more time, for what he thought would be the last time. 

                “You’ll pay dearly, Shawn Spencer.  One day, I will find you and you will be mine; forever mine.”

                The next day, he planned out the best story he could muster.  Agent Sanders was a turncoat, and he’d discovered it.  She was killed in the raid of the drug cartel and her body disappeared in the night.

Shawn looked up, finally realizing that he had made up a story so convincing, he’d even convinced himself.  This *had* all started years ago.  It was why he was sitting here now, an undead vampire.  She had exacted revenge.  She had turned him.  Shawn was, forevermore, to walk the earth. 

“Now you’ve got it, Shawn,” Pierre’s voice sounded in his head.

“That’s my path?  This isn’t making any sense!” Shawn stated to the air.

“What’s not making any sense?” Juliet asked.

Shawn looked up, finding himself sitting in the Psych office.  Startled, he looked around in confusion.

‘What in the hell is going on here?’ he thought to himself. 

The Psych office, the hospital, the SBPD; he seemed to be jumping all over the place.  Maybe it was *all* a dream?  He tested his vampire senses, detecting right away that Juliet was alert and afraid.  Gus was nowhere to be found.

“Why am I at the Psych office?  Wasn’t I just in the SBPD?” he asked Juliet.

“No.  We left over three hours ago.  We came back here to follow a lead on the case.  You just sat down and said it doesn’t make sense.  What doesn’t?  The case?” she asked again.

Shawn shook his head.  Something was seriously wrong.  He could hear his dad: “You’re missing something, Shawn.  Take a closer look, because you’re overlooking something.”

Shawn wished the answer would just jump out and shout; “HEY!” but it wouldn’t.  He’d have to search for what he was overlooking.  He sighed and turned toward Juliet.

“Jules, something’s wrong.  Seriously wrong.  I’m either blacking out, or this is all a dream.  I can’t remember leaving the station,” he said.

Juliet looked alarmed, “Can’t remember?  Shawn, you have an eidetic memory.  How could you not remember something?”

“I don’t know.  It’s happened before.  I never remembered taking a picture with Yang when I was a kid.  I have trouble remembering little things, like where I…” he started, but remembered she didn’t know about the ring yet.

“Where you what?” Juliet asked.

“Never mind.  I’m just confused right now.  I think Lassie and I need to take a step back and try to retrace our steps.  Since he and I are linked, it’d be best to include him,” Shawn said.

Juliet nodded, “Okay.  I’ll call him,” she said, reaching for her phone.

“No, I will,” Shawn stated, pointing to his head.

Lassiter was walking into the conference room when he heard Spencer’s voice in his head.

‘Lassie, come to the Psych office.  Something’s wrong, and I mean seriously wrong,’ Shawn thought. 

‘I’ll be there soon,’ Lassiter thought back.  He normally would’ve argued, but Shawn’s feelings were prominent; the faux psychic was afraid.

Shawn looked up at Juliet, “He’s coming,” he said.

“Do you want me to go?” she asked.  Her eyes searched Shawn for some kind of clue as to what he was thinking. 

Shawn shook his head, “No.  I need you here right now,” he said as he looked up. 

Juliet was surprised to see tears forming in his eyes.  She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.  The cold feel from his body almost made her let go, but she held tighter instead.

“You hate me, don’t you?” Shawn asked suddenly.

“What?  No!  I could never hate you!” she said.

“Jules, I’m the walking dead.  I know that you think about our future; our lives together from here on out,” Shawn said, the hurt in his voice.

Juliet’s breath caught in her throat as a lump formed, “Shawn, I love you.  There’s no doubt about it.  Why this all of a sudden?”

Shawn sighed and looked up at her, “Jules, I love you, but…”

Juliet braced herself for something terrible.

“I just don’t think my being a vampire is okay to you.  I can sense how you feel.  The way my skin feels, that I no longer have a heartbeat, I don’t eat anything but blood; I’m sure that makes you cringe.”

There was no way Juliet could deny what he said.  It did make her shiver at the thought of him drinking pints of blood just to survive. 

“But, you still have love in that heart.  Right?” she asked.

Shawn nodded, “Yes.  I love you, and Gus, and Dad, and even Lassie.”

Juliet’s eyebrows raised, “Lassiter?”

“Well, it’s a brotherly thing.  We’re brothers now, you know.  All the linkage stuff makes us bros.”

“You consider me a brother?” Lassiter’s voice came from the lobby of the Psych office.

They both turned to find the tall, lanky vampire detective standing in the doorway, his face stoic.  Shawn smiled.

“Lassie!  Yes, of course I do!  Long before we were turned,” he added.

Lassiter considered this before turning to Juliet, “O’Hara, they need you back at the station.  There’s been an armed robbery downtown.  Since I’ve got to take care of business with Shawn, you’ll man point.”

“Right.  And Shawn?” Juliet said.  She gave him a huge kiss, “Don’t you worry.  I love you no matter what.  Everything’s going to be just fine, okay?”

“I know, Jules.  Be careful and I’ll see you later.  I love you,” Shawn said, hugging her tight.

She embraced him tightly, making sure she conveyed her feelings of warmth and love.  She gave him one last look, then walked out the door to her VW.

Shawn turned to Lassie, “Okay.  We have to retrace our steps.  My finger to eyebrow device is broken!”

Lassie rolled his eyes, “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean,” Shawn started as he walked over to the fridge for two pints of blood, “that I can’t seem to remember chunks of time.  It’s like I’m blacking out or something, Lassie.”

Shawn tossed the detective a pint and opened one for himself.  They drank silently for a few minutes before Lassiter spoke again.

“I thought you had an eidetic memory?” he asked as he tossed the bag into a hazardous waste bag hanging on the wall.

Shawn did the same before answering, “I do.  I’ve had this happen before, though.  Take Yang for instance.  I don’t remember taking that picture with her when I was a kid.”

“That could’ve been selective.  Maybe you knew she was no good,” Lassie offered.

Shawn shrugged, “Maybe, but it doesn’t explain how I don’t remember leaving the SBPD earlier with Jules and coming here.  I was in the conference room and suddenly I was here at the office with her.”

Lassiter sat down in Guster’s seat and scooted over to Shawn.  The brown haired vampire detective followed suit, and rolled over toward Lassie.  They met in the middle of the room.

“So, what do we have to do?” Lassiter asked.

“We have to retrace our steps.  From the moment I was bitten to now.  We can’t skip a second,” Shawn said.

Lassie couldn’t help but see and feel the determination Shawn was exhuming.

“Then let’s get to work.  We have almost a month to recover,” he said, grabbing a pad and pen.

Three hours had passed before they’d finally finished ‘retracing’ every step Shawn could remember.  Save for the few days he’d been actually dead, Shawn recalled every single detail. 

Lassie dropped the pad and pen on Guster’s desk and sighed, “This is getting us nowhere.  You’re memory seems to be fine.”

Shawn ran his hand over his face in frustration, “Then why am I blacking out?”

“Maybe it’s something to do with that dream you had.  The one where you’re in the hospital but you’re not a vampire,” Lassiter said, a thoughtful look on his face.

“What about it?” Shawn asked.

“Well, you said yourself that Pierre was in that dream, plus in that strange fantasy type world.  We both know the real Pierre is dead,” he said.

Shawn cleared his throat, knowing full well that Pierre was alive and well in England.  That’s when he saw Lassie give him an evil look.

“He’s alive?” Lassiter asked.

‘Oops.’  “Um, yeah.  He might or might not be an INTERPOL agent,” Shawn said, preparing himself for the inevitable blow out that was coming.

“What?!” Lassiter yelled.  The detective stood up and started pacing back and forth. 

Shawn saw the fangs come out and Lassie’s eyes glow white.  He was beyond angry.  He was downright murderous.

“I ought to stake you right here and now for that, but I won’t,” Lassie finally said, the eyes returning to normal.

Shawn seemed taken aback.  Lassiter, calming down so easily?  This was new.

“Yeah, maybe because I don’t want to rip your head off just yet.  We have bigger fish to fry, like trying to find out what’s going on with you,” Lassiter answered Shawn’s thought.

“You do care!” Shawn exclaimed.

“Look, it might be because you saved my life.  I still owe you that.  Don’t get overzealous, though.  I’m still upset you kept Pierre’s whereabouts from me.  Wait until he gets a load of the new, improved Lassiter.”

Shawn sat back in his chair, trying to figure out what was happening.  Did Pierre have something to do with this? 

“Maybe you’re on to something, Lassie,” Shawn said.

“That maybe it’s Pierre messing with your head?” Lassiter asked, a little too happily.

“Except for how?  How can he take hours from my life without me knowing about it?” Shawn asked the detective.