Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.

A/N: So, I’m a total Shawn/Jules shipper, but this idea came to me and it just won’t leave. So, I’m going to write this, if not for anyone else then for me. Sorry if I miss spell Jules last name. I think it’s O’Hara.

The only problem with working a hot case was when it went cold no one knew what to do. Carlton Lassiter was sitting at home, staring at the wall trying to figure out what he had missed. Had there been anything, or was he just trying to make himself feel guilty for letting their killer slip away. Outside he heard a car pull to a stop in his driveway, but he paid it no heed. It was only when he heard the familiar sounds of heels clicking on the concrete, making their way to his front door that he began to stand up from the couch.

His steps were slow and paced he reached the door after the woman outside had knocked. He had an idea of who it was, and wasn’t sure he really wanted to see her—he looked terrible, his tie was missing and his hair tousled—but he opened the door anyway.

Standing in front of him with a cheery smile on her lips was Juliet O’Hara, his energetic partner. As he looked at her he couldn’t help but wonder why she was there. It was one o’clock in the morning, they both should have been sleeping, obviously that wasn’t working out for them.

“Why are you here, O’Hara?” Though he wanted to try and sound stern his words came across strained and he sounded even worse than he looked, if that was even possible. Although in the moonlight he was still as handsome as always he looked like the past few weeks had stretched him thin, and there was not much more he could do. She smiled and then stepped past him, venturing into his living room before finally turning to face him.

“Well, I was trying to sleep when I got this idea about the case. And I knew if I waited I’d forget it, so I came over here to—” she began to say with too much enthusiasm when he held up a hand to stop her.

“How did you know I’d still be up? And what was this great idea?” It was obvious that he was trying to sound like he was the big tough guy but his voice was weaker than usual. A shy smile spread across her lips and she looked at her feet, suddenly enthralled by her own shoes.

“I’m your partner, I know you do this after every case where the guy gets away,” Juliet said, still not daring to look into his eyes. After a long silence she looked up at him and by the expression on her face he could tell that she had been expecting him to be alarmed, maybe even angry, but he wasn’t. A soft smile spread across his usually serious face and he sat down on the couch, waiting for her to sit down next to him.

“You really are a great detective, even if I never tell you so. I think it, often, Juliet.” It had been the first time that he had called her by her first name, and not her last. She was so accustomed to hearing him call her O’Hara that she was momentarily thrown off, unsure what she should do next. One look at her and it was obvious that she was trying to fight off something she couldn’t do. Though, if asked, she would deny it, she wanted desperately to grab his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. She didn’t, however, something that struck Lassiter as odd. Since she was so friendly and such an act was something she delighted in doing, at least with her friends, but he shrugged off the feeling of wonder.

“What was your break through?” Lassiter finally asked her, remembering why she was there. She looked at him and grinned, then turned so she was facing him, tucking one leg beneath her and kicking her shoes off in one fluid movement.

“Our perp, what if he isn’t local? Maybe he had a record with some other government agency, police department or something somewhere else? There has to be something connected with his prints,” Juliet said. She was looking at him with a perplexed look, hoping that he didn’t dismiss her idea entirely, as he usually did.

“That is a great idea, but I already got that started. I sent out the fingerprints and MO, to see if we get a match, nothing so far,” Lassiter said, wishing he hadn’t of said it. Her face fell and she looked away, the sudden moment of excitement was gone.

“When did you—?”

“While you picked up lunch. It was Shawn’s idea, but Gus said it was his. Who knows what to believe with those two.” He shook his head and looked at a spot just above her right shoulder, his gaze not meeting hers for some time.

“Well, I probably should have called, but I wanted to talk to you in person about it. And I… never mind,” she mumbled her last few words and her face turned bright red. She had almost let something slip, but caught herself just in time.

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad you stopped by. I can’t stop thinking,” Lassiter said, “about why we didn’t catch him. What did we miss? I reviewed everything so thoroughly, many times, I can’t have missed anything.”

Juliet put her hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. She didn’t say anything—she knew he wasn’t finished yet.

“I just… I… I don’t know…” his voice trailed off and he finally brought his eyes up to hers. He suddenly felt weird and became aware that they were sitting very close. So close that he could feel the warmth emanating from her body. His eyes darted down to her lips and as she realized what was on her mind the expression on her face changed. For a moment she considered pulling back and leaving just as quickly as she had arrived, but she wanted to kiss him. The longer she thought of it the stronger the desire came.

Juliet leaned in and put one hand on his chest, then brushed her lips over his once, twice three times, before deepening the kiss. Lassiter pulled her closer and plunged his fingers into her hair. The kiss grew heated and Lassiter leaned Juliet back on the couch, covering her body with his while she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt.

Her body was warm and her skin was soft. Lassiter ran his hands up her shirt then pulled it up over her head. She leaned her head back as he began to trail kisses down her neck, slowly making his way to her hips. She moaned and ran her hands up his bare back, gripping his shoulders and pushing her hips against his. He could feel her moving her legs and heard her shoes hit the floor. His fingers worked quickly to undo her jeans and he slipped them down her hips. He ran his hands down her legs, then kissed her again, her tongue ran across his lips and he parted them for her.

--

The next morning when Lassiter’s doorbell rang the first thing he registered was; him and Juliet were curled up together on his couch; the second was that his alarm clock was screaming in his bedroom. Lassiter stood up and scooped up Juliet in his arms, then gathered up their clothes and carried her back to his bedroom. He laid her down under the blankets then pulled on his boxers and a discarded tee shirt. He hit the alarm then went and opened the door, and came face to face with Shawn Spencer. Gus appeared out of nowhere, holding a cup of coffee and looking extremely peeved.

“Oh good, you’re still here. Would you be interested in going to breakfast with us?” Shawn said. He was so perky for someone who was not a morning person.

“And why is Jules car here?” Gus added as an after thought. Before Lassiter could answer either question soft footsteps came toward them. Juliet appeared next to him wearing his button down shirt from the night before. Shawn’s eyes widened and Gus stared at them with his analyzing look, and then they turned around and hurried off to Gus’ tiny blue car.

“How about we have pancakes before we get ready to leave?” Juliet offered. He nodded and shut the door, then slipped one arm around her waist and walked with her back to the kitchen.

TBC...

A/N: I have an idea as to where this is going...it will only be one, maybe two more chapters. Please review and tell me what you think!!