musicalluna | Better Than a Bath?

Title: Better Than A Bath?
Fandom: Psych
Author: MusicalLuna
Rating: eT
Characters/Pairings: Shawn/Juliet
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Warnings: None
Complete: Yes
Summary: Juliet comes home to a surprise after a hard day.
A/N: As per GBFreak1's request, a story with sloooow dancing. :D It's not a huge part, so I hope you like it, GBFreak1, but if you want more...let me know and I can give it another try. ;D
And I suppose I could mention that Shawn and Juliet are indeed dating in this fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own Psych or you'd see a lot more of this stuff...

The front door to Juliet's apartment opened with a weary click. She shuffled inside, locking the door behind her and dropping her keys on a small table in the entryway.

It had been an absurdly long day. She had gotten a call from Lassiter at four-thirty that morning requesting her presence at a crime scene on the beach. Two tourists had been murdered and half buried in the sand. They had spent the day chasing down leads that stretched to the very limits of the city and it was now after ten-fifteen at night. She wanted a long shower, maybe a scoop of Rocky Road ice cream, and then she was going to go collapse in bed.

She slipped off her shoes as she headed down the hall, not caring where she left them, and it took her a minute to register that the kitchen light was not supposed to be on.

A rush of adrenaline flooded her system and she suddenly felt wide-awake. Reaching for the gun at her hip, she edged cautiously down the hall toward the kitchen doorway, her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears. "FREEZE!" she yelled, whipping her body into the doorway, gun brandished.

Shawn Spencer stared back at her.

"Oh my gosh, Shawn," she breathed, dropping the gun to her side. "What are you doing in my apartment?!"

Shawn shrugged, popping a piece of fruit from the bowl in his hand into his mouth. "Apparently role playing. I didn't think you went for that kind of kinky stuff, but hey, I'm--"

"Shawn," she said exasperatedly, setting the gun on the counter. "I'm tired. I can't do this right now."

He smiled slightly and stepped forward, planting a light kiss on her lips. "That's why I'm here."

She sighed, but the corners of her mouth quirked upward. "That would be very sweet Shawn, if you hadn't broken into my house. How did you get in here?"

He grinned and held up a small object. "I copied your key. Just in case."

"Shawn!" She snatched the key away from him. "I swear, sometimes I think I should get a restraining order against you."

"That wouldn't be very conducive to our relationship, don't you think?"

"Shawn," she said desperately, "I'm glad to see you. Really, I am, but today was a really long day and I'm so tired..."

"Hey, say no more. I told you, that's why I'm here. Go change. I cut these for you--" He waggled the bowl in his hand. "--there's a bottle of wine on the coffee table, and I learned how to give mind-blowing massages when I was twenty-six."

Juliet's expression softened. "I knew there was a reason I hadn't gotten that restraining order."

He grinned. "Go."

She kissed him and he smiled, giving her a gentle push and waving her down the hall.

~ * * * ~

When she returned a few moments later, she was wearing her comfiest set of pajamas, her long blonde hair hanging loosely around her shoulders.

Shawn had turned down the lights, lit a few candles, and had poured a glass of wine for her, which sat beside the now cool whip topped bowl of fruit. As she fingered the wine glass, touched by each of the gestures, he pressed the play button on her stereo and Frank Sinatra's distinctive croon began flowing from the speakers.

"Shawn, this is perfect," she said softly and moved to hug him.

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Every once in a while I pull through in the clutch."

She leaned into his chest and decided that if Shawn broke the rules to do things like this, then she was okay with that. This was even better then what she had planned. "I love this song..." she murmured.

He smiled into her hair. "Want to dance?"

She pulled back slightly, looking up into his face incredulously. "What?"

"Dance. You know, do the twist, shake your groove thang, cut a rug..." He slid his hand into hers, and with a smile that made her heart leap, began swaying with her, the two of them turning in slow, lazy circles beside the coffee table. Everything he had done, and the way he was looking at her, his hazel eyes saying plainly that nothing else in the world mattered but her made her feel unequivocally special.

They danced languidly through two more songs before Juliet kissed his cheek tenderly and said, "I think I'm ready for that wine now."

He grinned. "Sit sideways."

"Ooh," she said sinking onto the couch, "I get a massage, don't I?"

"From the sexiest masseur on the planet," he said.

She grinned, accepting the wine glass he held out as he sat down behind her. "All right. I think you officially win the award for best boyfriend."

He laughed and she nearly fell apart right then as he worked his slender fingers into her aching shoulders. She never had a chance. His hands worked the tension right out of her muscles, and the wine (fruity and sweet, just like she liked it) drained the stress and any of her remaining desire to stay awake. When her head started bobbing toward her lap, Shawn slid his hands down her arms and kissed the back of her neck lightly. "Why are you stopping?" she moaned.

He chuckled and slid his arms beneath her, picking her up. "I think it's bedtime for you Jules."

Her head listed into the crook of his neck and she mumbled something unintelligible as he moved into the hallway. At the end of the hall, he pushed open the door to her bedroom with his toe, careful not to bump any part of his sleepy package against the frame, and gently laid her in the bed, pulling the covers up and over her as she snuggled into her pillow.

She was already asleep when he whispered, "Sleep tight, beautiful."