Meeting Henry Spencer

[musicalluna]

Title: Meeting Henry Spencer
Fandom: Psych
Author: MusicalLuna
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Shawn/Juliet
Genre: Romance, Fluff
Warnings: None
Complete: Yes
Summary: Shawn shows them how serious he is.
A/N: This is another of the revised versions of one of the 20x20 First Kiss moments and this one is actually revised instead of rewritten, so you might recognize a little bit of it. I really like this expanded version though, so I had to share. XD
Disclaimer: I do not own Psych or the characters.

 

Shawn bounces on his toes, the handle of the open car door still clutched in his hand as he looks over the roof at Juliet. They’re parked in front of a red house trimmed in white, and he’s unable to stop his eyes from sliding anxiously toward it.

His father’s house.

Four years ago if he had been in this situation he never even would have considered bringing Juliet here. But things are different now. Still awkward and occasionally tense the way they were after the divorce, but there’s something that’s developed between he and his dad in the last few years that makes it feel…wrong not to introduce him to the girl he’s fallen in love with.

That doesn’t make it any easier though.

"Are you sure you want to do this today? We could wait a few more days. Maybe a week? Two, tops," he says and Juliet throws an exasperated look at him, tugging her purse over her shoulder and shutting her door.

"Stop being ridiculous, Shawn. It’s been three months. It’s about time I get to meet your father. I met your mom almost a month ago!"

"Mom’s a different story! She’s not…grumpy." He senses this argument isn’t quite potent enough when Juliet rolls her eyes as she steps up in front of him, her hand taking hold of the front of his shirt.

She looks him right in the eye and says with deliberation, "Shawn. I’m meeting your father. Tonight. You can come in with me, or you can hide out here in the car like a big baby. Either way, I am going inside now."

One tendril of wispy blonde hair curls and loops down the side of her face (it refuses to be tamed no matter what she tries) and his mouth pulls into a grin at the determination in her gaze. Her nose wrinkles, a slight frown twisting her mouth.

"What? Shawn—"

"I love it when you go all powerhouse on me," he says, hand settling on her hip. She’s off-kilter now and he waggles his eyebrows, his grin widening.

She punches him in the shoulder. "Stop dawdling, Shawn!" She pulls away from him and starts up the front porch steps.

"Ow! Pull your punches, Supergirl!" he calls, but he’s on her heels all the way to the door. She lifts her hand to knock and he catches it in his, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. "Seriously, Jules. Just—give me a minute with him, okay?"

Blue eyes scan his face for several long seconds and then she nods, once. "Okay, Shawn." She’s still watching his face carefully when she slips her hand into his and gives it a gentle squeeze. "It’s going to be fine."

He nods even though he’s not nearly as confident and takes a deep breath, knocking on the door.

"The door’s open!" his dad calls from inside.

They enter and he gestures Juliet into the living room and goes the opposite direction, through a doorway into the kitchen where he can hear the sound of water running in the sink.

His father, Henry, stands at the kitchen sink washing potatoes, gaze focused on his task. The short hairs that arc along the bottom of his skull are flattened along one side and Shawn bets a little catnap took place in the living room recliner. "Hey, Dad." And because standing in the middle of the kitchen is just too awkward, he moves to the fridge, bending to inspect the contents.

Henry’s head turns—Shawn can tell from the sound of his voice—and says, "On time for once. I’m impressed, Shawn."

Snagging a bottle of beer from the top shelf, he shrugs and says casually, "Yeah, I figured one time wouldn’t ruin my reputation. Besides, Juliet refused to be late and risk making a bad impression."

For once his dad’s carefully schooled expressions crack and Shawn sees genuine surprise cross his face. "Juliet? That’s who your mysterious ‘guest’ is? You two are still an item?"

"Nobody uses that term anymore, Dad. And yes, we are." He shifted, eyes dropping to the bottle in his hand. "We have been for three months now."

Henry leans on the counter with both hands, his fingers curling tightly. "Three months. You've been in a relationship with this girl for three months and you never thought to mention it to me? I mean, I knew there was a girl, but it’s just been the one girl?"

He looks a little too incredulous and Shawn stiffens. "Yeah, Dad. Just one girl."

Henry glances up and there’s a strange expression on his face. "And you didn't think I could give you any good advice? I taught you everything you know about detective work, kid, and I've been in my fair share of—"

"Yeah, Dad," Shawn cuts him off, shifting impatiently. The bottle rolls to his other hand. "You taught me everything I know. But your marriage wasn't exactly a huge success." His father's eyes narrow and Shawn straightens, meeting his gaze, unflinching. "I had to do this on my own, Dad."

"And you think you’re ready for the next step?" he asks. Some of the confidence melts out of Shawn’s stance.

"Yeah. I think so." He twists the cap off of the beer bottle and moves to the trashcan. "I don’t know. Maybe."

With a soft snort, Henry turns back to the sink, moving the potatoes onto the cutting board beside it. "Kid, you’ve made it a lifelong habit not to over think anything, or even think at all. Don’t start now."

Shawn’s head comes up and he stares, but Henry only has eyes for the potatoes he’s peeling.

The kitchen is quiet for a moment, then Henry says: "So what does this girl do, anyway?"

Shawn smiles for the first time. "You'll like this—she's a detective."

Henry makes a noise of appreciation and then waves the knife toward the living room. "Well, are you going to ask her to join us in the kitchen, or are you just going to let her sit in the living room by herself all night?"

Rolling his eyes, Shawn calls, "Hey, Jules?"

He takes her hand when she appears in the doorway a moment later and kisses her mouth. She squeezes his hand and then smiles at his father and says, "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Spencer."